Sponsorship Acquisition

1. Sponsorship Acquisition

4. The Seven Steps • Determine who is in charge of overseeing sponsorship acquisition, and provide them with support. • Determine “What do we need?” • Determine “What can we offer?” • Establish a plan of action to get what you need. • Brainstorm and Evaluate Potential Partners • Execute the plan. • Ensure you create an effective stewardship plan.

5. Step 1 - Who is in Charge? Sponsorship acquisition is the responsibility of an executive member. The coordinator of a specific event is responsible for acquiring sponsorship for that event. Someone is hired/elected/appointed to be responsible for sponsorship for the organization.

6. Step 2 - Determine what you need Three major types of sponsorship support: Financial Support Product/Supply/Logistical Support Media/Promotional Support

7. Identify every activity your organization is going to undertake for the year, whether or not you were planning on getting it sponsored. List all of the needs that you have in each of the categories for that particular initiative: Media/Promotional Support Product/Supply/Logistical Support Financial Support Step 2 - Determine what you need

8. Step 3 – Determine What You Can Offer Think about the promotional opportunities your campaign events and initiatives will create. Think about sponsorship opportunities outside of events (bulletin boards, plasma screens, frosh kits, etc.) Explore the possibility of your student union or other groups helping to expand the promotional opportunities you can offer Realize your power!

9. Determine what you can offer The youth market (ages 16-30) represents one of the fastest growing consumer groups – possessing an estimated $425 billion in annual spending power. U of T students, employees and alumni? $4.5 billion each year Average U of T student? (2007 data) $1,300 a year on phone, internet and cable $2,400 a year on food, entertainment, clothing

10. Step 3 – Determine What You Can Offer For each of your organization’s initiatives, list everything you can think of in each of the following categories: Opportunities presented by the events themselves (eg. signage, opportunities to be a guest/judge, logo placement) Opportunities presented by the everyday operations of your organization that are not necessarily tied to specific events (eg. weekly email newsletter) Opportunities that could be created by on-campus partnerships with other organizations

11. Overview of Pre & Post Event Evaluation Process Pre-Event Post Event STEP #1 STEP #2 STEP #3 STEP #4 STEP #5 Initial impression Review Qualitative Assessment Quantitative Evaluation Strategic Recommendation Measurement Client Agency Agency Client / Agency Agency Relative Value Assessment Quant Analysis Reco, Negotiation, Integrated Leveraging Plan Post Analysis Yes Yes Yes No No No Execution Declined Approved Declined Approved Declined Approved No Yes Score 650+ ROI 1:1 or better Keep on the radar Quant Metrics + 3rd Party Research Donation Program Recommendations POV Summary

12. Formal Evaluation Tool

13. Formal Evaluation Tool Formal Evaluation Tools are used to measure each asset of the property.

14. Case Evaluation – Tangible *actual numbers have been changed for the purpose of this example

15. Case Evaluation – Intangible

16. Step 4 - Establish a plan of action Potential partners need to look at your proposals with their marketing/promotion budget in mind, not their charitable donation budget.

17. Step 4 - Establish a plan of action You don’t want to be seen as someone looking for a donation, you need to be seen as someone offering a unique marketing opportunity.

18. Step 4 - Establish a plan of action • Use the term “partnership proposal” instead of “sponsorship request”. • Refer to your supporters as “partners” not “sponsors”. • Utilize the word “opportunity” as often as possible in your materials and when dealing with potential partners.

19. Step 4 - Establish a plan of action Don’t skimp.

20. Sample Proposals

21. Sample Proposals

22. The Proposal

27. “Supporting our organization will get you better quality exposure than if you had simply taken the money and purchased advertising with it.”

28. Step 5 – Brainstorm and Evaluate Potential Partners Organizations with whom someone in your organization has a personal connection Organizations losing in their market New organizations in their market Previous supporters Organizations for whom the university/your organization is a major customer Organizations who can reap a specific benefit (financial or otherwise) from your organization

29. Step 6 – Execute Your PlanDo Your Research! • Know the contact person for each potential partner. • Make clear EXACTLY what you would like from them. • Have a general idea how much of their business/staff is made up of students. • Know how much advertising, and what kind, they do in the community. • Find out how much that advertising costs, compare that cost with what you’re offering. • All this can be included in the “Rationale for Partnership” section or in a separate section on demographics.

30. Execute Your Plan • Do it in person, in pairs. Come in to drop off a partnership proposal and personalized letter, and ask if you can come back in a week to discuss it. Have a series of dates and times ready to suggest. • Train your askers. Spend time in “mock meetings” before you go in. No matter how prepared you think you are those things will be a huge help. • Spend the vast majority of your time in these meetings listening. Spend time planning and training to ask questions that lead the potential sponsor to reach the conclusions you want them to.

31. Step 7 – Create a Stewardship Plan DELIVER ON WHAT YOU PROMISE. THEN GO FURTHER.

32. Ten Principles of SolicitingBy John D. Rockefeller, Sr.First published in 1891 When making a solicitation, dress well in costly clothes, immaculate linen, and well-brushed shoes. See also that your hands are clean. Hunt in pairs. A call by two persons makes more impact than one, but only one should talk. This has greater dignity. Both people should have an elegant personal card to present at the door. At the outset, ask only for a few minutes of the person’s time, and by plunging into the subject, create the impression that the call will be short. Enter the room in genial and radiant good nature. Allow no provocation to disturb this good humour. Keep your victim also good natured, and this throughout!

33. Ten Principles of SolicitingBy John D. Rockefeller, Sr.First published in 1891 6. If you find him big with gift, do not rush too eagerly to the birth. 7. Let him feel he is giving it, not that it is being taken from him with violence. 8. Appeal only to his nobler motives. His own mind will suggest to him the lower and selfish ones. He would not wish you to think that he has thought of them. 9. Let the victim talk freely, especially in the early part of the interview, while you take the opportunity to study his peculiarities. 10. Never argue or contradict him. Let him talk, talk, talk. Give the fish the reel and listen with deep interest.

34. Email drew@drewdudley.ca Website www.nuanceleadership.ca Twitter @NuanceDrew