A reality check for sponsorship seekers

I recently came across this piece called “A Letter from a Potential Sponsor to ALL Sponsorship Seekers” in a nonprofit forum. I love the stark realism and how the author offers up solid suggestions for what potential sponsors actually want to hear in the letter, phone call or meeting with your organization.

The most important takeaway is that sponsors want to know WHY your organization or event matters to the sponsor and how it helps them in their specific needs, wants and goals. It’s all about connecting the dots between your mission and organization and how you can work with and build a relationship to meet the sponsor’s goals. They’re not looking for just an advertising opportunity but instead, an investment, a “creative solution.”

Do you agree?

How does this relate to research, you might be thinking? When researching who you can go after for sponsorships, you might typically think of the usual search for foundations or corporate foundations who support events, etc. Or maybe you just peruse your database and ask the same group of past sponsors.

Whatever you way you choose, dig a little deeper before putting together the sponsorship solicitation. If the company or foundation has supported other organization’s events recently, find out as much about the relationship as possible. Maybe a local bank sponsored a youth financial education after school program – I bet you will find that the bank had a speaker, mentor or some kind of involvement in the program.

So take some extra time in learning about your potential sponsors and crafting a sponsorship proposal that matters to THEM! And of course, if you need assistance in researching your next sponsorship target, reach out!