Next Gen Entrepreneurs...And a Note on "Empowerment"

I was recently given the unique and interesting opportunity to be a “professional judge” (I chuckled at the title for quite some time) at a “speed pitching” event hosted by DoSomething.org.

The gist: Young entrepreneurs with ideas for nonprofit organizations participate in a bootcamp-style program that teaches them the abc’s of planning and launching their dream projects.

My role: Sit on the outer ring of a massive circle (literally, think speed-dating setup) in order to listen, critique and rate these 2 minute pitches from the group of talented, albeit very nervous, kids.

The outcome: Of the 12 ideas I was pitched, I’d say 2 were actually good (which actually isn’t that bad). And I’d say that all 12 used some derivative of the word “empower” at some moment in their 120 seconds of speaking (which is kind of annoying). Within the nonprofit space – and I feel entitled to say this since I used to work in it – “empower” might be the most overused word there is. Which is a shame, since it has a lot of potential as a word. But alas, it’s been diluted to a practical stand-in verb, used to convey the very act of just “doing” in many cases. So, as opposed to illustrating what their organization was poised to accomplish, I began mentally docking points every time someone said “to empower youth” or “in order to advance empowerment of the under-served”. To me, they were now using a common place fluff word, and I was unimpressed that they hadn’t found more originality. Of course your organization is intending to “empower” an “un-empowered” group (these are nonprofits, after all, and I’d argue this is part of a general criteria). So spend more time and energy on what you’re empowering them to do. And why? What are the outcomes, and how are you approaching this challenge that is different than the others who are currently tackling it?

I don’t mean to be too harsh on these kids. The fact is, most of them have great ideas (*most*). The pitch is a work-in-progress, and DoSomething is committed to helping them refine it. Based on what I heard, I have a handful of across-the-board suggestions. I feel these pieces of advice are applicable to any of us starting a new endeavor (myself included) so I’ve put a little checklist into writing:

• Be concise. Two minutes is actually a LONG time to get your idea across. And I promise, simple = better.
• Make it personal. There is a nonprofit tackling just about every cause under the sun these days, so what makes your idea differentiated is the story behind it (because I promise someone has already thought about building an after school program in every inner city district or starting a support system for families with a child suffering from cystic fibrosis). If you don’t have a deep and compelling connection to the mission yourself, you might be better off partnering with an organization already addressing the cause.
• Be passionate. This really builds off the above, but without the personal commitment and drive to your cause, you might as well go the collaboration route (which, for the record, I am a huge proponent of).
• Be charismatic. If you have the above two, you’ve probably got this one down. It’s only 2 minutes, so bring all the energy and charm you can muster (genuinely)!
• Explain the why. There has to be a sound reason for your endeavor. Whether it’s a personal experience or staggering statistics, you need to be able to explain why you’re doing this.
• What’s the outcome. If you succeed, what have you delivered? What has changed and how is the world a better place? You need to be able to articulate what your success story looks like and why it’s meaningful (give me something tangible I can help achieve).
• Have an ask. Don’t come to the end of your time and leave the person sitting across from you thinking “ok, that was all nice and good, but I don’t have a clue why they’re telling this all to me”. There is always something to get out of the person, so you should (a) know enough about them to be clear on what that is and (b) make it extremely apparent how they specifically can help you.
• Find a new buzzword. Extra points to all who replace “empower” with another verb.

So, to all these young, energized social entrepreneurs, go get it. Keep up the work on your pitch and the further you come in articulating your idea, the more refined the organization may become in and of itself. It’s a funny little thing, this power of communication. So pay attention to it and let it help you shape your ideas. Listen to yourself talking about the organization, and listen to how people react. Be open to changing bits and pieces – I promise it won’t ever be “perfect”. And remember – if you can’t explain it simply, it’s probably too complicated.