Sponsors are Partners
I’ve always viewed sponsorship as more of a partnership. Two organizations working together to create something better. Both parties are adding value and both partners are receiving value.
In seeking sponsorship for a few events coming up I’ve noticed a disturbing pattern. As in the past, I contact the head of marketing to propose a meeting to discuss their potential sponsorship of the event. The purpose of the meeting is to see if there is a partnership fit on both sides. Lately I keep getting the same answer. “You need to talk to someone in community relations/corporate philanthropy/submit donation request, etc.”
I quickly say, “no, this is not a request for a donation, this is a marketing sponsorship.” After this I am usually met with silence, followed quickly by either, “well you still need to fill out the form” or “how much is it?”
Understand, we are not talking about mom and pop shops. I am talking to fairly large organizations. Organizations who should know better. The how much is it question really threw me off. I seriously doubt when the Boston Marathon organizers called John Hancock about being a premier sponsor the first thing they asked was “how much is it?” I don’t imagine Coke told the Olympic Committee to fill out a donation request form. Clearly our event is not as big as these but the point is, corporate sponsorship of events has been around forever, this is not a new concept, what is going on?
To find out I called my friend Gail Bower of Bower & Co Consulting who is without a doubt one of the top experts when it comes to sponsorship. How lucky am I! I told her what was going on and asked if something has changed…did people not use the word sponsorship anymore? She told me she has been hearing about this problem recently and has been trying to figure out ideas about where it comes from. She believes non-profit and charitable organizations and corporate philanthropy offices use the term “sponsorship” rather loosely these days and it is muddying up the water.
But let’s be really clear. A marketing driven sponsorship (a term Gail said she has started using to make it clearer) is not a donation. You are getting something of value in return for your fee or exchange of in-kind product or service. Think of it as a marketing vehicle like advertising is a marketing vehicle. And a sponsorship is not just about money. It is a partnership where both sides should be contributing and receiving value.
In Gail’s article “Too Small for Corporate Sponsorship? Think Again: How Your Business Benefits, Just like the Big Guys” she talks about a 2:1 investment.
Most corporations that deploy corporate sponsorship invest 2:1 above the sponsorship or rights fees to activate the opportunity.
That means, if you want to get value out of your sponsorship you can’t just write a check and sit back and let the event do all the work. To really reap the benefits you are going to have to actively participate in the partnership. If an organization approaches you with the standard Gold, Silver and Bronze sponsorship and is just looking for a check and in return they will slap your logo on a banner or website; I say, “buyer beware.”
Want more information on exactly how to use a sponsorship to your advantage or how to craft a sponsorship that is a true partnership? Read Gail’s article here.
Do you have stories of your own about disastrous partnerships or matches that were made in heaven? Please let us know in the comment section!
Addendum to Post: I encourage you to read Benjamin’s comment below. You can hear the frustration in his writing and rightly so. I imagine he is the recipient of way to many donation requests presented to him as a sponsorship. When in reality the organization in question was just looking for a handout and offering nothing of value to Benjamin in return. So note to all you organizations out there with you Gold/Silver/Bronze pre-packaged “sponsorship” packages…you are ruining it for those of us who are doing the right thing!
For more on this topic read “Sponsorships are not just banners and logos.“
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Jenise asked me to comment on this after responding on twitter, “the problem comes from the host organization NOT supplying the value they claim and our bosses wanting results, not unicorns.”
My perspective on this is as follows. We are an event rental company and every organization (local, across the country, you name it) seems to think that just because we rent stuff that they want that it would be a “Great partnership”. They offer logo placement, they offer “a whole table for your employees” and they offer all sorts of stuff that we don’t need, and in the end we usually have to decline because 1) it’s not in our budget to donate for every “great” cause out there and 2) the “value” of the partnership to us isn’t anywhere near what it is to them.
To all of the development directors out there who get this, thank you for not hounding our company to provide first class service, products, and most importantly our time for your event for free. Understand that there are a variety of things that we love to support, but can’t afford to do them all.
To those who haven’t been able to “get it” yet, don’t worry. In an industry roundtable discussion with corporate sponsorship heads from Delta and Coca Cola last year at a conference, what they told the audience was have a unique goal in mind. Don’t offer a sponsor a list of things that they’re most likely not interested – try to create – and find – value for them in what you’re trying to do. If you’re asking someone to come in and do something for you for free or at a reduced cost, spend more than five minutes printing out what you did for your last event, and thinking that they’re somehow going to want to get involved.
The scope of this discussion is huge, but hopefully my comments will either enl9ighten or inflame someone to respond, and then we can really start looking at the issue.
I think everything you have said in your comment here is true Benjamin. What you have described is to our point. These are not sponsorships or partnerships.
I start the post immediately with “I contact the head of marketing to propose a meeting to discuss their potential sponsorship of the event. The purpose of the meeting is to see if there is a partnership fit on both sides. ” Of course we research the companies we target to see if there is any kind of fit between our goals and their marketing goals. The meeting is to discuss that potential further. We do not even present a sponsorship proposal until we have met with them and received the go ahead they would be interested.
I think your comment is a perfect example of how companies misunderstand what sponsorship is. Your post addresses development directors and you talk about there being a variety of things you’d love to support. This indicates you think, like those I am calling, that sponsorship is a charitable donation. So I guess I thank you for giving a real life example of the misunderstanding. Now the reader can understand the frustration.
I encourage you to go back and read the post again and check out the links provided. You will see that I and Gail are the biggest advocates out there for creating custom sponsorships that add value to both parties. Oh, and also, our events are for profit events so we are in no way asking for a charitable donation.
Okay coming from an event and marketing background I totally understand the frustration here. At the risk of overstepping the subject a bit and maybe making matters worse (marketing or philanthropy dept.) I have a question.
Would you if you could combine value partnerships with philanthropic opportunities? Somewhat like combining show sponsorship with cause marketing. Of course done in a manner that continues to serve the goals of the company and the show.
I ask because of a client I’m working with that has the opportunity to offer an interesting option to shows and sponsors as well as exhibitors. It’s a charity gift that can take many forms and can creatively be used to offer multiple marketing opportunities and do good. A “Feel good sponsorship” opportunity.
Your pointing out the confusion that has occurred sparked a dilemma or possibly a solution as to the approach my client should take when presenting their option.
So what if a “marketing driven sponsorship” could include a donation? Thoughts?
Hi Mati, I’m definitely not saying that charity does not have its place in for profit or non-profit events. Many organizations have an in-service day where attendees spend a day helping our in the community where the meeting is held. We often include ways to raise money for charities in our events. We have even offered sponsors the ability to choose a non-profit organization to exhibit for free at our events. So yes, I do believe a market driven sponsorship can include a donation.
You raise some great points here, ones that apply to any business/non-profit partnerships. What one often sees with sponsorships is just a name on a banner, a t-shirt, maybe a big ad for the event, or a name in a program. These small donations may be alright if they are part of a philanthropic plan that includes miscellaneous giving, but are better if they are part of a business’s strategically planned giving program. An essential component of the strategic giving plan should be defining the partnership between the business and the charity, a partnership that creates growth for both parties.
Thanks for the comments Lalia. I think you brought up another good point. That is, you should have a strategic plan in place. That makes saying no to certain requests a bit easier…it’s not personal…it’s business.