PrintEmail

Are you happy to help community groups, but sick of constantly making donations and getting nothing in return? If you answered yes, then use these tips to create a smart sponsorship plan that actually works.

1. Start focussing on what you can do for community groups, rather than what you can donate. You could offer to give them a page on your website to help promote their organisation, or include details of their fundraising events in your client e-letters. When you send out your invoices each month, pop in a flyer and a donation slip for your chosen charity. This saves the community group plenty in postage, and costs you

nothing more.

2. Be clear about who you want to be exposed to and work with community groups which share your same target market. If you are a locally run business, sponsor local organisations. If your business is nationwide, sponsor an organisation at a national level.

3. If you are going to act as a sponsor, make sure you tell people about it. Add ‘Proud Sponsors of ABC’ to everything you do, including your website, email signature, advertising, signage, uniforms, business cards, you name it – add it to it.

4. Make use of free publicity by writing a press release about how you are making a difference in the community and send it to your local papers. Make sure your add who, what, where, when, why and how, and if possible attach an eye catching photograph. A picture, especially one with your logo in it, really is worth a thousand words.

5. Create a fundraising event which raises funds for your chosen organisation and gives you immediate sales at the same time. Don’t rely on the trickle down effect of exposure – your sponsorship plan should give you instant results.

6. Be proactive in your approach to sponsorship, rather than simply reacting to every community group that comes through the door. If you develop a plan, then approach a suitable group, you get to make the decisions about what you offer and what you need in return.