Finding and Developing Sponsor Relationships

Finding the right sponsors for your organization and event can reduce or even eliminate expenses related to delivering benefit events. Here’s how to find the sponsors right for your organization and how to make the relationship work for both the sponsor and the nonprofit.

What do you need? Before you determine who to ask, you need to understand what you need to make your organization and fundraising event successful. All the nonprofits we’ve interviewed agreed that anything and everything at an auction can be sponsored, starting with Greater Giving fundraising solutions, to printing event catalogs and signage, to food and beverages, to entertainment at the event.

When Jennifer Wiewel, former special events manager of Bishop McGuinness High School in Oklahoma City, needed to find someone to lend computer equipment for her annual auction, she turned to Chesapeake Energy Corporation, headquartered nearby. She remembered that a parent who had volunteered for a past auction was a Chesapeake Energy employee. "Chesapeake Energy was very willing to help," she stated. "Not only did they provide equipment and complete IT support for our Spring event, they even learned how to use Greater Giving Event Software ahead of time. We were thrilled."

Kathy Sandler from Canterbury Choral Society of Oklahoma City also asked for IT support, and a local health system went above and beyond just showing up with the systems. They provided volunteers to help on event night as well. Sandler said, "People are so generous. They really want to give, so don’t be afraid to ask."

Bonnie Ayer and Terri Hoyt volunteer with WINGS (Women Involved in Nurturing, Giving, Sharing), helping uninsured women in Central and South Texas receive top-quality care for breast cancer. Their employer AT&T has a strong employee volunteer program. That program delivered a team of IT professionals to set up and monitor all the computer equipment at their event, and many other AT&T volunteers to provide help in various other capacities.

Who do you know? Once you know what you need, it’s easier to find the right sponsors for your organization. The “right” sponsors for your organization should be sympathetic and supportive of your cause and your constituency and be able to provide funding and/or services. Generate a contact list of individuals to approach. Who do you, your Board, committee members, volunteers, and employees know? Be creative and inventive when compiling a potential sponsor list—you can always edit the list afterwards.

Keep in mind that your list should be a list of people, not organizations or companies. You’ll have more success if you target individuals rather than organizations, no matter how tempting or appropriate the potential sponsoring organization may be.

How do you ask? The best way to gain a sponsorship is by starting with a personal contact, then asking for a favor. Don’t be afraid! People only donate if they’re asked.

Exactly how you ask depends on your style. Asking using a personal touch is important. As part of your brainstorming on who you know, note relationships and things in common with the potential sponsor, and bring up those items in your approach. Letter, email, phone call, meeting, or a combination? Do what you’re most comfortable with and you’ll be most natural, but keep in mind that you may have to get out of your comfort zone or take several different approaches to land the sponsor.

Personal touches always win out. Terri Hoyt forgoes letter writing in favor of personal meetings, which allow her to tell the WINGS story most compellingly. "At the very least," Hoyt suggests, "sponsor seekers should send an email but follow up with a phone call."

Sometimes gaining a sponsor takes a bit of ingenuity. When corporations are asked by many different groups and budgets are tight, Ayers and Hoyt get creative. They’ll even suggest splitting a sponsorship between two like-minded companies, giving recognition to each.

What can you provide and how can you credit your sponsors? Sponsors will want to know how they’ll be recognized in return for sponsorship. Be prepared before you ask by understanding what recognition your organization is prepared to give. Be prepared to be creative to get the great sponsorships.

Canterbury Choral Society received all the wine for their event gratis from one vineyard, thanks to a clever contact at a local liquor distributor. In return, the vineyard’s logo on appeared on the event guide, on a poster outside the main entrance, and on signage at the bar. "We were thrilled to recognize this sponsor. Not only does it help give visibility to this vineyard, they supported our cause," stated Sandler.

WINGS’ sponsors of every level receive the organization’s "star treatment." Ayers explains, "Not only do you want to make sure that they show up to the event, but it is essential that they receive the best treatment prior to and at the event - even after it’s over. Relationship building is one thing, but recognition is another. You want to be able to go back to this same sponsor the next year to ask for their help again."

Effective recognition gestures include signage in the check-in area, in the main event room, on the tables and on guests’ seats. Place your sponsors’ ads or logos in the event catalog, on your web site and even in the pre-event invitations. Be flexible in your recognition efforts. For example, Bishop McGuiness High School often holds thank you luncheons for its sponsors after the event.

If you are executing public relations activities as part of the event, be sure to mention your sponsors in announcements and press-related activities. Better yet, get a media sponsor, like a local newspaper or radio or TV station, and leverage those outlets to promote your event to attendees and other sponsors.

After you’ve put together your sponsorship plan of attack - your list, your ask strategy, and a specific sponsor return on investment- don’t forget to arm your procurement and other committees with your knowledge. "Don’t assume that just because they volunteered to be on the sponsorship committee, that they know lots of people, and know what to do," Hamann stresses.

A little legwork will go a long way to landing a great sponsor. And in return, sponsorships give businesses another means to gain visibility in the community - while supporting a good cause at the same time.