By Matt Vuorela / Chief Executive Officer of Steier Group
As you prepare for your next fundraising event, you likely have a mile-long to-do list. There’s the catering, RSVP list, donor expectations and so much more to think about.
Understandably, preparing the fundraising speech may be far from your mind. But the right message is a powerful tool to endear attendees to your mission and inspire generosity.
An effective fundraising speech builds trust and helps you serve your community. Keep reading for practical tips and templates to get results from your next fundraising speech.
The Importance of a Powerful Fundraising Speech
A fundraising speech is essentially a direct appeal to donors. It’s your chance to celebrate your organization’s impact and invite others to invest in your vision. This isn’t a time to deliver dry facts or updates. A fundraising speech is all about creating a meaningful connection between your audience and your cause. In this way, it differs from general public speaking, where the goal may not be to influence the audience whatsoever.
Key Elements of a Fundraising Speech
Right away, a speech needs to capture the audience’s attention. It’s equally important to make an emotional connection. Being genuine and authentic is the way to go here. When you can speak from the heart and use personal examples, you will be more relatable. This means infusing human experiences into your message over sharing a barrage of numbers.
Centering the donor in your fundraising speech can also help. More than likely, if they’re hearing your message, it means they actively chose to do so. That means there is a shared value proposition between your organization and the audience. Use that as a key element and focus area in your speech.
For example, at the Steier Group, we work with many Catholic parishes around the country on their capital fundraising campaigns. So in our case, the audiences have some shared values around faith. Before starting to write your speech, think about whether there are opportunities to include things like, “We believe (fill in the blank, casting your organization’s vision). That’s why we’re so passionate about (fill in the blank with details about your mission).” Specifically speaking into core values tends to resonate better than something generic.
Clarity is still one of the most important elements.
The Association of Fundraising Professionals also recommends making your presentation interactive when possible, even including accompanying visuals as you are able.
How to Structure Your Speech for Maximum Impact
There are three main parts of a fundraising speech: Opening, body and closing.
Opening: Remember the purpose here is to grab attention and establish emotional connection. You can begin with a personal or mission-centered anecdote or share a surprising statistic people may not know. (Don’t forget to briefly welcome and thank guests and introduce your connection to the cause).
Body: With the body, or main message, you may benefit from splitting this into multiple parts or ideas.
Things to think about as you draft the body of your speech:
- Mission and impact: Reiterate your mission and share tangible examples of past impact; describe the story of someone you serve and how their situation has improved and/or how your community has strengthened. The story will be more persuasive if you can connect it to the big picture.
- The need: Clearly explain your current challenge or opportunities; name your fundraising goal; be transparent about why support is needed now from that audience.
- Call to action: Ask confidently and directly for support. Attendees at a live event expect to be invited to take the next step. In our experience, people respond best when the impact of their support is clear. Not everyone will be able to contribute financial support at the moment, so you may want to include ways to get involved beyond making a gift, such as volunteering or helping spread the word to others.
Closing: A strong closing expresses sincere gratitude and shares a hopeful statement with the audience. Everyone loves a happy ending.
If you are a faith-based organization, you can also include scripture in your speech. Here’s a good one: In 2 Corinthians 9:7, Paul reminds us, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart … for God loves a cheerful giver.”
All said and done, it’s recommended that your speech be no more than 5-9 minutes. As you prepare, consider using this as a reference point for planning your time:
- Opening: One minute
- Body: Three to five minutes
- Closing: 30 seconds to two minutes
Tips for Writing and Delivering Fundraising Speeches
Writing and delivering fundraising speeches is usually done by a key leader in the organization. Consider all the leaders within your community and identify who is the best fit for announcing your fundraising needs. If the context allows, you could also invite a client or donor to speak.
Now comes how to best tell your organization’s story. If you work in the fundraising world, this is likely not the first time you’re reading about the importance of storytelling in your work. So how do you tell a good story?
For starters, use vivid language and metaphors to evoke emotions. Using lots of verbs and action-oriented words that bring imagery to mind will make your story more memorable than a laundry list of numbers.
In fact, a Stanford professor who studied exactly this, found that only 5% of people remembered a statistic – 63% remembered the story.
You have our permission to skip running another report or trying to study a spreadsheet to figure out what to say. Sure, stats have their place in a speech, but numbers aren’t what will spur a listener into action.
Craig Groeschel, a pastor and author, summarizes this idea, saying “Stories stick. Facts fade.”
For example, if I was the parish ministry leader giving the speech, I could tell you that our parish food pantry served over 3,000 families last year. Impressive, yes, but it may not mean much to a prospective donor in terms of encouraging a gift. What if, instead, I asked the audience to imagine a grandmother walking into the food pantry with two of her grandchildren, quietly asking if there’s any milk left. Then I share a sweet story from a volunteer, who told me that she saved some just for this family, who frequently visits, and the grandmother’s eyes teared up. That story stays with you.
Groeschel also says “people act because they feel something.” That’s what we’re going for.
The more you can showcase your mission and value – and the speaker’s personality – the better. Go ahead and put the fun in fundraising, if the tone of the event allows.
Planning and practicing a speech can be a lot of work.
Stay focused on a small number of points in your speech. This helps ensure the speech doesn’t extend too long and the audience stays engaged. It also helps the likelihood you’re able to remember the script!
Practicing your speech aloud multiple times is always a good idea. Use pauses, open body language and vary your voice. You need not memorize your fundraising speech, but don’t read it either. Eye contact with potential supporters rather than reading from a piece of paper is more compelling.
As you plan and practice, consider what the audience may be thinking throughout. Can you pre-answer their questions, like: “What would happen if I gave them money right now?” or “How would someone’s life be different, or improve, if I decide to invest?” These can help guide the points of emphasis in your delivery, and how you deliver your speech is just as important as what you plan to say.
Pro tip: In terms of when to deliver your fundraising speech, Swaim Strategies says the best time is just before the event’s peak (e.g. before performances or main entertainment). This is because guests tend to relax and focus on the entertainment when it begins, rather than taking action.
Where and How to Use Fundraising Messages
A well-prepared fundraising speech can energize an in-person crowd and help inspire immediate support.
Common events where leaders deliver fundraising speeches include: galas, parish gatherings, Mass, PTO meetings and community networking groups. In this digital age, your fundraising message can live on. Think email campaigns, social media posts, fundraising webpages and more. If possible, tailor the content from your speech per platform to get the biggest response.
Pro tip: Video appeals bring your message to life. If your original speech was not recorded, consider recording a new and/or shorter version to share with donors who may not have attended in person. A recording could also be used as a post-event follow-up to say thank you to supporters and lay the foundation for future support.
Fundraising Speech and Script Examples
It can feel daunting to craft a fundraising speech because you know how much the message matters to your mission and to your bottom-line. The script examples below can be customized and used as a starting point on your way to inspiring generosity!
Script template for a nonprofit gala
Good evening, and thank you for being here. My name is [name], and I’m honored to serve as [role] at [organization name]. Tonight is about the power of gathering and growing something together. Let me start with a story. A few months ago, [insert brief story summary, e.g. a single mom walked through our doors, unsure if she could afford groceries let alone the cost of tuition next year]. It’s moments like these that affirm my belief in the work that we do.
At [organization name], this is the reality of our every day. Our mission is simple [insert mission or paraphrased version]. Because of supporters like you, we have [insert major highlights, e.g. grown our outreach program by X%, built a new classroom addition]. Behind these numbers, there are lives being changed.
I’d like to tell you more about [the name from the original story]. [Expand more story details here].
Tonight, we are appealing to your belief in a better future for people like [name from story]. We want to [describe current campaign need, e.g. expand our mentorship program, repair our parish organ, install an AV system, purchase food for the pantry shelves].
We set a goal of [insert fundraising goal], and every dollar raised tonight will go directly toward the project I mentioned, toward people like [name from story]. That’s where you come in. We are inviting you to make a financial gift. Any amount you can give is great. [Introduce ways to give, e.g. QR code on a screen, a website, envelope on the table]. Our team is here to help if you have questions.
Before I step down, I want to say thank you. You being here means more than you know. I’m reminded that we are not alone in our mission and that this work remains important in our community. Thank you again.
Alternate fundraising event script
Hello and welcome to [event name]. Thank you for being here. My name is [name], the [role] at [organization]. Tonight, I want to share a story. [Optional: insert remark to demonstrate humor or relatability: “Hopefully you’re near someone with a tissue” or something similar].
One of the clients we serve is a [age]-year old named [name]. [Insert story details, e.g. “She lives in a neighborhood near our office, yet her life is a world away from what we are experiencing here tonight. She doesn’t own a backpack, she doesn’t often have a ride to or from our after school program, etc.]
We believe that [insert core values or paraphrased vision statement, e.g. “We believe that every child in our area and beyond deserves the chance to learn and grow. The story I just shared isn’t uncommon, and I hope it stirs something in you.”]
The beautiful truth is that we can make a difference. Every single one of us here. Through [organization name]’s collective efforts, we’re already seeing incredible transformations [list a few if able].
Let’s go back to [name] for a minute. The ending of that story is a happy one. [Insert details of client journey, with permission, e.g. “For two years, she silently went without meals at home with teachers none the wiser. Then, six months ago, a trained staff member discovered her family’s circumstances. We were able to connect the family with the material goods and resources they needed. [Name] received [list what you provided, e.g. a backpack full of supplies and snacks, free tutoring, safe transportation and more].
Today, this story provides hope to the others we serve. We aim to invest in the people of this community. Our model is proven, but it requires financial support. Because you are here, we are hoping you can help. A gift of $50 [list the impact of this and various other gift levels].
We have the opportunity to serve [number] of [types of clients] in the remainder of the year, but we need the funds to do so. [Describe ways to give, e.g. “You’ll find pledge cards on your table.].
Anything you can contribute will join with the gifts of others to make a big difference. People like [name] will have a brighter future. Your willingness to listen, to care and to act tonight means a lot. We are all deeply grateful for your generosity and prayers.
Peer-to-peer script for a volunteer fundraising your organization’s behalf
Hi, friend. I’m reaching out personally because I know you care about [shared value or cause] just like I do. I’m helping raise support for [organization name], and we’re working on [describe campaign and goal].
Through my involvement over the past [number] years, I’ve met so many people who have been impacted by this work. That’s why I am inviting you to be a part of this month’s campaign by making an online gift. Your support would mean a lot, so thank you in advance for considering a donation.
[insert link to online giving].
Short Fundraising Messages for Social Media, Email, and Text
A solid in-person fundraising speech can create a lot of momentum for your mission. Leveraging digital platforms to reinforce your message and share your appeal more widely is a good next step.
Online fundraising gives donors a chance to take action on their own time, not to mention drive results long after your event ends.
Here’s a sample message for an online donation appeal:
Every day, [organization name] works to [include mission statement or paraphrase]. But we don’t do this work alone. [Number] staff and [number] volunteers so far this year have helped us serve [number] individuals and families. Those we work with tell us that [insert info on client challenges]. We’d love your help to [insert specific goal that solves for the challenge]. An online gift helps us reach more people with what they need, when they need it. Click below to donate and become part of the impact. Thank you for believing in our mission.
Some of the most effective communications we’ve seen are short, direct and delivered through multiple channels, such as through email, social media or text. Digital fundraising can be especially helpful when you have an urgent need. Examples:
When we raise $1,000 more, one generous donor will match all gifts through the remainder of the day! Join the 54 other donors so far and help us reach our new playground goal!
The roof repairs can’t wait. Your gift today keeps our parish safe and open.
Don’t forget to use these same channels to say thank you and let supporters know how their dollars made a difference.
Handling Donor Objections and Questions
You’ve told your organization’s story, demonstrated the impact a donor can have in it and made the ways to give very clear. Why then wouldn’t someone want to support your campaign? Sometimes donors perceive an ask amount as too high, or maybe it’s bad timing or they already gave to other organizations. Often, we find that supporters may simply need more information. It’s not possible for a single fundraising speech to tell them everything they need to know.
Be prepared to follow up with event attendees with collateral that showcases more success stories and statistics beyond your speech. Transparency goes a long way.
It’s also important to listen and respond to all donor objections and questions with care. Every question is a chance to position your organization as responsive and ready, building a stronger case for support.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Even the most experienced fundraising staff could give a speech that falls flat. Audience attention spans are growing more limited by the day. Try to avoid overly long or unfocused stories in your speech. As mentioned above, five to nine minutes is a maximum, and sticking to three main parts with a few key points is advised.
And don’t assume your audience knows what to do next when it’s time for the call to action. Be clear when mentioning the ways to get involved.
Avoid these potential missteps and you’re on your way to a memorable and effective fundraising speech. Don’t forget to rehearse. You got this!
Keep in mind these words from Padre Pio: “Pray, hope and don’t worry.”
Conclusion
A strong fundraising speech is one that connects you with your audience – and them to the mission. You’re inviting them to take action and become a part of your community. Through storytelling and thoughtful structure as outlined above, your fundraising message will encourage new support and lasting impact. Feel free to customize and use these script templates to write your next fundraising message!
Sources:
Capital Campaign Communications Solutions. (n.d.). In Steier Group. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://www.steiergroup.com/services/communications
Catholic Church Fundraising. (n.d.). In Steier Group. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://www.steiergroup.com/capital-campaigns/catholic-churches
Home. (n.d.). In Swaim Strategies. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://swaimstrategies.com
Patel, T. (2024). How to Write an Effective Fundraising Gala Script for Nonprofits. https://callhub.io/blog/fundraising/fundraising-gala-script
Why Emotions Matter in Leadership (3 Strategies). (n.d.). In Craig Groeschel. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://www.craiggroeschel.com/blog/why-emotions-matter-in-leadership-3-strategies
(N.d.). afpglobal.org. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://afpglobal.org/sites/default/files/attachments/2019-05/AFP%20Ready%20Ref%20Great%20Speech.pdf
