Six Questions To Ask Sponsors Before Sending Out Your Proposal

Looking for a sponsorship or partnership arrangement in 2015? Then take the time to get to know what that company wants before delivering your next Not for Profit proposal, writes sponsorship expert Abby Clemence.

If you are in the middle of developing your 2015-2016 sponsorship strategy that consists of sending out a fabulous (but cold) sponsorship proposal to all the companies that you are SURE will be interested in partnering with your Not for Profit organisation, charity or event, then STOP!

Let me save you some precious time and effort.

Companies are becoming spoilt for choice. There are nearly 700,000 NFPs and charities in Australia and New Zealand alone and every one of them is looking to diversify their income streams.

I too work as a sponsorship seeker on behalf of several Australian Not for Profits and I am constantly asking for feedback from companies as to their preferences, like:

• What information do they want from the people seeking sponsorship?
• How could we make it easier for companies to engage with us?
• If there was one message that you could send the Not for Profit sector as a whole, what might it be?

The answers?

If you are seeking a partnership, then treat the companies you approach like a partner from the outset.  Not a cash cow.  Take the time to get to know what they want and what it might look like if you were to work together.  Give them the big picture of who you are and what you do, so they can easily find where the alignment might lie.

So… without further ado, here are six questions that will stand you in good stead when you research or next pick up the phone to make an initial connection with a potential sponsor:

1.       What is your potential sponsor hoping to achieve this year for their brand/company?

2.       When do they allocate their marketing budget?  Do they run on a calendar or financial year cycle?

3.       What are their objectives and desired outcomes from sponsorship investment and relationships?

4.       Have they ever partnered with a Not for Profitt organisation, charity of event before?

5.       Who is their ideal customer?

6.       What kind of return on investment (ROI) do they expect? And how do they measure that?

By asking questions like these and going that little step further to develop the beginnings of a relationship with a company of brand that you feel is the right 'fit' for your Not for Profit, you exponentially increase the chances of being successful at securing that much needed investment you are looking for, but also increase your chances of engaging long term, happy sponsors.

About the author: Abby Clemence is the Managing Director of Infinity Sponsorship, a Queensland-based national consultancy. If you want to get your sponsorship strategy on track, Abby Clemence has created free books and resources for the Not for Profit sector. Download it now  and Download the free 'Sponsorship Readiness Checklist'