How to Formulate a Dressember Elevator Pitch
An elevator ride can take anywhere from a minute to several, depending on the number of floors you’re going up or down. Imagine you get in the elevator with someone. It’s the dead of winter and they’re bundled up. But you’re proudly wearing your dress and pin which leads them to ask you the question: So, why are you wearing a dress? You have the opportunity to be an advocate, right here, right now, So what’s your elevator pitch for Dressember and how it plays into the fight against human trafficking? Instead of freezing up *literally*, here’s a fool-proof formula for how to share your passion with others when you only have a few minutes to do so. If you follow these four steps, you won’t ever be at a loss for words when it comes to talking about your passion for Dressember.
1. Emphasize values
We each have different reasons for our passion to fight human trafficking. Maybe you know someone personally who has been impacted. Perhaps a friend told you about it and you wanted to join their efforts. But all advocates against human trafficking acknowledge that there is dignity and value in human life. This is the perfect place to start when you want to tell someone about Dressember.
We all have fears when it comes to our advocacy. Some of us might fear not having all the right words to say when confronted with questions. But if you focus on the values that drove you to fight for this cause—ending slavery—your passion for what matters will overcome your fear.
Here’s an example: “I believe that every human life has value and deserves to be treated with dignity. That’s one of the main reasons I got involved with Dressember.”
2. Present Dressember as a guide
In Donald Miller’s book, Building a Storybrand, he spends a great deal of his page count explaining that an organization should be a guide for its supporters or advocates. Dressember operates just the same. You, the advocates, are the heroes of the story. Dressember is merely the guiding force in your fight to end human trafficking. Dressember provides resources for advocates such as our fundraising toolkit, Ethical Fashion Directory, statistics as shareable social media posts, and the December style challenge. You don’t have to immediately tell someone about all of these great resources though. You can start by just letting them know that providing them is what Dressember does. It is really about you, the advocates, and providing you with a place of community.
Here’s an example: “Dressember is a community of advocates fighting human trafficking. It provides resources to bring justice to a broken world.”
3. Describe the successes
Here’s the fun part. You now can talk about all of the successes Dressember and its advocates have had. Mention that since 2013, Dressember advocates have raised $10 million to fund rescue operations, rehabilitation for survivors, and more. Dressember has partnerships with dozens of reputable organizations. Our advocate community over the years has been fueled by over 25,000 individuals who said no more to complacency.
Here’s an example: “In the last 7 years, over 25,000 advocates have raised $10 million to fund rescue operations and rehabilitation for survivors of human trafficking. It partners with organizations both domestically and internationally to make a worldwide impact.”
4. Outline the plan
Now here is where you get to tell this person in the elevator how they can get involved. If it’s around the month of Dressember, it’s important to mention the style challenge and how something as simple as wearing a dress or tie can really be an advocacy move. But if this is any other time of the year, discussing Dressember’s free resources and the power of sharing bold information with your friends and family is the way to go.
For the year 2020, Dressember has decided to open their campaign pages starting in February. This is a huge deal! Because that means you can prepare for your Dressember campaign ahead of time or if you hold any other events for Dressember such as a 5k or a party, people now have a specific place to donate.
Here’s an example: “If you wanted to get involved, you could start your own campaign page on Dressember’s website. They have tons of free resources you can use to help you start sharing information about human trafficking with your friends and family. You also can raise funds through your campaign page that will reach and change the world.”
It’s as simple as that! Now, the next time you find yourself with the golden opportunity to share the Dressember mission, keep these four steps in mind. And so, the next time someone asks about your dress or tie, your response might sound a little something like this:
“Well, I believe that every human life has value and deserves to be treated with dignity. That’s one of the main reasons I got involved with Dressember. It’s a community of advocates, who are everyday people like me, that fight human trafficking. Dressember provides the resources we need to make an impact and bring justice to the world. In the last seven years, there have been nearly 25,000 advocates who have helped raised $10 million, which is a crazy amount of money! It goes to rescue operations and rehabilitation for survivors of human trafficking. It partners with organizations both domestically and internationally to make a worldwide impact.”
“Now, if you or anyone you knew was interested in joining the movement, it’s so simple. All I did was start a free campaign page on Dressember’s website. I used all of the free resources they have on their website to learn more about human trafficking and share the knowledge with my friends and family. Many of them were willing and able to donate to the cause so all they had to do was go to my campaign page. I always say to people, that as an advocate, I’m not looking simply to raise money for a cause. I wear a dress because I want people to ask me about it so we can have a conversation about how human trafficking isn’t just some faraway notion. It’s happening right under our noses. And if I can spread awareness to just one person each day, and they then share what they know, it becomes a domino effect. And if the whole world is soon talking about human trafficking, it can’t exist anymore in the shadows. It will have to be brought out into the light.”
About the Author
Suzanne Yost is an Illinois native and a Texas transplant. She graduated from Texas Christian University with majors in Writing and French. She also studied Sociology and Middle Eastern Studies because she's interested in just about everything. Suzanne is currently a ministry intern on TCU's campus and is looking to one day work in digital marketing for non-profits. Suzanne is so thankful for her time as a Dressember Communications Intern and plans to continue advocating until human trafficking is history.