Grants and prizes
A quarter of a million dollars in grants and prizes dispersed to participating nonprofit organizations since 2000
Volunteer coaches
Thousands of hours of coaching worth more than $450,000 given by over 225 local professional volunteers
Insights gained
94% of coaches report gaining new insights into local nonprofits
Impact achieved
Over 90% of participants felt the program enhanced communication skills and that they will use their pitch in the future
Past winner, Lourdes Juan
The Leftovers Foundation
The 2017 Fast Pitch program was an incredible journey for so many nonprofits, coaches, and members of the Calgary sector who had come together to see the work of so many nonprofits and choose a winning project.
Watch Lourdes Juan make the winning pitch for Leftovers, one of Canada’s largest tech-enabled food rescue charities that is reshaping how communities fight poverty, reduce food waste, and save the environment.
Thank you to our sponsors
What’s the value?
Be a part of the energy
What to expect
Applications open
Directly linked to any organization’s success is their ability to communicate in a compelling way. The Fast Pitch Program will take a select group of nonprofits there and beyond.
Space is limited. Fast Pitch takes a maximum of 10 nonprofits a year and applications open in April.
Applications are accepted until mid May on a rolling basis, so be sure to apply early.
Nonprofits and coaches are announced
Nonprofits will be selected on the strength of their projects and commitment to the program. Coaches will be recruited based on their interests, experience, and willingness to deeply engage with the representatives for the duration.
Community building and preparation takes place in the months that follow, so that everyone is ready to hit the ground running when the program begins.
Key dates include:
June 14, 6:00-7:30 pm: Coach Orientation
The Fast Pitch Experience
Fast Pitch is an engaging guided learning experience where the selected nonprofits receive professional training in guided workshops and one-on-one coaching over a period of several months.
Each participating nonprofit is assigned their own coaches who train them on how to succinctly and powerfully “tell their story.”
Invariably their projects improve too, as the exposure of their work increases.
Coaching sessions will be held Wednesday evenings from 6:00-8:00 pm. Tentative dates include:
Sep 6
Sep 13 (virtual)
Sep 27
Oct 4 (virtual)
Oct 18
Oct 25
Fast Pitch Finals
The program culminates in a high energy “Fast Pitch” competition – where finalists share their stories in front of a live audience of 400+ people and a panel of discerning judges.
Since the program began in 2012, we have given away more than $250,000 to local nonprofits to support the most promising projects.
The Fast Pitch Accelerator
Starting this year, the Fast Pitch Accelerator will help selected nonprofits go deeper with their work, with the help of SVP’s Partners and others who wish to engage after having seen the Fast Pitch finals.
This will happen in a deeply supported way so that projects coming out of the Fast Pitch program have the best chance of success over the coming year.