Small Organization? You DO Have Sponsorship Marketing Opportunities

In the past month, representing the Partnership Group – Sponsorship Specialists™ at sponsorship marketing workshops, keynote addresses, and training sessions, I have met with many small properties. These are rural fairs and exhibitions, small community charities and non-profits, amateur sport organizations, and undersized organizations in large markets. They all have the same fears and concerns. How can we compete? Then at one session, I heard someone say, “We need to understand and believe in what we have to offer.” She was 100% correct.

The biggest stumbling block to success I encounter with small organizations is their own defeatist attitudes. It starts out with, “Oh we have nothing to sell.” That is followed by, “And if we did, it wouldn’t be worth anything.” This is quickly followed by, “We are too small to deliver results,” and capped off with, “Those other guys are bigger than we are and they get all the money.” To these pessimistic individuals I say, “Go find another job,” or if you are a volunteer and not a paid employee, please offer your services to other organizations. Such naysayers are the initial reason for failure in these petite organizations.

The lady who spoke up with the words “understand and believe in what we have to offer” was an inspiration to me. She restored my faith that some have the drive, understanding, and ambition to be successful… and she will. Every day, we provide inventory identification and valuation services, as well as mentoring services, to both very large and very small sponsorship selling properties and sponsors who buy these opportunities. And yes, the small ones are successful. They may not land the $1 million deal, but to them, a $30,000 two-year agreement is a windfall. We have worked (or are currently working) with the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides, Town of Kindersley, Rocky Mountain Wine and Food Festival, Vancouver Island Mountain Sports Society, Federation of Calgary Communities, Winefest, the Fire Within, and many others.

These are not mega-organizations, but they have seen results. They understand that they own assets which set them apart. They know the value of their assets. They sell things for what they are worth and walk away when the sponsor is taking advantage of them. They stand up for their properties and the values attached to them. And most importantly, they are successful.

The naysayers should get in touch with these people to discuss how they take pride in what they have to offer, present the opportunities that work for sponsors, and deliver results. They get the money. The pessimists need to look differently at what they have, or move on and stop bringing their organizations down.

These are just one person’s thoughts. Yours are welcomed as well. Please add your comments below. Thank you for reading and your feedback.

1 Comment

  1. Focus on identifying the best you have to sell and find value in this for sponsors. One great thing with being small is that you can be flexible and think on your feet. For instance I was recently part of a conference where a sponsor was given a free 4 day conference pass but wanted more people in the company to attend. We were able to split this pass into eight half day passes and people could choose which sessions they preferred to attend. This generated extra traffic to the conference and the community too! Another example was our tea sponsor, a small local shop that sold loose leaf tea. Delegates loved their tea so much they were drinking more tea than coffee! On the last day of the conference we set up a table and offered the sponsor space to sell their tea to delegates. This turned into a win-win for all, the sponsor recouped most of their cost and made many new customers! Pamela

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