Sponsorship Take Home Assignment

Alex MacDougall
March 26, 2017
Advanced Events

1. Describe the difference between corporate philanthropy and

corporate sponsorship. (5 marks)
The book Reality Check by Brent Barootes, defines philanthropy as an

idea, event or action that is done to for the benefit of humanity [with]

sacrifice rather than a profit motive. Corporate philanthropy is when a

company gives their resources, money or time to a non-profit and expect

nothing in return. This is in contrast to corporate sponsorship which is

defined in the book as being a cash or in-kind fee paid to a property in

return for the exploitable commercial potential associated with that

property. In this case a company pays for the right to advertise and make

contact with the non-profits audience (and properties) to benefit and raise

their own brand recognition amongst that target audience. Sponsorship is

measurable and the ROI can be easily assessed and evaluated. As well, it

plays a key role for non-profits in activities such as events and programs

where a large audience would be present. Non-profits have access to

something that companies pay tones of money for. If done properly,

sponsorship can be a win-win situation where the company gets exposure to

their targeted audience and the non-profit receives the money it needs.

2. Describe the process that you would follow to identify properties

in a charity that would be suitable for corporate sponsorship. (5
marks)

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 To identify the properties that a charity has that would be suitable for a

corporate sponsorship I would first begin with creating a chart that would list

the more obvious properties and with other members of the team brainstorm

more non-traditional properties. One of the more obvious properties typically

available are the title and presenting naming opportunities. These are

typically the first and most obvious properties but can add length to the

name of your event and challenge to including other companies because the

value that is agreed upon to basically own your event will set the stage for

the rest of your sponsorships. Next I would evaluate if we had any

opportunities for naming preferred products, or merchandise. It is important

to exclude or be careful when using words such as official and exclusive

because these words tend to limit sponsorships to being the only one and so

you cannot offer that opportunity at that cost to anyone else. I would then

look at opportunities for logos, signage, and branding. Further I would look

for any unique opportunity for our audience that a sponsor can be a part of

such as backstage, VIP, and or guest lecturer opportunities. According to

Reality Check and Chris Bayliss guide, almost everything has an opportunity

to be property that can be sponsored by a company as long as it has a true

evaluation of worth.

3. Describe the process that you would follow before a Discovery

Call to identify matches between a companys brand and interests
and a charitys sponsorship properties. (5 marks)
Before a Discovery Call I would begin by attempting to match the

companys interests the charitys sponsorship properties available. I would

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do this by first determining what my target company want and who their

typical target audience is. Reality Check suggest to follow business trends

and media reports, and commercials to determine their product placement

and advertisement preferences. I would then continue to research what the

company has and is currently sponsoring and if there was any audiences

they needed activated. Social media is a good place to look and determine

their image and their target audience. This information is good background

knowledge but it must be taken with a grain of salt until you have your

Discovery Call with the company. Next I would determine who in the

company makes the sponsorship decisions to ensure I get in contact with the

right person. I would next create a list of questions that I wish to have

answered during the discovery call. These questions will ensure that the

companys wishes and goals are revealed and to find a match with the

properties we have to offer. Concluding this I would create and send a brief

email containing only one or two sentences that would encourage the

decision maker in the company to meet with me.

4. Describe the process that you would follow at the Discovery Call
to identify matches between a companys brand and interests and a
charitys sponsorship properties. (5 marks)
The process I would follow at the Discovery Call to identify the matches

between a companys interests and our charitys sponsorship properties

would be to have a meeting that follows an advice style conversation as

supposed to a sponsorship ask or proposal conversation. In this meeting I

would focus on the questions that Chris Baylis suggest such as: Who is your

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target audience? How do you normally engage in sponsorship? What does

your target market value? What can you tell me about your sales goals for

the coming year? What would you consider to be the most important

elements of a sponsorship package? Would you mind having a look at a draft

proposal and offering some feedback? After receiving the answers to

questions, I would thank them and arrange another meeting within the next

week that would allow me to go back and put together a personal package

that outlines a sponsorship match between the needs of the company and

the availability that the charity has.

5. Outline using bullet points the sections that you would include
in a proposal created for one company (after the Discovery Call
where you have identified a suitable property for that company to
sponsor). (5 marks)

Cover Page and table of contents include date and executive

summary
About the Sponsor page use the phrase As we discussed at the

meeting on (date)
Include a summary about what the needs, objectives, and properties

discussed and how each need will be met

Confidentiality and privacy paragraph important to keep information

private to maintain the trust of the sponsor until the information is

made public in the future

An about you section should be the shortest section and tie it back to

the proposal
Benefit section outline the complete list of benefits and the assets

that the prospect will gain from this sponsorship. Always start with the

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 highest benefit package if the prospect askes for more than one price

level proposal
Investment and Discount section use real market value and provide a

reasonable discounted price to show transparency

Legal and Closing clear representation of the numbers, logos and

signatures
Reflect back if they have any suggestions to ensure all needs are met

6. Define activation and describe the process that you would follow
to create the types of activation opportunities that maximize the
corporate/charity partnership. (5 marks)
Activation is the marketing activities that a company can conducts to

leverage its sponsorship. Activation on behalf of the sponsor will help ensure

a higher ROI and engagement because if done correctly both the charity and

the sponsor can take advantage of the sponsorship to engage further with

their audience. This engagement is not included in the cost of sponsorship

and is something the sponsor invests in to optimise their name with the

charity. To create the types of activation opportunities that maximize the

corporate/charity partnerships, I would begin by evaluating the companys

opportunities with our charity to leverage their public relations. This step is

important to companies to show their relationship with the non-profit sector

and show the community that they are involved. Another example is

sampling. This is a good tactic if a company has products that they can give

out to get their products in the hands of the audience. This is also a good

way for a company to test a new product in the area. Other examples are

hosting the event at their location, speaking opportunities, signage and

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coupons. Discussing and including activation activities in a sponsorship

package can help encourage a company to be involved and learn more about

the cause of the charity, as well as create a good relationship so that they

return and sponsor the next event.