How to Use This Book
There are a lot of people who think creating sponsorship requires some kind of mystical, magic power. We’re here to tell you that as surely as the beautiful assistant doesn’t really get sawn in half, there is no magic behind developing strong, lasting, and mutually beneficial partnerships with sponsors.
We fully believe that building and maintaining these partnerships can be achieved by people with little or no sponsorship experience, so long as they have two things: enthusiasm and a road map. The enthusiasm you will have to supply yourself, but this book is your road map.
We suggest using the book as follows:
• Read through the book once first, taking notes as you go. This will help you to understand the desired outcome when you start to implement the strategies that we have outlined.
• Ensure that key stakeholders within your organization know what you are doing (reading the book themselves may help). The system we advocate is a big departure from the approach many organizations are currently taking to sponsorship—you need to ensure you have support for the change.
• Check out the resources we have outlined in Appendix 2. Start increasing your knowledge level right away.
• Go through the book, doing the exercises outlined along the way. Don’t get hung up on the formats. The ones we have used are those that work for us, but feel free to alter them so that they work for you.
• Use the exercises collaboratively whenever possible. There are a number of places where two or more heads are definitely better than one.
• Be proactive with potential sponsors. The assumption is often that because they have the money, they know what they are doing. This is often not the case at all. Once you have completed this book, you may very well know more about doing sponsorship right than many sponsors do, and it may be an educational process for them, too.
• Pay attention to the case studies—you never know what they may inspire!
• Have fun with it. Good sponsorship is a highly creative process. If you don’t allow yourself to have big, creative, sometimes silly ideas, you’ll never hit upon the really great ones.
Special note: Throughout this book, we will sometimes generically use the word event to describe the property for which you are seeking sponsorship, whether that is an event, venue, cause, organization, program, individual, or team. Also, if you don’t understand a term, be sure to check out the Glossary in Appendix 1.
Overview of Sections
The book is broken into four general sections. Here is an overview of what is included in each of them.
Part 1: Planning
In this section, you will look closely at both your property and your organization to determine what you need to plan and implement a sponsorship program effectively. Long before the selling process begins, you need to determine whether you and your organization are prepared to engage in long-term relationships with the corporate sector. We will guide you through creating internal policies, undertaking market and corporate research, creating a marketing plan, and negotiating promotional media.
Part 2: Sales
In this section, you will learn about preparation and persistence. Both are required to guide your proposals successfully through to the negotiation stage. This section shows you how to identify potential sponsors, research them, create a customized proposal for every potential sponsor, and negotiate a mutually beneficial deal. Included to assist you are a number of detailed checklists and forms, as well as a sponsorship proposal template.
Part 3: Servicing
This section outlines how to create and implement innovative sponsorship servicing programs that ensure your partnerships are creating “wins” for all parties concerned. Covered are steps that will get your relationship off on the right foot, quantification and reporting mechanisms, and a wide range of maximization options, which will assist your sponsors in achieving all they can from their investments.
Part 4: Appendices
It is essential that you continue to develop your sponsorship and marketing skills and build up your resources. To this end, we have included a listing of resources, including associations, Internet sites, and publications that will assist you in creating and developing a sponsorship portfolio that will bring your organization and your sponsors the results you desire. Also included is a comprehensive glossary of terms and an outstanding Sponsorship Agreement Pro Forma template, provided by one of Australia’s foremost experts on sponsorship law.
Downloadable Tools
This book comes with a series of tools and templates to help you implement our approach. Tools are marked in the book text by this symbol:
To download the tools, you will need a computer with an Internet connection and this book (hard copy or e-book). Go to www.sponsorshipseekerstoolkit.com.
• Answer five simple questions about the book. All questions can be easily answered if you are looking at the book, particularly if you use the Contents pages as a quick reference.
• After answering all five questions correctly, you will be asked to enter your email address. A link to a one-time download will be emailed to you straightaway.
• When you receive the email, click the link to download the zip file containing the templates. All templates are in MS Word format (docx).
If you have any difficulties, contact details are on the download site.
Warning
These tools are copyrighted and provided as an added value to owners of this book. If you return or sell the book, you no longer have a license to use the tools and they, and any derivative works, must be deleted or destroyed immediately. If you continue to use them, you will be breaching copyright and we may exercise legal options. Plus, they will be very difficult to use without the context provided in the book.
We’ve gone to a lot of effort to provide you with a book that will make seeking sponsorship as easy as it can be. Please, do the right thing.