Corporate Sponsorship in 3 Easy Steps: Get Funding from Sponsors Even if You're Just Getting Started by Hollander Linda

Author:Hollander, Linda [Hollander, Linda]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Aviva Publishing
Published: 2014-08-06T16:00:00+00:00

Myths about Sponsorship

“You must understand that seeing is believing,

but also know that believing is seeing.”

— Denis Waitley

I need to be a non-profit.

I’ve always been a for-profit business. Many of my clients have received sponsor funding for their for-profit businesses. Capitalism is not a dirty word in sponsorships. In fact, sponsors understand that you need profit and revenues. Think of the many for-profit sponsorships in the world of sports, events, music, theatre, conferences, online and media.

I need to be in sports.

Sports sponsorships are the most visible area of sponsorships. To get sponsorships, you don’t need to be an athlete or represent a sports team. You can be a business owner, speaker, author, event producer, entrepreneur, media personality, consultant, or charity and get sponsorships. Just look around, and you’ll see all kinds of examples.

I created my company, Sponsor Concierge, because there were plenty of companies in sports sponsorships, but not many people helping charities and businesses. I love helping entrepreneurs and causes fund their dreams, and I’ve never looked back.

This is too sophisticated for me.

Others perceive sponsorships as sophisticated or just out of their reach, and this is actually an advantage for you. Their lack of confidence and false perceptions weed out your competition. They don’t try to get corporate sponsors, but you will. According to marketing expert Dan Kennedy, there is beauty in things that seem complicated. If something were easy, then everyone would do it.

My business is too small.

Remember, I started getting sponsors when I was just a kitchen-table business. In fact, I shared the kitchen table with my cat, so you couldn’t get any smaller than I was. I was a one-person, micro-business with no audience or experience. Clients, mentors, events and sponsors helped me grow my business. I didn’t wait until everything was perfect. Instead, I used sponsors to help me grow.

I don’t have enough experience.

Look at some successful properties that have great corporate sponsors and read their stories. You’ll see everyone needed to start somewhere, and they probably had humble beginnings. You can get sponsors, even if you’re just starting out, with great collaborations, a long-term plan, and a great sponsor proposal.

I’m independent. I don’t want sponsors

to influence me.

Entrepreneurs are rugged individualists, and they don’t want anyone to put restrictions on their businesses. They fear that corporate sponsors will influence their content and they will become corporate slaves. None of my clients has ever had a sponsor try to change their core values or content. The sponsor gives you a cash or in-kind fee, and they want you to do the work. This is great news, because the beauty of corporate sponsorship is that you design the program. If the sponsor suggests something, and you’re not comfortable with it, then just tell them it’s not part of the sponsorship program.

I’m not ready yet.

Don’t worry if everything isn’t in place with your business. Web sites are never finished. You’ll never have your perfect elevator speech, and you can get the appropriate legal or non-profit status while applying for sponsorship.

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