The latest writings from our team
Building a Culture of Sponsorship: Strategies to get Everyone on the Bus
Representing sponsorship within your organization can be an exciting, rewarding and sometimes challenging role. You need to be creative to build beneficial partnerships that balance the objectives of your organization with those of your sponsors and external partners.
Proving Your Value: Measuring Sponsorship Return on Investment
I’ve written a lot about sponsorship valuations lately and, while this is not a post about valuation, sponsorship ROI is a close cousin. Before we get started, make sure you check out these two posts, which will be referenced throughout this article: Case Study: Sponsorship Valuation Best Practices The Essential Guide to Sponsorship Valuation: Learn How to Price Sponsorships Like a Pro The second article is stuffed with great resources, including my valuation checklist and infographic. The first article listed above has a fascinating comment from a sponsor all about the concept of sponsorship return on investment (ROI)…and that’s what we are going to focus on today.
How to Hire Sponsorship Sales Staff (or Get Hired)
I am writing this post for two audiences. The first is the hiring manager looking to retain sponsorship talent. The second is to the sponsorship sales professional, looking for work in the field (whether new or experienced). There are some damaging approaches and philosophies that come up during the recruiting and onboarding phase and I think both sides of the table will benefit from this post. What are my best practices for hiring sponsorship sales staff? Knowing the sponsorship sales process well Having realistic expectations Hiring who you need Avoiding hiring sales contacts How to Generate Interest in Your Sponsorship Opportunity The best salespeople are those who are deeply passionate about the product or service they’re selling. That could be because they’ve used that product or service personally and realized how much it changed their lives. Perhaps they studied the industry the product or service belongs to, or it’s a hobby of theirs. No matter the source of the spark, it’s that spark that’s key. So how do you get salespeople excited about your sponsorship opportunity? Here are some pointers to get you started. Present a Crystal-Clear Opportunity How is a sponsorship sales rep going to sell your opportunity to […]
What Your Board of Directors Needs to Know About Sponsorship
If I had a dollar for every time I heard a fundraiser complain about their board of directors…or a board of directors complain about their fundraiser, I’d be a very rich man! Every single problem that I see stems from a lack of understanding of the sponsorship process and so this post is part therapy for fundraisers, but is also an instructional tool to share with your board members. In no particular order, here is what your board of directors needs to know about sponsorship:
March 2024’s Most Memorable Activations
And whoosh, March disappears just like that. There was so much fun along the way, such as SXSW 2024 in Austin, which is always a good...
10 Techniques to Increase Sponsorship ROI and Brand Value
Determining where to focus your efforts to maximize your sponsorship value can be confusing. We receive messages and emails all the time from people who tell us that valuation remains one of the most puzzling parts of sponsorship. We work alongside our clients to develop strategies that maximize the revenue potential for their organization and sponsorship properties. Through this process, we’ve learned that not all benefits are created equal. There are specific benefits sponsorship seekers can focus on developing that can provide the best return on investment (ROI) & return on effort (ROE). In this post, I want to share ten strategies that go beyond logo placement that you can utilize to take your value to the next level. Knowledge of your Audience and Willingness to Share Information Knowledgeable sponsors know their target markets intimately. They know where they live, what they drive, what they care about, heck some of them can even tell you what color shoes they prefer. In order for a sponsor to justify an investment in your organization, they need to know within reason that you can provide an audience that matches within their target markets. This can sound intimidating at first but the great thing […]
How to Get Sponsors Despite your Geography!
When you discover that a sponsorship prospect is clear across the world from you, you might feel disinclined to pursue them further. You’re worried about regional differences that could rear their ugly head, not to mention the annoyance of different time zones. Well, I’m here to tell you that geography does not have to be a major stumbling block when it comes to prospecting and obtaining sponsorship clients. I’ve done it personally and I have clients who do it and I can tell you, it’s absolutely possible! This post will be helpful to those who sell sponsorship in geographies outside of their head office location or aspire to soon begin doing so. Tips for Obtaining Sponsors Regardless of Location Sharpen Your Value Proposition What do you bring to the table? In other words, why should an international sponsor take a bet on you? Remember, it’s enough of a risk for a local sponsor within the same country as you to take a chance on you when you’re green and unproven. There is substantially more risk when seeking international sponsors regarding time, reputation, and money. That’s why your value proposition must be as sharp as a rock and as clear as […]
Sponsorship Realities Every Sponsorship Property Needs to Know
I recently did a presentation for a group of fundraisers, community centre CEOs and sponsorship sales professionals in the sport and for-profit space focused on sponsorship realities that every sponsorship property needs to know. In today’s post, I am going to share the insights from that invite-only presentation. In no particular order, here are sponsorship realities that people just aren’t talking about.
Corporate Sponsorship Case Study: Sponsorship Levels Gone Wrong
Unfortunately, our prospects can suffer from the same misconceptions about sponsorship as everybody else. I want to share this case study with you to outline how important it is to educate our sponsors and to make sure we fully understand the needs of our sponsors before we close the deal.