Funder Pitch Pack Design & Project Launch

It is necessary to develop a strong, concise and attractive pitch pack, which is professional and clearly shows the project’s importance and budget. It is extremely important to make a clear pitch on how, by funding the project, the organisation or company will benefit. For example, for X amount of money the funder logo will be used on project t-shirts and the funder will be mentioned in all media coverage.  The pitch pack should include the project logo, and use visual aids to bring the point across. In this case we used images of Aldabra, it’s wildlife and the impact of the plastic pollution. Since we were distributing these packs in the UK and Seychelles it was vital to create each pack with the local context in mind, whether it was currency conversions or the use of particular quotes from recognisable figures. Alongside the pitch pack we created a campaign video which introduces the problem and the solution using strong imagery and a voiceover. With these steps completed, we could then plan the project launch. The aim of the launch was to garner a maximum amount of media coverage and engage as many individuals and companies as possible via a face-to-face event. We therefore organised events both in UK and in Seychelles, in which potential donors and supporters were invited.

Team members skilled in visual design were key to ensure the pitch-pack was professional. The campaign video required basic video-editing skills, footage of the site and impact of plastic pollution. Advice on the pack’s design and how to approach companies from fundraising professionals was useful. ACUP’s launches took place in prominent locations, the Royal Society of London’s headquarters and the Seychelles State House. SIF’s Patron, Mr Danny Faure, President of Seychelles gave a video speech making ACUP as a project of national significance.

We found that the most likely success in pitching our project was to companies with some connection, either to a team member of the project or to the project itself via an interest in either Seychelles or Aldabra specifically. It is important to take time in ensuring that if you are emailing companies that you email the appropriate person to deal with your request. It is also a very good idea to make as many face-to-face connections as possible during the launch event and answer queries about the project to ensure there are no misunderstandings regarding project objectives and outputs. It is also a lot easier to gain the attention of funders if you already have some sponsorship and even better if you have a media partner for the project e.g. a local or international news agency.