What Event Sponsors Really Want

You already know that event sponsors are critical to the success of your mission and community that you serve. When it comes events, many organizations and non-profits struggle to effectively and creatively offer suitable sponsorship opportunities for businesses.  

But we can change that…

Let’s think differently about how we package the benefits of a contribution for your event. Generally, volunteers tend to have a donation style approach when it comes to seeking partnerships. We should be thinking about long-term relationships rather than a single transition. 

Sponsors want the opportunity to position themselves in front of their target demographic, while simultaneously supporting causes that align with their mission.

Here are a few ways to provide the optimal balance of contributions and benefits.

1. Find the sweet spot. 
   What are the sponsor’s objectives? Many companies have clearly defined causes they support. It would make sense to partner with organizations that contribute to those causes. If your event will support disease or families facing medical challenges but you’re reaching out to companies that focus on military or education, you might consider shifting focus to another company.

   Look for potential sponsors whose focus aligns with your mission. 
   

2. Administer Value.
   The goal here is to provide carefully targeted marketing benefits to future sponsors. Rather than a contribution to the cause, they should also be receiving meaningful and intentional exposure. You should provide a very detailed report of who is following you online, attending your events, who opens your emails, etc. All of this information is valuable, but only if you can make it available. Do the research and show them why it’s of benefit to be seen by your audience. Most companies aren’t concerned with “We had 500 people attend our last event.” That is too broad of a statistic and it is why the majority of billboards on the freeway are a waste of money. They aren’t targeted to a specific demographic.

   Focus on the specific segments of your audience, what they’re interested in and pair that with marketing value for your sponsors. 

   P.S. I’ve had the pleasure of helping organizations acquire new sponsors by crafting memorable guest experiences during online and in-person events. If you’d like help with doing this, please reach out.

3. Create systems to track engagement.
   How are guests engaging with your organization? What types of items are they bidding on? How are you effectively capturing and holding their attention?
   It’s fairly easy to install tracking tools on your website and review social media analytics. You should be regularly reviewing this data to see your events through an attendees eyes. Understanding how they engage is paramount. This is helpful for sponsors to understand how their message will be received  It also allows you to create high-value sponsorship levels.

   If you’re going virtual, we know they’ll be look at the screen during your event, right? Likely not the entire time…

   Consider a gift package mailed to your guests that includes treats and items from your sponsors. Screen fatigue is real and we need to give guests a break while keeping them engaged. Special packages achieve this.

   I recently attended a drive-in fashion show with my friends at NC4k. Each car (and guests watching from home) received a party pack with items from the event sponsors. Not only did everyone enjoy the gifts inside, but many attendees activity engaged with the sponsors following the event.