Every group should have an 'elevator message' -- a brief description of the organization's work that can be delivered to a stranger in the time it takes to complete an elevator ride, Guidestar reported in its June 2006 issue.

"There is a knack to honing a simple message," said fundraising expert Joseph Barbato in his book, Attracting the Attention Your Cause Deserves. "The more tightly focused your niche, the easier it is to express who you are....But even the sharpest niche can be subverted if you insist on saying too much in your message."

Barbato said the elevator message should answer -- in about 90 seconds -- three basic questions: what the organization does, where it is heading, and why the listener should care.

"The fact is, your time with reporters and visitors is fleeting," he notes. "You want to impart key bits of memorable information that characterize your work."

After the "elevator message" is delivered, you can then get into storytelling that shows why your group is great, said Barbato. "Your organization is filled with stories, no matter what your field," he said. "The challenge is to find them. And that's not as hard as you may think. Your program directors and specialists are on the front lines every day. They see remarkable things they probably take for granted."