Social Innovation Fast Pitch 2012 Begins Today!

Today, local social businesses and nonprofits have the opportunity to take their organizations to the next level.

After a successful year in 2010, Social Innovation Fast Pitch (SIFP) is back again - this time, with even more capacity building, mentorship, pitch clinics, and opportunities to connect for local social innovators. There are plenty of ways to get involved, both as an applicant and non-applicant; check out the options below to make your pick!

How can you get involved?

1. Mentoring: SIFP mentors will work with applicants on the substance and presentation of their business plan or initiative, focusing specifically on the judging criteria.

2. Sharing your skills as a Volunteer Expert: Volunteer Experts are people who have expertise they want to apply to help social innovators in targeted areas.

3. Helping innovators present as a Pitch Coach: A pitch coach is someone who has extensive experience in pitching new concepts to a decent sized audience, or in coaching others to do the same, and who will focus more on the style, form, and clarity of presentation and less on depth of its content.

4. Reading applications as a Application Screener: The screening team will read the applications and one-pagers, and score them on Angelsoft based on a common rubric.

5. Giving innovators feedback as a Quarterfinalist and Semi-Finalist Judges: These judges will watch all quarterfinalist and semi-finalist (either/or) pitches, give contestants feedback in verbal and written form, and provide input to the SIFP team who will make the final decisions of who moves on to the next round.

6. Share this opportunity with someone you know! Try out this blurb for an introduction: From very early ideas to established organizations, SIFP is here to help. Over a three-month incubation period (mid-July – mid-October), our workshops, mentors and volunteer consultants will work with Puget Sound area nonprofits and social enterprises to assess strengths and weaknesses, refine business models, support their team, and articulate their innovation. Yes, it's true: Organizations best poised to win the October 18th SIFP Finale at Seattle Center will have to have their act together. But no matter what stage an organization is in when they apply, we'll help forty innovative social impact entrepreneurs or nonprofit leaders get on the path to winning for their organization and for our community.

7. Forward the Call for Applications onto innovators or other potential volunteers that you know.

Learn More

• How has SIFP expanded and evolved since 2010? Find out here.
• Are you a nonprofit or for-profit innovator? Learn more about the 2012 program and apply here!

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SVP's Social Innovation Fast Pitch offers nonprofit and for-profit innovators a structured program to develop and sharpen plans and presentations of their work through workshops, coaching, and mentoring. The program culminates in a series of competitive rounds – Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Finals – that provide recognition, connections, grants, and investments for the winners.