For Impact

Blog

Engagement Tool Template for Social Entrepreneurs

Story | | Nick Fellers

I’m north of San Francisco this week spending time as a Mulago Foundation Faculty Member with the 2017 Mulago Foundation Rainer Arnhold Fellows.

I feel really lucky to have any association with this group. Hats off to Mulago for (literally) traveling the world in search of the most promising entrepreneurs. They’ve done a terrific job. Please take a moment to read about these amazing social entrepreneurs and the work they’re doing to end extreme poverty!

I’m helping each social entrepreneur craft his or her message and ‘ask.’ Here is the Social Entrepreneur Engagement Tool Template I’m using. (see: What is an Engagement Tool?) Our Altitude Framework guides how to process these components.

At 30,000′ (for social entrepreneurs) it’s powerful and simple to communicate the PROBLEM and then the SOLUTION. (Most entrepreneurs actually end up at 14,000′, geeking out about the platform, biz model, or the theory-of-change…)

Funders (or indeed ANYBODY else) are engaged FIRST and FULLY at the WHY level.

From here, notice the template has two versions (front/back). The funding presentation goal at 14,000′ is to help a funder understand WHAT you do and WHERE the money goes. In other words, what’s the RATIONALE for funds? What will be the IMPACT that will be achieved?

The coaching goal at 14,000′ is to help the entrepreneur SIMPLIFY the WHAT… and then communicate the resulting (and quantifiable) IMPACT.

Finally, at 3′, there are two ways to think about working toward the ASK.

Again, most entrepreneurs default to working on the model (at 14,000′). This framework helps them to communicate FIRST at the WHY level. Then it SIMPLIFIES the WHAT. And, CLARIFIES the ASK.