Last April, seven people stood in front of bleachers at High Alpha, filled with an audience of entrepreneurs and investors. Each one represented a local nonprofit, one that had made it to the final round of United Way of Central Indiana’s Propel competition to pitch their story and win money for their organization.
Judges had to decide between each worthy cause, and awarded a total of $103,271 to three organizations.
Every year in Indianapolis, there are a lot of pitch fests – opportunities for women, veterans, high school students and others to earn money to put behind their businesses or big ideas.
When you present at one of these competitions, what sets you apart? With this year’s Propel competition coming up on April 25, we talked to last year’s winners.
Learn from their advice, check out a list of local pitch contests and find out how to cheer on the seven nonprofit finalists at this year’s Propel.
“Convey the happiness of the program.”
That’s another way to say: Tell the success stories. Tracey Jackson designed and launched Ivy Tech Community College’s ELEVATE program, a restorative justice program that supports people who have been incarcerated by helping them with education, job searching and more.
“It was important, for me, for the audience to understand what that pain was like experiencing the justice system,” said Jackson, who has since left Ivy Tech for a role in workforce development at 16 Tech. Several staff members at ELEVATE have family members who have experienced the justice system. “I wanted them to understand the importance of grace and mercy.”
Jackson said talking to the program’s clients before her pitch helped her realize that they were looking for someone to believe in them. ELEVATE helped “restore and push them forward,” getting warrants dropped and providing connections for jobs since the program started in the summer of 2022.
When she gave her pitch in front of judges last year, the program’s goal was to serve 100 individuals within two years. ELEVATE has made a difference in 230 people’s lives, director Chevelle Russell said, thanks to $35,000 from United Way and a grant from the Indianapolis African American Quality of Life Initiative,
“Preparation creates confidence.”
Scott Monnett likes to ad-lib. But for the Propel contest, he wrote a script to pitch Family Support Services of West Central Indiana (FSSWCI), whose mission is to prevent child abuse and domestic violence. To help prepare, he asked friends, “What would you want to hear?”
Presenters have five minutes to tell their story at Propel, and that time goes fast.
“Within the first few seconds of the conversation, you’ve got to tackle exactly what the issue is,” said Monnet, the executive director of FSSWCI. He started by asking everyone in the audience to look around at their neighbors while he shared a statistic: one in three women will experience domestic violence.
Family Support Services operates in Putnam County, and Monnet said the rural area is a perfect place for people to settle down with a high school sweetheart in a close-knit community.
“Your life is the perfect dream – until it’s not. Until domestic violence starts to creep into your life. Then, everything that you loved about that rural community becomes a weapon that’s used against you, to keep you in that relationship,” he said.
Judges and the audience responded that his pitch was compelling and offered a good mix of data and storytelling. FSSWCI was awarded $50,000 by Propel’s sponsor, Audiochuck.
“Find a way to set yourself apart by doing what you’re good at.”
Kennedy King has been a storyteller since she was four years old. At 26, she was the youngest person to pitch in the Propel contest. But with her theater background, she wasn’t nervous to talk about Project WILL, which is named after her late grandfather.
Project WILL helps 18 to 35 year old people with behavioral health problems find jobs after high school, including work at Lucas Oil Stadium. King, an interim program manager at the nonprofit, started her speech with a Jonah Hill quote: “Black people aren’t aggressive, they’re expressive.”
King shared the stories of two children with disabilities. One, a white child, was tested for a disability and diagnosed at two years old. He had access to an individualized education plan, Medicaid waivers and help from Project WILL, easing his transition from high school to a job. The second, a Black child, was overlooked and seen as disruptive in the classroom. He didn’t get tested until he was 16 years old.
“I know that stories are what people can relate to,” King said. She added: “The world knows that people with disabilities exist. The world knows, like the kid they went to high school with who had a disability, but nobody ever checks in on them. Nobody ever asks what happens after that.”
King says the one thing she would change is stumbling during her presentation, while trying to hold an iPad with notes and a clicker to advance slides. Despite that, Project WILL won the competition’s Heritage Group People’s Choice Award for $18, 271 – and even got another grant from an audience member who liked the pitch.
How to watch this year’s Propel pitch contest:
Seven finalists will present starting at 6 p.m. April 25 at High Alpha, Suite 1500, on the fourth floor at 830 Massachusetts Ave. Free tickets will be available here, or you can watch the livestream here.
Participants are Eclectic Soul VOICES Corporation, Family Promise of Hendricks County, Flanner House of Indianapolis, Grace Care Center, Grassroot Projects, HATCH and Trinity Free Clinic.
Have a great idea? Here are seven Indianapolis pitch fests:
Drew Kincius is the founder of Sprintable, a company that assists local businesses and nonprofits. He suggested events where nonprofits and entrepreneurs can pitch their ideas to win money or find support – and where you can cheer them on.
- Practice your pitching: Kincius leads a weekly event where startup founders pitch to peers for 1 Million Cups – Indy, supported by The Kauffman Foundation.
- Innovate WithIN: Ten Indiana high school students were selected by the StartedUp Foundation to compete in this contest hosted by Indiana University Indianapolis. You can watch them April 23.
- Small Business Pitch Week: On May 2, Indianapolis small business owners will compete for $3,000. Competitors were selected by Local Initiatives Support Corporation and other sponsors. You can register to watch the event here.
- PitchFeast: At this twice-a-year dinner, 10 Black business owners can pitch to win money and find resources. The dinners are May 20 and Sept. 30.
- VentureVets: Veterans or their spouses can apply to become part of a cohort of other entrepreneurs. Mentors guide them through a five-step process, which includes a pitch night. VentureVets is also supporting a Veteran Pitch Competition during the Rally Innovation Conference on August 28, at the Indiana Convention Center.
- #InvestInWomenFounders Summit: The Startup Ladies invites women founders to apply for spots as the “top 9” women entrepreneurs. Women who achieve that designation are featured at the December 5 summit and can meet investors and mentors at other networking events.
- HardTech Showcase: On Nov. 14, technology and climate-focused startups can pitch investors at The Heritage Group Accelerator event in northwest Indianapolis.
Mirror Indy reporter Sophie Young covers services and resources. Contact her at sophie.young@mirrorindy.org.
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