United Way of Coastal Empire Hosts Pitch Competition with The Creative Coast for Non-Profit Leaders
On February 23rd, United Way of the Coastal Empire hosted a Pitch Competition in collaboration with The Creative Coast and United Way’s BIPOC Nonprofit Leadership Symposium (NPLS). Over the course of six weeks leading up to the event, symposium participants received instruction on how to create a pitch deck in preparedness to present their endeavors to stakeholders and potential donors. Jen Bonnett, Executive Director of The Creative Coast, assisted by teaching classes on effective investor communications. During the February 23rd event, BIPOC Nonprofit Leadership Symposium graduates used what they learned in the course to pitch their nonprofits in seven minutes to a panel of volunteer judges and a virtual audience. After each pitch, the judges engaged in three minutes of Q&A with each presenter. At the end of all presentations, the judges ranked the pitches based on how well each presenter communicated their organization’s impact, how well they communicated why their organization should receive funds from the community, and overall presentation delivery. Winners of the Pitch Competition received donated services provided by local professionals.
The pitch contestants were as follows:
Jessica Mathis – Executive Director of Mixed Greens Savannah (@MixedGreensSavannah)
Anita Smith Dickson – Executive Director of Community Housing Services Agency (@chsainc.org)
Estelle Ramos – Executive Director of Girls of Purpose Inc. (@Gilrsofpurposeinc)
Angela Brantley – Executive Director of Talented Individuals with Power Organization Inc.
Georgette Jackson – Executive Director of Divine Rest Inc. (@divinerest)
Bodua Gordons – CEO of Savannah Community Land Trust Inc.
Karen Denise Alston – CEO of 4 the Jewel N U Inc. (@4thejewelnu)
Michael Messer, Vice President of Community Investments at United Way of the Coastal Empire, presents Karen Denise Alston, Executive Director of 4 the Jewel N U Inc., with the first place award.
Karen Denise Alston, Founder and Executive Director of 4 the Jewel N U Global, Inc. won the Pitch Competition. 4 the Jewel N U empowers victims of abuse and their family members by educating them on the stigmas associated with domestic violence and sexual assault. Visit 4thejewelnuglobal.org, for more information.
Volunteer judges included Karen Bogans, Alicia Johnson, and Margaret Williams. Local businesses provided in-kind consultation services as prizes for pitch competition winners. They included…
- Aileen Gabby, Productive Nonprofits and SCORE
- Jeremy Miller, Boost by Design
- Melissa Reams, Upstream Consulting
- Julie Wade, Wade Law and Consulting, LLC
Watch a recording of the pitch competition by clicking the link here.
