I have always said that data is critical to your and my success. You need data to draw the picture for you. Data will give you important information to succeed. I recently saw a post by David Duxbury on LinkedIn. David’s information is specifically based on charitable fundraising but I believe the premise of his research and outcomes is as applicable to charitable fundraising as it is sponsorship marketing and partnerships.
Note that this research was not a big company talking to millions of people. It was a cohort of one (1). But this drives home the elements necessary for you to be successful.
I tracked all fundraising activity for one year, so you didn’t have to. Here is what I found:
- A substantive, in-person visit with a donor resulted in gifts 5x larger than donors who only corresponded via phone calls or emails.
- It took roughly 12 touchpoints to secure a visit with a donor. That is a high number, but pretty characteristic of human services.
- Each handwritten card sent produced 1,169x more value than it cost.
- Response rate increased dramatically with a voicemail + email combination.
- Gifts from DAFs, gifts of stock, and gifts from RMDs became more popular only as donors were informed that those were giving options.
Here is what this means:
- Meet in person with donors as much as humanly possible
- Make as many attempts as possible to schedule visits with donors
- Write handwritten cards. Like, right now.
- Reach out to donors with a multi-channel approach (DM me if you’d like to see a call, email, +handwritten card cadence)
- Donors don’t always know how to maximize their generosity unless you tell them. Inform them of their options if they give you permission!
- Ultimately, provide value to your org’s donors and watch as generosity unfolds for the benefit of the people your org serves!
So based on the “Here is what this means”, the first four bullets are identical for sponsorship and philanthropy. I have adjusted the last two bullets to reflect “sponsorship”.
- Sponsors don’t always know how to maximize their investment unless you tell them. Inform them of their options if they give you permission! You know your property’s assets better than anyone and how they can help. So it is your job to educate the prospect during discovery ad cultivations session so they understand why they should have a bounce back coupon hand out at the exit versus a banner hanging up if they are looking for immediate traffic generation.
- Ultimately, provide value to your sponsor and watch as incremental sponsorship investments unfold for the benefit of the sponsor, your property and your audience (see the TMC on the Trifecta of Sponsorship from August 26 2025). Build them a customized program that meets their specific needs to achieve the business goals they are trying to achieve within the budget they have identified.
If you want to learn more about prospecting, getting meetings and closing business and renewals, register for Canada’s #1 sponsorship marketing conference, the Western Sponsorship Congress® – Alberta Forum. Register today for awesome savings!
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