Non-Profit Sponsorship Myth #4

We need a bank, grocery chain, airline or a car sponsor!

Most non-profit organisations, charities and events are keen to secure an airline, grocery chain, bank or car manufacturer as a sponsor.

Why?

The general line of thought seems to be that because the vast majority of their supporters fly, bank and/or drive there must be a clear alignment for one of these companies to come on board as a corporate sponsor for their organisation or event.

Right?

The fact of the matter is that unless there is a clear alignment – for example, you represent an industry, profession, segment of the community that invests substantially in financial institutions by way of loans, then a banking sponsor will more than likely politely decline your offer to sponsor. I’ll create a caveat around that statement by saying that we are speaking about sponsorship here. Some banks of course will provide small community grants or donations to support an event or program, but many banks will avoid true sponsorship if it puts them at risk over over-exposure in any particular industry or market segment, because their involvement may be construed as them having some unfair influence over the banking/purchasing decision within that market. For banks particularly it is all about mitigating risk.

Airline, banks and car companies seem to be on every sponsorship-seeker’s hit list. So why not try thinking outside the square and look more deeply at the demographics of your supporter base?

When thinking about which potential sponsors might be interested in your non-profit, start thinking closer to home. Which profession, industry or community or followers do you represent? Which companies do your supporters do business with? These questions can be a great place to start, because as we’ve mentioned, sponsors are looking for access to your supporter base so that they can make more sales and recoup some return on their investment.

For example: For the Australian Resident Accommodation Managers Association (ARAMA), the peak body representing Management Rights (short and long term accommodation) in Australia an ideal partner would be a paint application company, or a property management software firm. These properties require constant upkeep to remain appealing to holiday-makers, and automated booking systems that are intuitive to use and make it easy for them to promote their accommodation are highly sought after.

The key is to know your supporter base inside and out – in depth.

Their demographic information will provide you will valuable details on who they are, their age, sex, profession, needs and so on, and once you have these details to hand you can start to research further information, like what products and services do they like to purchase, which brands do they prefer?

This information will lead you right to the door of your ideally matched sponsors and I guarantee you, the list will include more than an airlines, banks and car companies.

Discover more about this and other myths of non-profit sponsorship in our free eBook. By understanding the misinformation out there surrounding sponsorship, you will be more likely to avoid the common pitfalls of trying to engage great partners for your non-profit.