Corporate sponsorship is not a new concept in the world of Not-for-Profit organisations. You receive a significant boost to funding your dream goals and mission benchmarks. Sponsors get a feather in their marketing cap that appeals to a more socially aware audience. It’s a win-win.
The problem is how to get started when you don’t have a membership at the local golf club or a vast network of CEOs and executives ready to buy into your NFP’s needs? While there is no 100% surefire strategy, our team at Web 105 has put together some tips and tricks that’ve worked well for our NFP clients in the past.
Start with Self-Awareness
Want to know where you’re going with corporate sponsorships? You should have a thorough understanding of your NFP’s current status. Audit your organisation, your capacity, and your mission. You want to prepare a value proposition that directly targets specific corporate partners.
For example, Coles works with a Sustainability Strategy, directly partnering with local farmers to develop more resilient food systems and supply chains. The Australia Zoo is partnered with BCU Bank and Godfrey Hirst. In 2024, Rio Tinto donated over $126 million to NFPs and charitable society organisations.
You need to find ways to make your NFP stand out for the value you bring to the table. Showcase how your approach is different and what key metrics, such as email reach, social media following, or social demographics, you offer. A corporate sponsor will be interested.
Find Like-Minded Sponsors
It doesn’t make sense to reach out to a fast-food restaurant for your NFP supporting healthier diets. You need to align your “ask” with corporate sponsors that have as little friction as possible between what your NFP does and what their branding message delivers.
You will need to conduct some research. Begin by examining the local presence of major corporations or their subsidiaries in your geographic area. A natural health grocer in Sydney might be a better fit than an international conglomerate based in the U.S. or the UAE. On the flip side, if you are selling a technological advancement in blindness that supports Australians, but comes from those other countries, they might be your first stop.
You have to attach your story to that brand. See if they fit like a puzzle or oppose one another like the same side of a magnet. You may want to dig into your donor database. There’s a good chance that past donors have connections with locally based corporations that can help you secure a meeting.
Design a Proposal
When you do land on a prospect for partnership, have a proposal ready to go. You want a clear, easy-to-understand pitch that naturally opens a beneficial dialogue. It may seem unconventional, but a tech startup pitch deck might be the best approach. These are highly efficient methods of saying who you are, what you do, and what value you’d bring to the sponsor.
There is a great pitch deck resource from the Australian Investment Network designed to target angel investors, which you can use as a template. Modify it to fit your branding and target corporate sponsors, and you could see quick success. Be sure to include:
- What you want from the relationships
- How to measure the success of the sponsorship
- Who you are & what you do
- The value/benefits you bring to the table
- Why this matters to them
Also include specifics about campaigns, customer reach, brand positioning, and any other statistics that quickly demonstrate your value. The more precise you are about success measures and how the relationship should unfold, the better the corporation can communicate its needs and counteroffers.
Make the Delivery
When you do get the meeting for a potential corporate sponsorship, you need to look the part. Be professional by having good posture and offering a solid handshake. Practice with internal volunteers and donors to gauge your presentation’s effectiveness. Even doing something as simple as controlling your breathing to create natural pauses and speak clearly enhances the presentation.
Most importantly, demonstrate your passion. This is your NFP. It is the mission you believe in so much that you’ve dedicated your career to its success. The numbers matter, but your passion is also considered an asset to corporations because it can be bottled and sold to their customers.
Finish with the Details
Finally, when the agreement is struck, provide the nitty-gritty details. Talk about how the corporate sponsor will be featured on your social media, branding, and event opportunities. Present the pitch from the perspective of your donors, clients, customers, volunteers, and community members. You want to demonstrate the value they will receive.
Then, do the same for your NFP. Be an advocate and express what you hope to achieve. This is a good time to draft a quick press release (PR) with their marketing team. It should be fair, balanced, and represent the same percentage of “buy-in” in the content. So, if a sponsor is funding 50% of your mission, they should have a significant portion of the PR dedicated to boosting their public image.
After all the dust clears from negotiations, show appreciation. Hopefully, should everything go well, you’ll cultivate a long-term relationship to help your NFP fund a proud and bright future.
Wrapping Up
Finding a corporate sponsor doesn’t have to be as complex as writing a book or discovering a new element. Take your time to prepare, decide on your goals, and focus on the story and value you bring to the table. You may be surprised at how many interested parties reach out once they discover you are looking for a partner.
We highly recommend sprucing up your website as part of this process. A clean, modern, and mobile-responsive website goes a long way to putting your best foot forward. We’ve worked with everyone from leading Australian businesses to NDIS-funded NFPs. Our team of professional website designers and developers can help you present the online image you need.
Call us today and let Web 105 be your partner in a stronger online presence that donors, clients, volunteers, and prospective sponsors will enjoy.
FAQs
How do you get sponsors for a non-profit organisation?
Research, offer value, and focus on your NFP’s story. Use data to support your pitch and demonstrate how you will sustain the ongoing relationship. Being clear with your proposal is the most crucial aspect, so everyone is on the same page.
What do sponsors get in return?
Corporate sponsors enjoy increased brand visibility, public trust, and a more credible image that directly translates into new customer engagement and business opportunities.
What is a good ROI for sponsorship?
Most companies aim for a 2:1 return, meaning they expect to save two dollars for every dollar spent. That means your partnership should provide enough value to increase sales as a result of the positive press from the sponsorship.