Calendar of Events

 

“I feel lucky!” said Megan Kobzej, Executive Director of New America College. “The pitch cohort I participated in is a program that a lot of people would pay for. And to offer a program like this for free is very valuable for people who don’t have huge budgets for professional development.”

Meeting Post-Pandemic Needs 

New America College provides English training for immigrants in our community. Megan took over as Executive Director for New America College in January 2021. and it was very rough. The school was struggling because of the pandemic. But now, Megan shares, We have so many students. We’re at capacity in the morning, so we’re going to have to open up evening programs.”    

The pitch cohort put Megan in the right place at the right time as she now had a success story to share with funders and potential partners but lacked the skills and expertise to create a solid pitch.

Providing Useful Tools for Nonprofits

The pitch cohort became a game changer for Megan and New America College. Megan shared, “This program forced me to look at what we did and what our real value in the community is in a data driven way. That was a turning point for me. I can say all the nice emotional things about why learning English is important, but this cohort experience allowed me to make a business pitch that appeals to a broader audience and now people can really see the value of what we do.”

The output of SVP Denver training also doesn’t end up sitting on a shelf collecting dust.  Megan related, “I’ve already given the pitch three or four times. Somebody liked it so much that they actually asked me for a copy of it. I’m using it multiple times a week because even if I’m not using the formal pitch deck, I’m going through the pitch deck in my head as I’m talking to people.”