Soapbox Engage Blog

Are you considering looking for corporate sponsors for an upcoming nonprofit event or program? The great news for nonprofits is that whatever you're doing, there’s a pretty good chance that there’s a company that wants to support and align with your mission and cause...and, most importantly in this case, is willing to financially support your efforts.

There's no cause too big, too small, or too obscure… someone out there will be excited to partner financially to help you reach your goals. You just have to figure out which business will be the perfect corporate sponsor for your cause.

BUT (and this is important) corporate sponsorships are supposed to be symbiotic relationships! True, many business owners and decision-makers are very charitable and generous, but they still want their business to benefit from their financial investment in your organization's efforts.

Unfortunately, many organizations fail to treat corporate sponsorships like a symbiotic relationship between a nonprofit and business. It's not hard to make your organization attractive to corporate sponsorship opportunities. With the right mindset, and a few good ideas, you'll have companies lining up to sponsor your next program or event.

Why Businesses Want To Give Corporate Sponsorships

Corporate sponsorship spending continues to increase year over year. Businesses spent $23.1 billion on corporate sponsorships in North America alone in 2017! Globally, companies invested $62.7 billion in sponsorships. The "corporate sponsorship" pie is enormous--and still growing! It's part of the ever-growing emphasis on "cause-marketing."

Cause marketing in a nutshell

Corporate sponsorships are a form of "cause marketing." Cause-marketing (sometimes called "cause-related marketing" or CRM), is a collaboration between a business and a nonprofit designed to promote a business's sales and an organization's cause.

American Express pioneered the "cause marketing" frontier in the 1980s when they raised over $1.7 million to fund the restoration of the Statue of Liberty. AmEx donated one penny to the cause every time someone used their credit card. During the campaign, American Express card use increased by 27%!

Now cause marketing is everywhere! More and more companies are venturing into the arena to openly tackle socio-political issues as a marketing technique. Businesses great and small, from Nike to your neighborhood coffee shop, are looking to partner with nonprofits.

Corporate sponsorships are one of the most common forms of cause marketing. Businesses publicly support charitable events or programs with financial backing. Why? Because it's financially beneficial! 91% of consumers worldwide say they're likely to switch to a brand that supports a good cause. That's potentially a lot of money for a company!

What businesses want to get from corporate sponsorships

Corporate sponsorships can come in nearly any form, from financial partnerships to volunteer hours. Businesses actually do want a return on their investment, especially if the sponsorship involves money. There are three main things companies want to get out of their corporate sponsorships:

1. Positive brand promotion: A company's brand is arguably one of its most valuable assets, especially for small and mid-sized businesses. It's their identity and what they're known for in the marketplace.

Every company tries to maintain a positive brand image. They want people to think highly of their business in addition to liking their products. One way to do that is to support great causes. Like we said earlier, lots of people are willing to switch their brand allegiances to companies that are trying to do good in the world.

When a business supports a cause its customers value, its customers are likely to recommend the business to friends and family. If you know that shopping at a particular store will help puppies get adopted or provide healthy school lunches to kids, you'd probably encourage everyone to buy there, too!

2. Brand awareness and visibility: Businesses think of corporate sponsorships as a business transaction with charitable outcomes. Their goal is to increase brand recognition and sell more products. Corporate sponsors want to get their name and logo in front of as many people as possible, especially when it comes to corporate sponsorships.

3. Reach new audiences: Corporate sponsorships are a way for businesses to reach new groups of people.

This can actually work both ways. The business wants to reach your lists of volunteers, supporters, donors, and other groups of people that your organization interacts with. If done correctly, corporate sponsorships can also allow your nonprofit to network within the business's list of customers and employees. Again, this is meant to be a symbiotic relationship.

This really works best when the business and nonprofit share similar values and interests. That way, people who are attracted to one will be more likely to be attracted to the other.

As you can see, no matter how charitable the business is (and they do usually have excellent motives), companies give corporate sponsorships with the expectation that they'll get something in return.

How Nonprofits Can Make Corporate Sponsorships Beneficial To Businesses

If you're hoping to get a business to partner with your nonprofit for a future event or project, there are a few things you can do to make your organization attractive. (Really, these are things every nonprofit should know or be doing, whether you're hoping to attract corporate sponsors or not.)

Know your demographics

How well do you know the people who engage with your cause and your organization? Do you know where most of them live? What is the average age of your volunteers and donors? Are they young professionals, empty-nesters, young families, or an entirely different demographic? Is your demographic primarily men or women?

Businesses want to partner with organizations that share a similar demographic. For example, a pet food company would be the perfect corporate sponsor for an animal shelter, but they would probably have very little interest in sponsoring an organization that fights childhood obesity. Similarly, a women's clothing company would be very interested in sponsoring a nonprofit that addresses women's issues.

There have been some very creative and unusual corporate sponsorship matches! A Florida brewery created a special beer and released beer cans that feature pictures of dogs awaiting adoption at a local animal shelter. A portion of the proceeds from the beer sales went to the shelter, and the pups got a little publicity help.

Just because there's not an obvious connection between your demographic and the business doesn't mean it's not a good fit for corporate sponsorship. Still, it's essential to know your demographics as you prepare to ask companies to sponsor your organization, event, or project. Be prepared to describe your demographic to business representatives. Remember, one of the things businesses want to get from their sponsorship is new customers.

Communicate with your own network often

Businesses want to partner with organizations that regularly communicate with their followers. Nonprofits should be using email, websites, newsletters, social media, and other methods to stay in touch with everyone on their contact list.

Businesses want to be sure that your network will hear about their sponsorship and learn about their business. After all, they're in it for new customers. It's also a small way to demonstrate that you are a well-organized nonprofit that will be a good investment for a business.

Know your story

It could be the story of your nonprofit or the story of someone whose life your organization changed. Whether you're asking an individual donor to make a contribution or inviting a business to give a corporate sponsorship, you need to tell a good story that will make an emotional connection to your cause.

Your story should also describe what your organization does and why you do what you do. Businesses want to partner with nonprofits who have a clear and compelling mission statement. Remember, they're putting their name on your event or project and publicly supporting your cause. They want to know what you want to accomplish and how you plan to do it.

Write a specific corporate sponsorship proposal

You might be surprised how many nonprofits ask businesses for corporate sponsorship without providing a proposal. Most companies aren't interested in one-way partnerships. They want to know exactly what you want from them and what they can expect to get in return.

An excellent corporate sponsorship proposal will include the following elements:

• A description of your audience demographics. Describe your ideal supporter and provide an overview of your followers (how many, where they live, age range, etc.).
• A description of your organization's mission and what you plan to do with the sponsorship money (or other sponsorship benefits).
• A specific amount of money you would like to receive from the business and a detailed budget of how you will spend the money.
• Outline in detail how the business will benefit from the sponsorship. For example, if you plan to offer media coverage as part of the benefits, promise specifics. Don't just promise media coverage, give numbers, and identify specific ways you will promote the business to your audience.
• If at all possible, provide metrics that show the company how many people read your communications. Businesses want to know how much exposure they can expect to get from the partnership. This is where knowing your email open rates, using Google Analytics on your website, and using other tracking services can be very helpful.

Remember, a corporate sponsorship is a symbiotic relationship between the business and the nonprofit. A good proposal will demonstrate that you understand this and outline how everyone in the partnership will benefit.

Are you ready to find corporate sponsors for your upcoming programs or events? Here are three more resources to help you take the next steps.

• The Google Analytics Metrics That Help Nonprofits Raise More Money: Google Analytics is a free tool that will help you understand who visits your website, what they read, how long they stay, and much more. This will help you provide detailed information to potential corporate sponsors and boost your proposal.
• How To Get Corporate Sponsorships For Your Nonprofit: Organizations seek corporate sponsors for a variety of events and programs. Here’s a handy guide to help you get your first corporate sponsor.
• How To Plan A Fundraising Event: The Complete Guide: Are you looking for a corporate sponsor for your next fundraising event? Here’s a complete guide to help you plan an excellent event that’s sure to help you reach your fundraising goals.

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