Foreword

The books Kim and Anne-Marie have written are referred to at length in the ESA Diploma—a professional qualification for those working (or wishing to work) in the sponsorship industry. They are known for their practical, straightforward approach.

This newest edition of The Sponsorship Seeker’s Toolkit marks the place in the sponsorship industry’s history when there is no longer any excuse for a below-par sponsorship proposal. I couldn’t recommend it more highly to each and every sponsorship seeker out there.

In their straight-talking, sensible, and structured book, Kim and her coauthor Anne-Marie Grey have provided a comprehensive road map for every professional seeking sponsorship on behalf of his or her organization—whether that be an event, a sport or art governing body, an art gallery—whatever.

All anyone has to do is follow their straightforward and practical approach. The process—planning, sales, and servicing—couldn’t be more logically set out. And in the fourth section there are a number of useful resources to make the job as simple as possible.

The book is a veritable bible for every sponsorship seeker and should ensure that there are far more “win, win, win” sponsorship programs out there, benefiting both sponsor and sponsee and, thus, proving the business value of sponsorship.

I like the honesty in the book. No one, least of all the authors, is pretending that it’s easy to find sponsors. But difficult questions are not avoided. They are tackled head-on. And logical, practical tips are provided as to how to best resolve awkward issues and turn them into pluses rather than minuses.

The planning section really underlines the value of homework prior to putting any sponsorship proposal together. Not only that, but it highlights to the reader the steps that need to be taken to gather all the necessary information, proving that a “quick hit” just doesn’t work.

I especially like the brainstorming process and suspect that a number of people reading this book will find it exciting, different, and productive—and probably a world away from the way in which ideas have been generated in the past.

The sales pages provide logical steps to the best way to approach potential sponsors. I could almost feel the breadth of the armory the authors were providing the reader! But, best of all, there’s no waffle. Just practical, logical, and rational thinking that adds up to a really professional approach that sponsors will appreciate and that should lead to the best results.

Last, the prolific amount of case studies are the proof of the pudding. They demonstrate successful sponsorship programs and show the reader just how it can best be done. What more could sponsorship seekers want or need? It’s all in the book—they just have to go out and follow the road map.

Well done, Kim and Anne-Marie. The sponsorship industry becomes ever more professional and owes you both a debt in showing the way.

Karen Earl
Chairman
The European Sponsorship Association