Maximizing Event Fundraising with Stronger Sponsorship Revenues

Part I:  Apply Techniques of “Major Gifts” Asks & Business Sales Successes to Your Fundraising Event! 

a) Target your prospects.

All too often, event sponsorships are solicited by a one time letter and, perhaps, a follow up call.  Instead of using a "shotgun" method of sending lots of unsupported letters to a large number of prospective sponsors, selectively target a "Top 10" list of prospective sponsors and donors and dig in.

i) Talk to board members, community supporters and even existing event sponsors to ask who else they know who you can approach. These people already support you… ask them for referrals! Remember, you’re not asking them to do the "ask" … just for recommendations. You do the heavy lifting, making it more likely they’ll participate with suggestions.

ii) Then, do your research of that company’s past community giving and see if there are any patterns. Make your case for why it should add your organization to its limited list of community agencies or institutions it supports.

iii) Communicate regularly! Add these prospects to your newsletter lists, mailings, holiday appeal letters, etc. That way, they’ll have some awareness of the work you do by the time you reach out to them for a substantive contribution.

b) Talk to the potential sponsor!

In Major Gifts, "asks" are in person and personalized. To acquire major corporate sponsors, do the same by asking for an appointment, either in person (preferable) or by phone. Remember - your contact at the sponsor is a "person" and people give to people!

i) When you meet, know your statistics and the impact of your mission’s work on their own employee base. For example, if you work in a mental health agency, you might cite the statistic that up to 1/3 of Americans report they’ve struggled with mental health issues … break this down to the number in the company who may be affected and possibly helped by your agency. Make the case that your agency helps their company be more stable by providing valuable service to the community.

ii) Ask questions to find out their "sweet spots" and motivations.

 Do they have any direct connections to your work?

 What do they look to gain from supporting your organization?

 What can you offer them to make supporting you more appealing?

 Is it in their interest to engage their employees to volunteer for your agency?

 Can you plan a day on site to discuss your work and get employees behind the mission?

c) Propose a multiple year commitment!

Let the company know that the problems your organization tackles are not a "quick fix." Ask for a 3-5 year base commitment of annual sponsorship dollars. Remember, if you don’t ask, you don’t get and any good business person should understand that successful ventures are not realized without a multi-year investment. This is good business and a "major gifts" and "annual giving" strategy that has been proven to work.