Congratulations! You've nearly "SOLD OUT" the sponsorships for your event! You are Rock Stars!!
But... Now you have to deliver the value you promised. Now you have to make sure that you honor and recognize your sponsors in a manner consistent andequitable with their level of support. You can accomplish this by consciously making decisions about the size, order andtitling of sponsor logos in your media buys, online promotion and advertising opportunities. As you consider these options keep in mind that ultimately it's about visibly demonstrating the level of investment of your sponsors. Let's take a look at the one "virtually" free resource you can offer...
ONLINE REPRESENTATION
Email, Social Media and Website you have discretion in utilizing your "real estate" but shouldstrive to be fair in "who gets how much and where." How should you set up a "Sponsor Page" or "Sponsor Sidebar?" It doesn't matter how egalitarian your organization is, think "Hierarchy" because your sponsors do.
TITLE SPONSOR Logos are ALWAYS displayed first and are usually the largest on the website. Sometimes their logo may be the same size as “Major Sponsors” depending on overall layout and webpage design.
Connect with GoalBusters: LinkedIn - Alice Ferris / LinkedIn - Jim Anderson / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Myspace
MAJOR SPONSORS Logos appear second after "Title Sponsors" with the size dependent on layout and level of support. You may have multiple "Major Sponsors" at different levels of support. Keep that in mind as you decide size, order and placement of their logos.
SUPPORTING SPONSORS You may choose to include logo and/or name representation depending on level of support. It is important the size of "Supporting Sponsor" logos not be larger than "Major Sponsor” Logos. You may also choose to only list the name of organizations under a separate heading for the smaller sponsorships. You may also decide whether or not to include click-able navigation links to logos and/or names of sponsors. I tend to always include navigation links on logos and names for all sponsors.
MEDIA SPONSORS It is usually best to create a separate category for non cash contributors. The value of your media partners contributions should be recognized but should rarely be treated the same as your “cash” supporters. You can think of it in terms of “restricted” vs. “unrestricted” funding. Size of logos within your “Trade/Media Sponsor” category should still indicate level of sponsorship support.
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It can be tricky is working with differently proportioned logos. You may need to stack or modify the proportion on some rectangular logos so they don't appear twice as large/long as a comparable square logo. It can be difficult to provide exactly "equal" proportions but effort should be made to always maintain representation that is consistent and equitable with the level of support provided by both cash and trade partners.
Ultimately, how you recognize your sponsors is the decision of you and your team, but if questioned by a sponsor as “why” their representation appears the way it does, you should always be able to explain your logic for their representation.
NON CASH SUPPORT CONSIDERATIONS
Ultimately, how you recognize your sponsors is the decision of you and your team, but if questioned by a sponsor as “why” their representation appears the way it does, you should always be able to explain your logic for their representation.
NON CASH SUPPORT CONSIDERATIONS
All In-Kind (Trade) Benefits Are NOT Created Equal
You will ALWAYS have partners who offer to support you with non-cash benefits. If it's truly a gift, you should usually accept it unless it has no value to you or if there is a cost involved in maintaining the gift such as fees, maintenance, etc.
But often the non cash offer is in the form of trade for sponsorship, recognition or other services or benefits you might provide. It is critical that you recognize that the value of these offers vary dependent upon what is being offered and what you truly need. Follow these rules and you can prioritize the time you invest pursuing In-Kind Benefits.
THREE TIERS OF IN-KIND VALUE
"MUST DO" - EXPENSE SAVINGS
If you would otherwise have to pay for a product or service and someone is willing to provide it in trade value, that is the same as cash. Pursue these benefits as you would a cash contribution.
"SHOULD DO" - MARKETING/PROMOTION
These are most often your media partnerships. You would invest in these marketing and advertising companies if you had the financial resources. They will (hopefully) generate awareness, interest and participation in your event. If effective, they improve the overall attendance for your event and financial contributions to your organization.
"WOULD LIKE TO DO" - CONSTITUENT/TEAM BENEFIT
THREE TIERS OF IN-KIND VALUE
"MUST DO" - EXPENSE SAVINGS
If you would otherwise have to pay for a product or service and someone is willing to provide it in trade value, that is the same as cash. Pursue these benefits as you would a cash contribution.
"SHOULD DO" - MARKETING/PROMOTION
These are most often your media partnerships. You would invest in these marketing and advertising companies if you had the financial resources. They will (hopefully) generate awareness, interest and participation in your event. If effective, they improve the overall attendance for your event and financial contributions to your organization.
"WOULD LIKE TO DO" - CONSTITUENT/TEAM BENEFIT
These are value offerings that provide "perks" for your team or for the people you serve. They might be tickets to events, they might be free samples or services. You would provide these "perks" if you could, but would rarely invest cash in securing them.
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Connect with GoalBusters: LinkedIn - Alice Ferris / LinkedIn - Jim Anderson / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Myspace
Great information, Jim!
ReplyDeleteThanks Margie!
ReplyDelete