GOALS
Funds from special event sponsorships had been at low levels for years, due in part to the lack of a strong sponsorship campaign. My goal here was simple: increase event sponsorship.
CHALLENGES
Because I was new to the position, I didn't yet have strong connections with local businesses. Also, in previous years, the sponsorship campaign had consisted solely of a generic, imageless mass email, so there wasn't an established template available to me. Lastly, I wanted to modify sponsor benefits and raise sponsorship costs, and I was concerned that prior sponsors wouldn't be able to accommodate the price increase.
STRATEGIES
When we donate our money to an organization, we want to know that it will make a tangible impact. To help prospective sponsors visualize the effects of their contributions, I designed a Sponsorship Opportunities flyer that included images, as well as a list of the events and activities they would help make possible.
To account for the price increase of season sponsorship, I added new sponsor benefits, such as the Season Sponsor Spotlight.
I included a personalized letter along with the Sponsorship Opportunities flyer and mailed them the old-fashioned way in a handwritten envelope.
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IMPACT
The impact was as simple as the goal: sponsorship funds quadrupled in only year. As I prepare to do next year's campaign, I'm analyzing what worked and what could be improved. I hope to yield even more sponsorships in 2023!