Max & Erma’s: Infinite products AND infinite options. Choice is overwhelming.

Chipotle has one of the highest revenue per sq ft numbers per store. Max and Erma’s filed for bankruptcy this week.

This is a metaphor for simplicity.

How does this apply to funding? Your funding message should be more Chipotle less M&E. I’m working now with a youth organization that works in schools. We’ve developed one message around a ‘School Partnership’.

The School Partnership: $10K/yr for 3 years. Sponsors two schools (20 classrooms/500 students) for three years.

We have 15 employees at this org – all of whom come in contact with potential funders each day. Now, when someone says, “This is incredible, how can I help?” We don’t wait to schedule a meeting with development… anyone can communicate this message.

One message – many choices: Of course the prospect can come back and fund ONE school. Of course the prospect can chose to fund only one year. However, now we have ONE baseline ask for $30K with a ton of options.

Here are the 3 big lessons on SIMPLICITY that were reaffirmed in so many ways.

1. Build a SIMPLE MESSAGE… around your CORE SOLUTION.

2. Build a SIMPLE CASE… around your SIMPLE MATH.

3. Build a SIMPLE PLAN… around your CASE and MATH.

The ‘SIMPLE MESSAGE’ was reinforced with two incredible social entrepreneurs whose entire message can be captured in those magic 6 WORDS… that were already part of their organization NAME and their organization TAGLINE!

The SIMPLE CASE and SIMPLE MATH applied to both organizations. Turn a ‘Master Plan’ into a very Simple 3-Point Case with 3 Specific Phases. Look at the ‘MATH’ and pick a number ($100M in this case) and the required gifts to achieve this goal. Use the MATH of $13 a day per child from the public sector and the $10 per day per child ‘Need’/’GAP’ to build a SPONSOR MODEL around $3,650 per year (sponsors a child) and $10,000 a year (sponsors a family).

Finally, turn the Message, the Case, and the Math into a SIMPLE ACTIONABLE PLAN! We’re going out to test the Case with five or six of our very best prospect. We’re going to get 3 champions to get 3 other sponsors who will get 3 sponsors. We’re going to meet with the Mayor who is one of our current partners and super champions. And on and on and on.

***Special, Special, Special Note: As this incredible former Marine and Social entrepreneur said, “I just didn’t realize it could be this SIMPLE.”

It is.

Special Note: ‘6 WORDS’ can break down into 6 BIG WORDS…
Or 2 GROUPS OF 3 WORDS…
Or 3 GROUPS OF 2 WORDS!

I thought I’d provide you some ‘YEAST’ for your ORGANIZATION’S 6-WORD MESSAGE.
• One of the best MESSAGES ever:
SAVE LIVES. REDUCE INCIDENCE. IMPROVE QUALITY.
This is the American Cancer Society’s WHY.

Here’s their 6-Word WHAT and HOW.
HOPE. PROGRESS. ANSWERS.
RESEARCH. EDUCATION. SERVICE.

*It doesn’t get any better than this. You can have a conversation/dialogue for hours around the 6-Word WHY and 3-Word WHAT plus the 3-Word HOW.

• Ohio Wesleyan University
6-WORD PURPOSE:
EDUCATING OUR STUDENTS FOR LEADERSHIP (&) SERVICE.

6-WORD PRIORITIES:
STUDENT LIFE. EDUCATIONAL EXPEIENCE. FINANCIAL STABILITY.

• Colorado College
What follows is 9 words but, still, 3 groups of 3 Words to capture an entire mapping process and agenda for a $300 Million Fundraising Initiative is pretty concise.
RIGOROUS INTELLECTUAL EXPERIENCE.
DIVERSE RESPECTFUL COMMUNITY.
NEXT GENERATION CAMPUS .

The Funding Priorities are then built around:
FACULTY. STUDENTS. CAMPUS.

• A Senior Community Center
TRANSFORM (THE) AGING EXPERIENCE.
(AROUND) HOME. HEALTH. MEALS.

Here are some 6-WORD MESSAGES within FOR IMPACT/THE SUDDDES GROUP:

• CHANGE (THE) WORLD through FOR IMPACT LEADERS
• CHANGE (THE) WORLD by SPEAKING. TRAINING. COACHING.

*Even our FOR IMPACT Point OF VIEW can be summarized in 6 Words:
IMPACT DRIVES INCOME. GO. JUST ASK.

BONUS: Here’s our ENTREPRENEURIAL MANTRA in 6 WORDS:

THING BIG. BUILD SIMPLE. ACT NOW.

*This works for every For Impact Organization, Social Entrepreneur and For Impact Leader.

Postscript: HAIKU. As I was writing out these examples, I was thinking about the similarity of these 6 Words to practicing the Japanese art of Haiku.

Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry consisting of 3 lines, made up 5, 7 and 5 syllables each.

One year ago (August of 2007), Nick and I were in the Grand Canyon rafting the Colorado River… and practicing our Haiku. Here is one of mine that captured the entire day’s activities for 14 straight days.

WAKE. EAT. RI•VER. HIKE.
EAT. RI•VER. HIKE. RI•VER. CAMP.
WRITE. PUS H•UPS. EAT. SLEEP.

Two great blogs also explore the realm of simple poetry. Katya’s Non-profit Marketing Blog held a competition to see who had the best nonprofit marketing haiku. You can see the winning entry here. Nonprofit Quarterly wrote this article on the topic, and more examples are here.