Our blog, 2017 Racer Conference Highlights – Sponsorship Tips, is the third part in a blog series highlighting tips from our Racer Conference in Scottsdale which we hosted in January of 2017. Our clients who spoke gave some valuable takeaways on sponsorship acquisition.
2017 Racer Conference Highlights – Sponsorship Tips
- For the First Meeting, Don’t Bring a Sponsorship Packet. The first meeting you should find out all about the sponsor and what their needs are. Put yourself in your sponsor’s shoes. Furthermore, ask yourself questions such as: why the sponsor should partner with your nonprofit and what type of target market the sponsor will be able to reach through your event. After you discover what the sponsor is looking for, you can tailor a sponsorship packet designed to fit their needs. For example, a sponsor may want to increase traffic into his auto dealership and one way to do that would be to have a duck balloon in front of his dealership for two weeks prior to your duck race.
- Do Your Research. Find out what types of charities the CEO of a particular corporation supports. In fact, LinkedIn can give you insights as to what causes a people are passionate about and what organizations they support.
- Expand Your Sponsor List. Take your sponsor list and break it down even further. For example, if you have an auto dealership that is interested in sponsoring your event, look at contacting vendors who work with that auto dealership such as finance companies, body shops, detailing shops and auto parts stores.
- Sponsor Photo Book. Create a photo book that you can show your potential sponsors. Besides including photos of your nonprofit and duck race, include “What a Duck Can Do” images, past sponsor photos, and statistics about your nonprofit and duck race. Creating a book online will make it easier for you to update each year.
Other Sponsorship Tips
- Corporate Quack Attacks. Have your duck mascot surprise your sponsors with a Quack Attack. Take a picture of your duck mascot and make sure to include the sponsor’s logo somewhere in the picture.
- Sponsor Shout-outs on Social Media. Include sponsor shout-outs in your sponsorship proposal. Think about creating a unique idea for the sponsor such as dedicating a specific day to the sponsor. For example: “Trivia Tuesday is brought to you by Coffee House. Answer the following question correctly and be entered to win a $10 gift card to Coffee House.” Follow all of your sponsors on social media and interact with them which helps build a stronger relationship between your nonprofit and their business.
- Metrics. You should evaluate the amount of exposure a sponsor receives from your duck race event. Put together a comprehensive list of any exposure they received. Include any mentions of sponsors in social media posts, direct mail, press releases, email blasts, and any marketing materials.
Our last blog in our racer conference series will feature tips on how nonprofits can reach out to millenials.
