The corporate ask that's easier than you think
|
Hi Reader, When most nonprofits think about corporate support, they think about event sponsorships. A table at the gala. A logo on a banner. A check in exchange for visibility. That works. But it's not the only way, and for a lot of small and mid-sized nonprofits, it's actually one of the harder asks to make, because not every organization has an event worth sponsoring at a price point that makes sense for local businesses. Here's what I've found works even better: start with what they care about, not what you need. Businesses support nonprofits for a handful of reasons: they care about the cause, their employees care about the cause, or it makes them look good in the community. The corporate asks that work are the ones that clearly serve one of these things. So before you reach out, do a little homework. Who are their customers? What do they post about on social media? Have they donated to causes like yours before? Are any of their employees already connected to your organization? Then make a specific ask, not a general one. "Would you consider supporting our work?" is easy to say no to. "We're looking for a presenting sponsor for our annual 5K. For $2,500, your logo would be on every participant t-shirt, our social media posts, and our event signage, reaching about 400 community members" is a real offer with real value. Beyond event sponsorships, here are corporate asks that often get a yes:
The event sponsorship package is the easiest thing to hand a corporate contact when they ask "what can we do to help?" - because it answers the question with a clear value exchange.
Corporate support is still a relationship, not a transaction. Start the conversation, even if you're not ready to ask yet. Cheers,
|