By Soo Dawson

What’s in it for me? Is a question that your corporate sponsor may not ask overtly, however, you can be sure it is going through your sponsor’s mind when you are soliciting support for your next event or fundraiser.  General feel-good statements will only get you so far; you will need to make your non-profit competitive in terms of positioning yourself as a marketing, PR, and even a sales opportunity for your corporate sponsor. Here are some speaking points you can take with you to your next sponsorship solicitation meeting:

·         Preface by saying “We have the following marketing and branding opportunities for you.” Brochures at the event or other display material branded with the sponsor’s logo and message are wonderful – but hardly original. Think about what you can offer to the corporate sponsor in addition to the basics. Some things to consider: a Facebook page specifically dedicated to your event or even live Twitter broadcasts from your event with frequent mentions back to your sponsor gives your sponsor additional reach.  Inclusion in paid or donated advertising leading up to the event grants the sponsor more visibility. PSAs, newsletters, websites – don’t think of anything as too small to mention when it comes to marketing. The more channels you can provide to mention and promote your sponsor, the more they will feel like there is true value attached.

·         “Here are the ways you will get some great publicity from this event.” Saying you will mention them in a press release is not enough. Include stats about the type of reach you have (whether it is local or nation-wide) across all marketing channels and illustrate to your sponsor that the audience will perceive the corporate sponsor as a great community supporter and partner. A sample statement could be: “Our press releases get picked up by (insert publications, here) across the Northeast and reach over 50,000 readers monthly. This could be a great chance to show your Northeastern readers the humanitarian side of (insert corporation name, here) by supporting our hunger relief fundraiser.”

·         “There is a possibility of business development and sales for you from this event.” Of course, not every event is like this, but if you have an extensive list of corporate sponsors or a targeted group of attendees that may appeal to your sponsor, you should highlight the fact and use it as a solicitation tool. Sample verbiage could be: “We have xyz corporation also attending and sponsoring the event. Others similar to xyz corporation sponsor our cause yearly. We would love to be able to introduce you personally to other sponsors and attendees. As an added benefit to you, we share our sponsor and attendee contact list with our highest level of sponsors.”

So the next time you sit down to a sponsorship request meeting, don’t get caught off guard by not thinking about what’s in it for your corporate sponsor beforehand.  Even if your event or fundraiser is not the greatest marketing, PR, or sale opportunity, you need to at least be able to answer the basic question of benefits it does bring for your sponsor.  We would love to know; what have you done to get a favorable response from your corporate sponsors lately? Please share below.