To generate donations or gifts from sponsors, you will firstly need to make them aware that you exist - or that your cause exists. This won’t be hard if you are fundraising for a national cause that everyone knows about. They may even have advertising hints or kits for you to use.
Otherwise, start off by sending an email to the person or company outlining your goals and your need for support. Make it sound like they will be investing in a worthy cause that could benefit them or someone they know, in the future - as indeed, many good causes do. For instance, there is hardly a family that has not been touched somewhere by cancer. Most people have children who go to schools so if you are fundraising for education or schools, it’s easy to make your appeal relevant.
Follow up your preliminary email with a snail mail letter and in it, refer to your email. Send even more information about your goals and if possible include pictures. If yours is a charitable organization, mention that fact. Many companies like to know they can write off their donations on their tax. Make your fundraising efforts sound as professional. Use properly designed brochures or leaflets.
After a week or so, follow up with a phone call - keep it brief, as most people are very busy, and they’ll appreciate it if you don’t waste too much time. You could either ask for a donation or ask for a brief interview to discuss it. Make sure they know that it will benefit them in some way.
If your event is somewhere with facilities for displays, you could have special sponsorship cards designed for the manager or person to sign and then have them displayed. This both advertises the company and gives it a good reputation for sponsoring the event. Most companies like this sort of publicity.
You could provide clear plastic frames to hold the name and company logo of your sponsor. This idea is suited more to an indoor function than something like a walkathon. For a walkathon you could have armbands, participants’ numbers or even banners printed with the company name. The latter could hang from certain points along the route. The tape across the finish line could have their name on it also. There are many ways in which to make your sponsors feel special and a part of the fun.
Learn more at TechOSS Non Profit Resources
- Running a Fundraising Campaign
- Build Membership Volunteers
- Automated Membership Building
- Technology Presentation/Video
- Technology Resources
- Nonprofit Education Center
- Nonprofit Advertising Reasons
