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- give speech
verb as in address
Strongest matches
Strong matches
- memorialize
- pontificate
Weak matches
- deliver speech
- deliver talk
- get on a soapbox
- take the floor
verb as in talk
- deliver a speech
- give a talk
Example Sentences
It seemed as if her tongue could not give speech to the thoughts which crowded her brain.
He did not merely give speech to a pair of scissors, he gave character too.
The madmen were not heeded by the others; but allowed to totter about, and give speech to their incoherent mumblings!
The thought occurred to all three almost at the same instant of time; though Terence was the first to give speech to it.
Is either Herbert nor Cubina could trust themselves to give speech to it.
Related Words
Words related to give speech are not direct synonyms, but are associated with the word give speech . Browse related words to learn more about word associations.
verb as in speak to a formal gathering
verb as in address group
On this page you'll find 65 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to give speech, such as: call, discuss, talk, approach, bespeak, and discourse.
From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Give a speech synonyms
What is another word for give a speech .
- make a speech
- pontificate
- deliver a speech
- give a talk
- deliver an address
- address an audience
- give a lecture
Synonyms of speech
- as in language
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Thesaurus Definition of speech
Synonyms & Similar Words
- presentation
- declamation
- keynote speech
- keynote address
- mother tongue
- terminology
- colloquialism
- regionalism
- vernacularism
- provincialism
Examples of speech in a Sentence
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'speech.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Phrases Containing speech
- figure of speech
Thesaurus Entries Near speech
Cite this entry.
“Speech.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/speech. Accessed 6 Aug. 2024.
More from Merriam-Webster on speech
Nglish: Translation of speech for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of speech for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about speech
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Mastering the Art of Fundraising Speeches: Tips and Best Practices
Donors, sponsors, grantmakers, lend me your ears! Are you ready to give a rousing fundraising speech that results in more dollars for your cause? We’ve got you covered with inspiring tips and best practices, along with some examples to inspire you. Read on!
Let’s face it: public speaking isn’t easy. It’s especially difficult when you aren’t sure how to give the best possible speech you can. When it comes to fundraising speeches, a lot can be on the line. Reaching your fundraising goal , supporting your important work… It’s easy to feel the pressure.
We’re here to help you understand how a fundraising speech works, what it should include, and how you can give the best one possible. We’ll also share some examples you can use to get started.
It’s time to raise more with the power of your voice!
What is a Fundraising Speech?
A fundraising speech is one you give at an event or public gathering that both educates your audience about your organization’s mission and encourages them to step up and give. Ultimately, the goal of a fundraising speech is to convert audience members into donors – preferably long-term or recurring donors .
Whereas an elevator pitch is a short and direct speech detailing your organization’s work, a fundraising speech is typically longer and more focused on the event or campaign. Usually, your audience for a fundraising speech knows at least a little about what you do – but they may not feel compelled to give yet.
An effective fundraising speech entertains, connects, and ultimately encourages donations.
5 Key Elements of a Successful Fundraising Speech
Let’s look at some key elements for a fundraising speech that brings in significant donations for your cause.
Credibility of the speaker
First and foremost, the person giving the speech matters. Effective fundraising speeches are typically given by the following:
- Executive directors
- Board members with a connection to the cause
- Development directors
- Celebrities endorsing the organization
- Beneficiaries of the organization’s work
What do all of these speakers have in common? They have a certain level of credibility because of their familiarity with the organization. Speakers who are well-known to the audience, such as celebrity endorsers or local corporate partners , have an additional level of credibility.
Credibility can also be built by things like:
- Believability. Is the speaker making sense?
- Speaking ability. Is the speaker pleasant to listen to?
- A clear message. Is the speaker getting to the point?
A credible speaker is a powerful one – and a powerful one can help you receive more donations.
Pro tip: Want to increase your organization’s credibility? Increase your transparency! Learn how in this blog .
2. Emotional connection
Aristotle defined rhetoric as the “available means of persuasion.” When it comes to fundraising, pathos, or an appeal to emotions, is a crucial part of persuading someone to donate to your cause.
An effective fundraising speech connects with the emotions of the audience, inspiring sympathy and empathy. But… how does one accomplish this?
Storytelling is an excellent way to connect with your audience’s emotions. Humans are hardwired to connect with characters in stories, which will inspire them to put themselves in the shoes of the people your organization helps.
Pro tip: Gathering stories ethically is an important step in creating a successful fundraising speech. Read this blog to learn the best way to get compelling stories while protecting any vulnerable participants.
3. An appeal to logic
An emotional connection won’t be everything for some potential donors. Quantitative data – how many people you’ve helped, what percentage of your activities are successful, etc. – will appeal to logic and convince even the stiffest donors that your cause is worthy.
Appealing to your audience’s logic can also include:
- Statistics about the problem you’re solving
- Information about why your process is different or more effective
- How you use donated funds to get all of this done
Including clear logic in your speech will make it even more moving.
4. A strong call to action
You’ve captured the attention of your audience and got them fired up about your cause. Now what?
This is where your call to action comes in. What steps should they take to help you achieve your mission ?
This is where in-person fundraising comes in.
For example, if you have a text-to-give campaign, you might end your speech by asking your audience to give $20 by texting your unique keyword to the text-to-give number. This is an easy way to encourage quick donations using a tool everyone has in their pocket – a smartphone!
A donation kiosk helps you capture spontaneous, on-site donations. The Donorbox Live™ Kiosk app allows you to turn a tablet and card reader into a donation magnet. Donors can give using cards, smartphones, and smartwatches.
Learn more about the Donorbox Live™ Kiosk app in this short video!
Being specific about what you expect from your audience will ensure your speech is successful in actually generating donations.
5. Matching the tone of the event
A fundraising speech should complement the event at which it’s being given. For example, you wouldn’t want to get too gloomy at a fun, family golf tournament . Similarly, you wouldn’t want to crack jokes shortly after a slideshow demonstrating your work with victims of natural disasters.
Hitting the right tone will ensure your speech is heard and appreciated. It also helps make the speech fit into the event smoothly, so your attendees have a seamless experience.
Fundraising Speech Tips
Here are some tips to make your fundraising speech successful.
Avoid cliches
Fundraising speeches sound sincere when they avoid cliche phrases and ways of speaking. For example, which of the sentences below is more compelling?
- “To address this problem, we decided to think outside of the box.”
- “To address this problem, we built a team of creative problem-solvers to come up with a solution no one had thought of before.”
The second one resonates more, right? Notice that we also slipped a little bit of storytelling in there by sharing the process for building a team. This allows audience members to see more of your story and is more personal than a cliche everyone has heard before.
2. Practice – but don’t memorize
A great fundraising speech should be practiced enough for the speaker to know all the beats and feel comfortable with the content, but it should never be memorized.
Memorized speeches come off as rote and robotic. When you know the beats of your speech but fill in the rest with honest thoughts, your audience is more likely to connect with you – and give up their hard-earned dollars.
3. Know your audience
Knowing who your audience is should guide you as you create the perfect fundraising speech. For example, will your audience appreciate humor? Will they understand a reference? Do they agree with your ideology?
Write for your audience to ensure your fundraising speech connects with those listening.
Nonprofit Organization Speech Examples
Here are some brief fundraising speech examples to inspire you.
A gala speech
Welcome, everyone! Thank you for joining us at our 5th annual Spring Fling Gala. We have an evening of live music, dancing, and fabulous auction items ahead of us. I just want to take a few minutes to talk about what this evening is all about – our mission of bringing the arts to underserved children.
Our programs have introduced over 30,000 children to the arts, whether that’s through music, painting, dancing, or acting. Children who experience the arts in elementary school are ten times more likely to graduate high school. They’re also more likely to develop crucial skills, like communication, creative problem-solving, and collaboration. Some of these children have never been able to express themselves – until now.
But we can’t do this alone. This evening, I want you to dig deep and give all you can to help us bring magic to these children. The smiles on their faces bring me so much joy – and I know you feel the same way. You can give at any of the kiosks stationed around the room. And don’t forget to bid on your favorite silent auction items!
Together, we can change the lives of these children and build a better future for us all .
2. A donor appreciation event speech
Tonight is all about gratitude. We’re so grateful to you for supporting our work housing our unhoused neighbors with dignity and style.
I want to tell you a quick story about Kyle. Kyle and his dog Samson were on the street for nine months. Let that sink in – nine months of sleeping on cardboard in an alley, scavenging for food, being treated like a second-class citizen. That wore down both his physical and mental health. Samson was in desperate need of care that Kyle couldn’t afford to give.
Your support allowed our team of experts to intervene. We found an apartment for Kyle and furnished it with donations, adding every touch of comfort that we could to ensure it was a home and not just a house. Our partner animal shelter took Samson in and treated him so he was back on his feet and wagging his tail right away. Kyle now has a job at a local coffee shop, where he greets the community every day with a big smile.
But our work isn’t finished. There are many more people like Kyle who need help to get back on their feet. Who want to be active members of our society, but have been downtrodden because no one has offered them that hand up.
If everyone in this room donated just $20 tonight, we would have $3,000 to put toward our next case. To give, text “Home” to [phone number] and donate through our online donation form.
Thank you so much for helping us create stronger, healthier communities.
Conclusion
Ultimately, a great speech is all about connecting with your audience. A great fundraising speech takes that a step further – you connect with your audience in a way that inspires them to give .
Getting the speech right can feel intimidating! But it doesn’t have to. Use the tips and best practices outlined above to craft a moving speech that adequately represents your organization and encourages audience members to be generous. Check out the example speeches to get inspired. Most importantly, don’t stress about it. The perfect fundraising speech will come to you!
Once you get your audience excited about giving to your cause, you must have an easy way for them to do so. Donorbox has comprehensive tools to collect donations online and in person. Whether you’re launching a crowdfunding campaign, selling tickets to your next event, collecting on-site donations with the Donorbox Live™ Kiosk app, or using text-to-give to collect spontaneous gifts, we have you covered. Learn more about all of our features and sign up today !
For more fundraising tips, check out the rest of our Nonprofit Blog . Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to receive the best of the blog in your inbox.
Lindsey Baker Bower
Lindsey spent years wearing many hats in the nonprofit world. Whether she was helping arts nonprofits with their messaging and content, planning a fundraising gala, writing an NEA grant proposal, or running a membership program with over 400 members, she learned how to navigate – and appreciate! – the fast-paced world of fundraising. Now, she loves sharing those hard-earned lessons with the Donorbox community.
Join the fundraising movement!
Subscribe to our e-newsletter to receive the latest blogs, news, and more in your inbox.
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Synonyms for Give speech
45 other terms for give speech - words and phrases with similar meaning.
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COMMENTS
Find 60 different ways to say GIVE SPEECH, along with antonyms, related words, and example sentences at Thesaurus.com.
Synonyms for give a speech include make a statement, speak, talk, pontificate, preach, jaw, stump, deliver, get on a soapbox and give an address. Find more similar words at wordhippo.com!
Another way to say Give A Speech? Synonyms for Give A Speech (other words and phrases for Give A Speech). Synonyms for Give a speech. 137 other terms for give a speech- words and phrases with similar meaning. Lists. synonyms. antonyms. definitions. sentences. thesaurus. words. phrases. idioms. Parts of speech. verbs. nouns. Tags. informal. rare.
47 other terms for giving a speech - words and phrases with similar meaning. speaking. making a statement. jawing. pontificating. preaching. stumping. talking. deliver a speech.
Synonyms for give speech include talk, discourse, harangue, lecture, orate, speak, declaim, descant, expatiate and accost. Find more similar words at wordhippo.com!
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give a speech - Synonyms, related words and examples | Cambridge English Thesaurus
Best synonyms for 'give a speech' are 'make a speech', 'giving a speech' and 'deliver a speech'.
deliver an address. deliver. jaw. sound off. perorate. spoke. address an audience. give a lecture. Use filters to view other words, we have 32 synonyms for give a speech.
Synonyms for SPEECH: talk, lecture, address, oration, sermon, presentation, monologue, declamation, peroration, tribute
A debater is supposed to give <his/her> <their> speech - English Only forum Can you give a diatribe like how you can give a speech? - English Only forum give a speech to public/ community - English Only forum give a talk / make a speech - English Only forum he was asked to give a speech on how to protect the environment - English Only forum I'm scheduled to give a speech - English Only forum
Synonyms for 'Giving a speech'. Best synonyms for 'giving a speech' are 'make a speech', 'give a speech' and 'deliver a speech'.
Synonyms for giving speech include talking, discoursing, haranguing, lecturing, orating, speaking, declaiming, descanting, expatiating and accosting. Find more ...
Synonyms for 'Give speech'. Best synonyms for 'give speech' are 'orate', 'discourse' and 'giving a speech'.
GIVE A SPEECH definition | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples
What's the definition of Give a speech in thesaurus? Most related words/phrases with sentence examples define Give a speech meaning and usage. ... Related terms for give a speech- synonyms, antonyms and sentences with give a speech. Lists. synonyms. antonyms. definitions. sentences. thesaurus. Parts of speech. verbs. nouns. Synonyms Similar ...
Republican critics lambasted Vice President Kamala Harris, the de facto Democratic presidential nominee, after she made inarticulate remarks after welcoming home several Americans held prisoner in ...
GIVE A SPEECH - Synonyms, related words and examples | Cambridge English Thesaurus
But don't give him more credit than he needs. He's just a strange, weird dude. As we've been saying, pick up the pace, pick up the work, do the work, donate, call, talk to your neighbors.
Tim Walz's selection as Kamala Harris' running mate underscores both the power of social media and of being relatively affable and nondivisive.
Find 211 synonyms for "deliver a speech" and other similar words that you can use instead from our thesaurus. What's another word for Synonyms. Antonyms ... give speech. hold forth. give a talk. pontificate. preach. sound off. speechify. perorate. address. expound. mouth off. make a speech. give an address. deliver. rant. get on a soapbox.
Don't throw a fit because you're not giving a speech Your loved ones getting married may be a big day in your life, too, but it is important to remember to give them their dream wedding, Kuehl ...
Mr. Shapiro's comments came as part of a well-received speech welcoming Vice President Kamala Harris and her new running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota. Throughout, Mr. Shapiro praised the ...
What is a Fundraising Speech? A fundraising speech is one you give at an event or public gathering that both educates your audience about your organization's mission and encourages them to step up and give. Ultimately, the goal of a fundraising speech is to convert audience members into donors - preferably long-term or recurring donors.. Whereas an elevator pitch is a short and direct ...
"Donald Trump demonstrated tonight he's campaigning against solutions for the American people, and is actively rooting against America," campaign spokesman Ammar Moussa said after his speech.
Synonyms for Give Speech (other words and phrases for Give Speech). Synonyms for Give speech. 45 other terms for give speech- words and phrases with similar meaning. Lists. synonyms. antonyms. definitions. sentences. thesaurus. words. phrases. Parts of speech. verbs. Tags. lecture. speak. talk. suggest new.
4. He reminds you of your high school history teacher for a reason. Mr. Walz taught high school social studies and geography — first in Alliance, Neb., and then in Mankato, Minn. — before ...
Vice President Kamala Harris has selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, capping the Midwestern Democrat's short but swift ascent from a relative unknown to a leading driver of the ...
Synonyms for speech include address, talk, harangue, oration, declamation, discourse, lecture, disquisition, homily and peroration. Find more similar words at ...
The speaking style of Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, a potential vice presidential pick, can sound suspiciously similar to President Obama's. But the real connection between the two men is ...