archives
- August 2010 (1)
- May 2010 (1)
- April 2010 (9)
- February 2010 (1)
- January 2010 (1)
- November 2009 (1)
- August 2009 (1)
- June 2009 (2)
- May 2009 (11)
- April 2009 (5)
- March 2009 (4)
- February 2009 (3)
- January 2009 (5)
- December 2008 (1)
- November 2008 (2)
- October 2008 (4)
- September 2008 (2)
- August 2008 (4)
- July 2008 (10)
- June 2008 (5)
- May 2008 (5)
- April 2008 (10)
- March 2008 (13)
- February 2008 (3)
- January 2008 (7)
- December 2007 (7)
- November 2007 (9)
- October 2007 (10)
- September 2007 (1)
blogroll
Many people I have talked with about non-profit fund raising, seem to focus on the large sponsorship opportunities. While that is ultimate goal, there are many opportunities to get help at smaller levels that can eventually lead to the large sponsorships. If you have a non-profit and your fund raising is stalled, read on.
Create the Value Proposition
Understand what value is present for both the sponsor and the people the non-profit serves. Here are some items to consider:
- What will you offer the sponsor?
- Number of eyeballs
- Exposure to influential people and media
- Branding
- Generate a book of testimonials and make it readily available to the sponsor.
- Taylor your messaging to the sponsor in terms of the benefit to the sponsor.
- Have a list of testimonials from previous sponsors.
- Mention current sponsors.
- Clearly explain what the sponsorship will be used for.
Build Your List
Based on the value proposition, you are now ready to build a list of potential sponsors. Here are some suggestions for building that list:
- Previous sponsors.
- Call previous sponsors and ask for referrals.
- Visit online communities that relate to your value proposition and see who is sponsoring them.
- Ask non-profits that are working toward your same goals about who is sponsoring them.
- Use press releases to call for sponsors and direct them to your website (or phone number) where they can enter their information.
Create a Script
I don’t recommend that you read from a script when calling on potential sponsors; however, it will be helpful to write out what you want to say. Write several different scripts with the same underlying message.
Practice
Once you have written out your scripts, memorize them and practice in front of the mirror. Be sure to smile, standing up can help also (use this method when making the actual calls also). Then call on some friends and ask them for a critique as you “cold call” them.
Review ideas about taking the cold out of cold calls.
Execute & Record
Before you begin calling, use a CRM system to help you manage. In this case, I recommend ZohoCRM because it is free for three users and has all the power you need. If that sounds daunting, then start with a simple spreadsheet.
Here are some key data points that you need to record for each call:
- Contact information
- Name and contact information of the decision maker
- Script used
- Result of call
- Follow up date
At the end of each day, review your notes, and think of ways that you can improve.
Follow Up
Persistence and determination can go along way in making things happen. Make sure to set a contact follow up date in your system after each call. Remember that timing is key. Many times the person you are talking to may be under serious stress or simply just in a bad mood.
What methods have worked for you to raise money for your non-profit?
about
Find out more about the author here.
categories
- Blogging (6)
- Business (54)
- Copywriting (1)
- Design (3)
- Django (1)
- FireFox 3 (2)
- General (4)
- GTD (5)
- Guest Posts (3)
- Holiday (4)
- IE 8 (1)
- iTouch (2)
- Joomla (1)
- Life 3.0 (3)
- Life Hacks (44)
- Management (4)
- Marketing (12)
- Mobile (2)
- offbeat (3)
- Outlook (1)
- Personal Development (18)
- Podcasting (1)
- Productivity (30)
- Programming (16)
- Project Management (2)
- Python (1)
- Reviews (2)
- Sales (6)
- Social Networking (13)
- Symfony (3)
- Systems (3)
- Travel (1)
- Twitter (2)
- Ubuntu (7)
- Video (4)
- Web Design (3)
- Windows 7 (1)
- Windows Vista (1)
- Windows XP (1)
- xv6800 (1)
members
most commented post
- » How To Download Ustream.tv Videos - 29
- » Managing Your Life With GTD, Online Tools and a File Cabinet - 20
- » Get Symfony Installed in 20 Minutes on Vista - 16
- » How to Send Email at a Specific Time With Gmail - 14
- » Plurk Unleashed! - 12
- » Using The Web To Save on Holiday Gifts - 12
- » What Online Social Media Networks Do You Participate In? - 11
- » Top Online Backup Solutions - 11
- » 19 Secrets From LA's Top SEO Firm - 10
- » The Story Behind iPhone.com - 10
recent entries
- Use Your Feed Reader to Quickly View All Your Unread Google Apps GMail
- How to Add a Vanity URL to your Facebook Page in Two Minutes
- Using Custom HTML with Flash or Javascript in Joomla without Modules
- Reduce Distractions and Stay in the Zone with an Aggressive GMail Filtering Strategy
- Do It Yourself Reputation Management with Google Reader
- Fast Low Cost Recipe Resources for the Starving Student or Busy Entrepreneur
- What is in your GTD Weekly Review Checklist?
- Automatically Login a User After Registration Using sfGuardPlugin in Symfony
- Why High Quality Web Content is Necessary for Success
- How to Forward an Email as a Text Message
recent comments
- ThinkingSerious: Some great advice on setting up a GTD dashboard from @rmg2768: http://simplenote.squarespa...
- ThinkingSerious: @rmg2768 Thanks for your comments and suggestions! When I tag action items with [A], I don’t...
- rmg2768: Evidently, the latest web view at Simplenote no longer needs the script I mentioned above, and works well...
- rmg2768: I like using “td” to prepend – it is easier to type, and doesn’t (usually) show up...
- ThinkingSerious: Oops … I misused the word allot (an actual word BTW) here .. fixed and thanks @morris.
Wordpress theme by Wordpress Themes Websoft & made free by A1spysoftware.com
Copyright 2010, ThinkingSerious.com

April 2 2010
Well done.
kindly keep me posted