What’s Your Elevator Pitch?

Have you heard of an “elevator pitch”?

It’s a simple, short way to explain something important—like what it means to be a Soroptimist. Imagine you had just 30 seconds to tell someone why you are part of this organization. What would you say?

I spoke with Hanaa Wong Abdullah, the SISEAP Communication Convenor, about her elevator pitch. Her advice?

“Create one that’s true to you. It should feel natural and reflect your own voice—that way, it’s authentic and impactful.”

Why does this matter?

Because when someone asks, “What’s a Soroptimist?” or “Why do you volunteer?” it’s your chance to inspire them.

Whether they’re a potential member, donor, or supporter, your pitch can show them what Soroptimists do and why it matters.

How to Create Your Elevator Pitch:

Here’s a simple 6-step guide to help you craft your own:

1. Know What You Want to Share: Think about what’s most important. For example: • “SISEAP unites women across 13 countries to lead change in their communities.”

2. Think About Who You’re Speaking To: Tailor your message for the person in front of you. • Potential Members: Highlight the benefits of joining. • Donors or Supporters: Focus on the impact Soroptimists create.

3. Explain the Problem Soroptimists Address: Be clear about what we’re working to change. Example: “Women in many places face barriers to leadership and equality. Soroptimists work to break those barriers.”

4. Share How Soroptimists Make a Difference: Talk about the solutions we provide. Example: “We focus on education, advocacy, and building strong networks to empower women.”

5. Highlight Real Results: Share a success story or impactful numbers. Example: “Last year, Soroptimist members launched over 50 projects, transforming thousands of lives across our region.”

6. Invite Action: End with what you want the listener to do. Example: “If you care about empowering women, we’d love for you to join us or support our work!”

Example Elevator Pitch:
“SISEAP brings together women from 13 countries to lead social and economic change. We tackle barriers to leadership and equality through education, advocacy, and collaboration. With over 50 successful projects last year, we’re making real change happen. If you believe in empowering women, join us or support our mission!”

Feel free to make your pitch your own. Practice it until it feels natural—it’s your personal way to share the
incredible work of Soroptimists.

Contributed by:
Kristeen Johnston – Membership Convenor
Hanaa Wong Abdullah – Communication Convenor

Membership Best Practice Awards 2025

Clubs are invited to celebrate their membership initiatives and successes.

GREAT NEWS!

Along with the Best Practice Award certificate, clubs have an exciting opportunity to win prizes! This is for the Recruitment Award only.

1. The highest number of new members recruited for a club from 1st April 2024 - 31st March 2025. 1st prize AU$100, 2nd prize AU$75.

2. The highest % growth in membership for a club from 1st April 2024 - 31st March 2025. 1st prize A$100, 2nd prize A$75

Nominations will be sought in the 1 February and 1 March Bulletin, with a close-off date of 25 March 2025. The Awards will be presented at the Federation meeting on 18th May 2025.

SISEAP Recruitment and Retention Membership Award 2025

Noting number of new members and membership % increase from 1st April 2024 - 31st March 2025, plus the provision of a 2024 Recruitment and Retention Plan, and a photo or photos

SISEAP Friendship Links Award 2025

noting activities undertaken with a Friendship Link Club in the past two years (social, training, programme, and/or other).

SISEAP Diversity of Membership Award 2025 

What is your understanding of the importance of diversity in a Soroptimist club, and how has your club taken steps to enhance inclusivity and diverse representation?Share examples of how your club has worked to create an inclusive environment within your Soroptimist club, ensuring diverse voices are heard and respected. Diversity can include a range of cultures, ages, skills, socio-economic backgrounds, geographical locations, abilities and disabilities, and membership categories, all showing the club's inclusive nature. Supply a photo/s showing the diversity of your club, if possible.

SISEAP Membership Innovation Award 2025

An open award that showcases a club’s creativity and/or originality, a positive impact, potential for sustainability or adaptability, and instances of collaboration or partnerships, with a membership outcome for training or recruitment or retention.

Kristeen Johnston

SISEAP Membership Convenor 2024-2026

membership.kristeen@siseap.org

Highly Recommend Soroptimists to attend the Thriving Futures workshop course!

That was the clear message from eleven Soroptimists from eight clubs across Aotearoa New Zealand after they attended the 15^th – 17^th June course recently held in Wellington.

Soroptimists some very experienced, some relatively new, came from a mixture of clubs across our National Region. However, we all had the same goal, to learn from Anthea Penny the Facilitator and each other, on how we can re-energise our Soroptimist clubs to retain and build our membership.  We scored the program very highly, the overall evaluation results were 94.8%.

With very clear goals Anthea took us through the course content.

Pre Workshop Webinar

Attend a pre two-day workshop Webinar that discusses the programme contents and introduces members to recruitment planning cycle and the pre analysis required.

Content of the Two day workshop

• Understand the case for change regarding our declining membership and the need for action.
• Using a strategic model, share and discuss the analysis of our clubs / regions, Strengths, Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats SWOT., together with the dynamics of Soroptimist Clubs and Renewal Processes
• Explore the key elements of a high-functioning club and strategies that encourage office holding and recruitment and develop tactics for recruitment.
• Prepare a plan for recruitment and retention for individual participant’s clubs containing Goals, SMART objectives, criteria for evaluation and a timeline.
• Develop your narrative for change and call to action for your club and practice the narrative and Elevator Pitch

Post Two-day workshop

Coaching in groups is available port workshop and the final presentation of each participant’s club is presented online in four months’ time

What worked well for participants?

“Having specific items to work on and the flow of the programme. The opportunity to meet an amazing group of interesting, very motivated, positive women and hear the many different ways clubs work and the personalities encountered. The skills I have gained and the courage to go back, analyse them and use them”.

“Meeting and making new connections with others in SIANZ who have a likeminded view of Soroptimism and want to make a change in how we look at what we are doing to support strong and not-so-strong clubs”.

“I loved the friendship and laughter; the feeling of safety in saying what I felt and the feeling of support. I am an idea’s person and I felt the environment we were in allowed many thoughts to come forth. I LOVE THAT!”

If you are interested in the Thriving Futures Program which now contains a 2 day face-to-face workshop, please contact me at swpmembership2020@siswp.org or Anthea Penny at  swppresidentelect2020@siswp.org

Kristeen Johnston
2024-2026 Membership Convenor
swpmembership2020@siswp.org

This is the 2023 Membership Best Practice Award winners.

Recruitment: Increased numbers of members

Winner
Club: SI Fiji

Congratulations to SI Fiji on a successful 2022 extension programme, with two new Clubs Chartered.  Well done for the highest overall Region membership increase of 167% since 2011.

Retention & Diversity of membership: through utilising the different categories.

Winner
Club:  SI Moreton North Inc

Congratulations to SI Moreton North for diversity and inclusivity of membership, utilising the SISEAP categories to increase membership, welcoming members from other countries and including a wide range of ages.  Recruitment and retention methods that ensure members join and stay.

Some 30 students registered to participate in 6 heats across 6 campuses from April through to May. Culminating in 6 articulate and confident women making the ‘floor theirs’ in the Grand Final of the SIWA The Floor is Yours public speaking competition for women enrolled in a tertiary institution. The 70 people who attended the grand final were informed, challenged and entertained by each of the speakers who spoke on topics around leadership, equity, equality or more specifically gender equality.

This was the 5th year of the competition that is a collaborative project by 5 clubs and supported by the Region of WA. This year representatives from the 5 clubs formed a committee that met regularly online to plan, support each other and implement the project.

This year was also a turning point in the competition as the name of the competition was changed to The Floor is Yours; the scope of the competition was broadened to include all tertiary enrolled women, not just University students; and a dedicated Instagram account was opened - siwa_thefloorisyours. Please follow us.

There is one last component of this competition to be completed, the Leadership and Networking Seminar. All students registered for the competition, this year and last year, along with supporters from the various tertiary institutions are invited to attend the seminar. A number of experienced and successful women are invited to join with Soroptimists to provide networking and leadership skills to the students. It is also an opportunity for all the students to meet each other and begin to build their own networks.

Elizabeth Butson AM

SEAP Membership Australia 2022-2024

Thriving Futures Update 24 March 2023

2023 Thriving Futures Program:  

An eight month program to build Soroptimist leadership in the volunteer sector, membership capacity and capability, consisting of webinars, a 3 day face-to-face training, and undertaking a project supported by a coach. There is an extension program to train facilitators of the  program.

1. Soroptimists in Asia: Contact Joanne Yeoh for the  Kuala Lumpur Thriving Futures Program: swppresidentelect2020@siswp.org
2. Western Australian Soroptimists contact Jane Jones: jay_jay@westnet.com.au
3. Aotearoa New Zealand Soroptimists contact Eileen Middleton: middle@globe.net.nz
4. 2024 Program: Any other countries/ regions - contact Yvonne Simpson: swpmembership2020@siswp.org

Thriving Futures Update 24 February 2023

The SI Aotearoa New Zealand Leadership Programme (2022 - 2023) was successfully completed on 23 February when 13 participants reported back to each other on their project, the leadership approaches they used  and the lessons they learned. Congratulations! And a big thank you to Anthea Penny, Pip Mules and Sandy Stephens for the training and coaching. 

Thriving Futures Program, Asia is an exciting SISEAP membership initiative to support leadership and project management capability, with a goal for membership development. It includes webinars, face to face training and coaching. See the flyer below for more information.

Announcing the SISEAP Leadership program - The Thriving Futures, your future and SISEAP's future.  The aim of this program is to build capacity and capability for Soroptimists at all levels to ensure the organisation’s future sustainability. Current and future leaders will participate in a program that is delivered across 4 months. At the beginning of the program two webinars will be held; one of which focuses on the Soroptimist mission, values, programs, membership and structure. This is followed by a three-day face-to-face workshop with the following content

• Soroptimist overview and strategy for growth
• Leading a four step change process and narrative for change:
• Productive meetings
• Understanding group processes and cross-cultural communication
• Conflict management
• Developing a public relations and communication plan for membership recruitment

In addition, participants will be required to identify a recruitment project, set goals and action steps for leading change in their own club, region or country and receive coaching via Google Meet while they undertake this. They will be expected to present their projects and what they have learned from the process on a webinar at the end of the programme before they receive their certificate.

Developers and Facilitators are Soroptimists Anthea Penny, (Master.H.M.Hons and, Federation Director); and Dr Pip Mules PhD who have developed and led the successful SIANZ National Leadership Programmes in 2021 and 2022.

The extended programme will also include Training Coaches, and Train the Trainers - so that local trainers are empowered to lead the programme. Funding has been approved to hold a Thriving Futures Program in Kuala Lumpur in 2023.

For further information contact Yvonne Simpson, Membership Convenor.

We are very excited to announce another step towards creating online Clubs. The New Zealand and Australian initiatives will become part of an SISEAP pilot online community, that is now available for all SISEAP countries. 

An online community is for Soroptimists who can’t access a traditional Club that meets face to face. Once there are at least 15 members, the community could then go on to Charter as an Online Club.

If you are reconsidering your membership, or have family or friends who may be interested in joining an Online Community, then we encourage you to explore this option. The SISEAP online community will be available from 15 January 2023. 

Please register your interest at to the online community coordinator

Further information contact Yvonne Simpson, Membership Convenor