Creative Sponsorship Strategies for Your Fundraiser
Charities have the ability to create a sponsorship for just about ANYTHING!
There are, of course, the usual and customary sponsorships at Platinum, Gold, and Silver levels for your event. And traditional table sponsorships are also most likely in your lineup. But let’s think outside of the box a bit today…
You could shoot for the sky and ask a corporation or business to sponsor your ENTIRE event. All of your branding is shared with them in exchange for their large contribution. This level of support will most likely be your top sponsorship level.
But don’t despair if you don’t snag a sponsor for your entire event. There is a cornucopia of other ways to work it!
How about sponsorship for the coat room? The valet parking? The live auction? And each silent auction section? You can create sponsorship for the dance floor, the stage and even your auctioneer. If you are using mobile bidding, you can sell a sponsorship for that as well. Yes, ANYTHING can be sponsored.
Be sure to give the sponsor a big bang for their buck, giving them proper exposure before and during your event.
I also encourage groups to offer a PowerPoint sponsorship. Invite several businesses to purchase a slide that advertises their company on a presentation that runs continuously during the hour and a half or so of the cocktail reception/silent auction. And don’t forget to sell ads in your event catalog/program! Have a team of volunteers whose focus is ad sales and you’ll find that your printed program can become a profit center.
You may be thinking, “These are all great ideas, but how do I price these opportunities?” I wish I could give you a pricing structure recommendation but because the location of your charity is so important to pricing it would be difficult to have a one-size-fits-all list. If you are located in Los Angeles, New York, or Chicago you might be able to have similar price points for identical sponsorships. But those would be far different from price points in, say, Glencoe, Alabama, White Bear Lake, Minnesota, or Shelbyville, Tennessee.
Another pricing factor that must be considered is whether your fundraiser is a first-time event or a well-established event that has taken place for several years.
I’ve seen pricing all over the spectrum, from $100,000 event sponsorships to $250 table sponsorships. While I cannot tell you how you can price your sponsorships, I can recommend that you make your top-level your “stretch” goal level.
I suggest you attend charity events in your area similar to those your nonprofit facilitates to see what those groups are doing with sponsorships.
You might also consider getting involved with your local chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, a group of nonprofit professionals that share ideas on how to raise funds.
Sponsorships are a great way to raise much-needed money to support the mission of your organization.
We’d love to help you exceed your fundraising goals. Send us an email or give us a call to find out how we can do just that.
Make every minute a revenue-generating minute!