NPO Centric’s ‘Desert Fast Pitch’ on Oct. 6, 2022, Will Award Over $65,000 to Local Nonprofits
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee, widely regarded as “The World’s Greatest Female Athlete,” will be the motivational keynote speaker at this year’s annual ‘Shark Tank’ style fundraising event ‘Desert Fast Pitch.’ The lively contest of quick-fire presentations will result in over $65,000 in cash grants to help nonprofits continuing to face enormous challenges.
Joyner-Kersee will make a rare appearance in the Coachella Valley to inspire nonprofit leaders and others to go after their dreams with passion and commitment. This year’s ‘Desert Fast Pitch’ event will be held Thursday, October 6, 2022, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at UCR Palm Desert Campus.
The friendly fundraising contest is sponsored by the Regional Access Project (RAP) Foundation and presented through its key NPO Centric Program, which serves to strengthen, support, and build the capacity of nonprofits.
Joyner-Kersee is not only a three-time Olympic heptathlon gold medalist and a sports legend setting over 18 athletic records, she is also a successful businesswoman and respected community leader. Her keynote presentation is made possible by First 5 Riverside County Children & Families Commission.
“We’re thrilled to have Jackie join us for this year’s ‘Desert Fast Pitch,’ says Stephanie Minor, Director of NPO Centric. “Her achievements are incredible, and she will be the perfect person to inspire our community’s business, nonprofit, and thought leaders through her dynamic presentation and amazing story of hard work and determination.”
‘Desert Fast Pitch’ is an annual high-energy contest featuring nonprofit professionals communicating their story in a three-minute pitch for funding in front of a panel of judges. Over 300 philanthropic businesses, civic organizations, and nonprofit leaders are expected to attend this year’s event, which has been on hiatus for the past two years due to the pandemic.
The most compelling pitch will be awarded a top prize of $20,000, the most innovative pitch will receive $15,000, and the audience choice will earn $10,000. All participating nonprofits, who serve residents of eastern Riverside County and applied to be part of this year’s program, will receive smaller cash grants.
“The goal is to help nonprofits more effectively communicate their story in order to raise the funding they need to be self-sustaining,” says Stephanie. “Everybody is a winner at ‘Desert Fast Pitch’ as all the participating nonprofits not only receive cash grants, they also receive much-needed individualized marketing and fundraising training.”
NPO Centric is the only online training and community center created for nonprofits by a nonprofit. NPO Centric was founded in 2017 as a program of the RAP Foundation and, to date, has helped over 500 nonprofits through more than 4,700 hours of training by experts.
Information on how to attend ‘Desert Fast Pitch 2022’ will be available later this summer at https://rapfoundation.org/desertfastpitch/. For more information about NPO Centric’s programs and resources, please visit npocentric.org.
