Cause sponsorship remains the fastest-growing slice of the sponsorship pie, projected to grow 6.1% in 2010, according to IEG. As a nonprofit, finding the support to keep your organization growing is more crucial than ever. No matter your size, now is an ideal time to tap into the power of cause marketing by aligning your organization with like-minded companies who see the strategic value of association with a cause. Here are a few tips for getting started on your selling journey:

• Create guidelines. While corporate partnerships are a proven method to grow revenue, expand relevance and enable program delivery, even more important is protecting your organization’s brand and reputation. Before you begin the selling process, convene the key stakeholders in your organization and come to consensus around what types of companies/industries you will and will not partner with. Put these decisions on paper and make a simple process for determining if new companies fit your standards moving forward.
  
  
• Recognize that it’s not just about the cause. Coming from a nonprofit background myself, I still find it hard to believe – but many companies won’t be sold on supporting your work simply because it is important or meaningful. While you should absolutely educate the company on the social benefit of your organization’s work, your primary job is to show sponsors that association with your work will positively impact their bottom line. A great resource for data to support your case is Cone’s Research and Insights page.
  
  
• Prepare to sell. Ensure that the program or package you’re selling has a specific target audience, multiple points of engagement and a built-in plan to measure success. Develop solid criteria and objectives about the types of organizations you want to work with, research which have a history of (or potential of) supporting cause programs and approach each with its own tailored opportunity.
  
  
• Find the right contact. Don’t overlook networking – you never know when your plumber’s cousin or mom’s best friend might be your ticket to that breakthrough meeting. If you don’t already know the right person, look first for contacts with marketing or brand responsibilities, (they typically have the promotions budget) and quickly identify if they have access to the tools that make things happen at your target company: decision-making authority, budget ownership or a weekly golf date with the CEO.
  
  
• Know their WIIFM (“what’s in it for me?”). Do detailed research on a prospective partner before the first meeting. Tailor your pitch to their needs and share initial ideas of what you envision a partnership becoming. Be clear about the benefits they will receive as a sponsor and show how their key audiences will engage with the program, and by extension, their brand.
  
  
• Close the deal. Don’t let the “ask” linger. Set out a timeline by which you need a decision. Simply ask – what would it take for you to say YES to this opportunity?

And always remember – love your sponsors! No matter what organization you represent – the sponsor is taking a risk by committing to a partnership. Recognize this and delight them with your attention and recognition and you’ll be on the road to creating a true partnership.

- Emily Nichols, Account Supervisor

Comments

Chris Mann	January 27, 2010 9:33 AM Great post Emily. Bottom line for selling cause partnerships (or any partnerships for that matter) is doing your homework & putting yourself in the potential partner's shoes. If you build the proposal based on what would be most beneficial to them first and only then make sure that you're getting fair value in return, you'll find your success rates will go way up. I've found this to be true for both signing new partners & retaining current ones. One other area not to overlook is to offer multiple levels of opportunities. You don't necessarily have to present them all together, but it's a good idea to have options ready so you can respond to budget constraints, etc. Some of the best long-term partnerships start small and grow over time once you demonstrate early success. Also, don't overlook the value of working on a local or regional level with a partner too. Can be a great way to get your foot in the door with larger partners, particularly ones that have franchise/regional models.
Gina Davison	January 27, 2010 10:26 AM Hi Emily-Thanks for a great post! I'm glad you wrote that "...many companies won’t be sold on supporting your work simply because it is important or meaningful..." I think this is something that is easily forgotten when we get emotionally involved in a cause. The intrinsic value of the cause becomes reason enough, in our eyes, for a company or sponsor or anyone to offer their support. Kataya Andresen discusses this at length in her book "Robin Hood Marketing." I love the Cone blog!
Olivia Khalili	January 27, 2010 1:45 PM Terrific post, Emily. I'm glad that you encourage non-profits to create preliminary, internal guidelines. It's important they understand their worth (in association, branding, etc.) and not just dive for the first sponsorship dollar. Preparation to Sell is another great point--but really, they all are. Excellent post. Thanks.
Sophie Garrett	January 27, 2010 2:26 PM Great post, just what I needed. I'm just about to start working on this. I have several organisations in mind, but the biggest obstacle so far has been finding people in them to help me to research them, what's publicly available isn't too helpful.
Emily Nichols	January 28, 2010 9:03 AM Thank you all for the kind words – I definitely enjoyed writing this post. Chris – great additional ideas, I definitely agree with both multiple levels and regional strategies as key to building relationships over time. Looking forward to meeting you next week! Gina – thanks for highlighting that piece … that was a big “aha” moment for me, coming from a nonprofit background. While the cause is absolutely important, and in some cases is what gets you in the door – the final decision is usually made by looking at the potential business impact of the partnership. Olivia – I think the guidelines can benefit the nonprofit in a few ways – 1) give them a place to start, as many of the key industries, etc., you’ll want to target will likely bubble to the top through this process; 2) as you said, protect them from associating with a partner that may damage their brand; and 3) give the nonprofit the freedom to say “ok, we can do this!” Sometimes the toughest audience for a nonprofit is internal – getting all key players in the organization to agree that a nonprofit can maintain its integrity and work with corporate partners can be a long (but winnable!) discussion. Sophie – best of luck with getting started. The research piece is definitely time-consuming, but the return is worth the time invested – you’ll be able tailor your pitch much more effectively if you can figure out their needs and give some thought to where their business is headed.

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