From the studio to social good: helping nonprofits tell powerful stories

Ed Ludlow, Journalist and Co-Host of Bloomberg Technology, shares his experience mentoring with Bloomberg’s skills-based volunteering partnership with Fast Forward.

Hosting the daily Bloomberg Tech show live on Bloomberg Television has given me a front-row seat to hear stories about startups directly from founders and entrepreneurs. It’s always a privilege to have someone explain their vision live on TV for the first time. When these business leaders join the show, they’re often in pitch mode — hoping to share their big-picture plans with a global audience. When our Corporate Philanthropy team presented an opportunity to coach social impact leaders on their pitches and storytelling through our partner Fast Forward, a nonprofit that invests in entrepreneurs using technology for good, I eagerly volunteered.

Fast Forward provides essential training and resources to nonprofit tech startups addressing significant global issues like education, poverty alleviation, and healthcare accessibility. The organization’s unique strength lies in scaling organizations that blend cutting-edge technology with sustainable nonprofit business models, helping to accelerate the entire tech-for-good ecosystem. With a global reach, Fast Forward attracts talented founders from around the world.

Helping founders shape their story

I may never start my own company or become a VC, but over time I’ve developed an understanding of what makes a good pitch and what doesn’t. I’ve also gained some insight into what a potential investor might ask or consider in the early stages before writing a check.

My role in these Fast Forward sessions has been to leverage this experience to coach participants toward impactful storytelling. A strong pitch must flow seamlessly, clearly addressing the core problem immediately. Much like the tightly structured segments we produce for television — often pitched in just one sentence — Fast Forward participants learn to present concisely and compellingly. As we often need to be able to pitch our Bloomberg TV segments in a minute or less, my experience helped me pose questions that encouraged the founders to focus on the uniqueness of their business goal.

Turning problems into purpose

While these sessions have been virtual – allowing me to coach founders as far away as South America or India, last month, I had the privilege of working with the organization and its founders in person in San Francisco, where I live.

In front of an impressive audience of philanthropists, business leaders, and tech enthusiasts, I led an on-stage interview with Michelle Brown, founder and CEO of CommonLit, an alum of the 2016 Fast Forward Accelerator at the Bloomberg-hosted Fast Forward Demo Day held at the Yerba Buena Center for Arts.

Michelle’s story is inspiring: she founded CommonLit after teaching in a high-poverty school in rural Mississippi, where her classroom had no books. Recognizing this stark inequity, Michelle was driven to create a platform offering free, high-quality instructional materials to raise student achievement in reading and writing. Today, CommonLit supports over 36 million students in 80% of U.S. schools, empowering teachers with comprehensive lesson plans and real-time progress tracking.

During the Demo Day, Michelle and the 15 other Fast Forward Fellows delivered their pitches in various formats. Their stories were personal. They relied on data. They inspired. During my conversation with Michelle, she thoughtfully and clearly articulated CommonLit’s remarkable growth since her time in the Fast Forward Accelerator. As she reflected on her impressive journey, Michelle spoke about the value Fast Forward gave her and her organization, including the critical advice she received through the Accelerator program.

I can attest to the value volunteering with Fast Forward has been to me. It’s enabled me to share my professional experiences and insight with tech nonprofits solving some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Bloomberg’s Corporate Philanthropy continues to facilitate these meaningful engagements, enabling employees to use their expertise to support critical missions globally. I’m excited to continue supporting and highlighting these inspiring entrepreneurs dedicated to meaningful social change.

Bloomberg’s Corporate Philanthropy program develops rewarding skills-based volunteer experiences that allow employees to strengthen their skills and expertise by applying them to help local nonprofits, small businesses, and students around the world. Since 2016, Bloomberg employees have been volunteering with Fast Forward’s Startup Accelerator program, lending their time and expertise to support tech nonprofits working on issues like mental health, education inequality, and climate change.