Want to Get Corporate Sponsors for your Community Projects? Here are 6 power tips!

If you'd tried raising funds for your community projects, you'll know it's not easy, especially if you were to do it one person at a time. Sure, some individuals may come in with a huge amount, but you and I know it doesn't happen that often.

Have you thought about securing corporate sponsors? Not only can they support you with a more substantial amount, but you'll also be able to leverage on the boost in branding, and if you play your cards right, even tap on their customer and partner databases.

Let's just say you're open to that idea, but don't know how. Well, that's where this power-packed post is going to help you.

In the past, we have worked on a few projects which involved sponsorship from corporates, and through those experiences, I learned a thing or two. Lots of mistakes, painful ones mostly, but the lessons derived from there helped us in securing later sponsors. I broke down some of the processes, and identified the secret ingredients we used to nail those contracts.

And in this post, it's gonna be a tell-all that you should read before you raise funds for your next community project.

#1. Understand that Big isn't always Good

We all like to go after the big names, but because of the hierarchy and bureaucracy, trust me, getting sponsorships from them can be a long (try looooooong) process. Expect to go for meetings after meetings, several proposal revisions, tons of waiting, and maybe being left hanging for months!

Instead, going for the smaller businesses where you can talk directly to the decision makers could be more favourable. Not only can they decide on the spot, but the approval process is speedy too. Plus, since it's a personal pitch and if you really win them over big time, they may even recommend you to their friends and business partners personally.

Now, that sure adds a lot of credibility! And heck, you will never know the reach of their connections, because 3 degrees of separation away could be the head of a big corporation, where one nod from him removes all the red tapes!

See, not so small anymore, eh?

#2. Research on your targeted companies

Regardless of the size of the companies you are targeting, you have to do some research on them. Bigger corporates, for example, may already have a few causes they support in, and if you can align with their direction, it will make sure your pitch is a lot easier.

For smaller companies where you will be pitching directly to the bosses, you can also try to find out what causes they support as well.

The focus here is simple: by them supporting your project, you are helping them achieve their bigger goal. Win-Win-Win!

#3. Know your demographics

Your project is going to be big, and it's going to rally support from your fans and followers. If you take some time to identify them and break them down based on their demographics and psychographics, that data will be useful for your corporate sponsors to make a better decision.

Quick note:

Demographics - who they are?
Age, gender, profession, marital status, ethnic group, income group etc

Psychographics - what they do?
Interests, hobbies, afflictions, brand associations etc

#4. Personalized Pitch Decks

Because each prospect is different, and you've done extensive research on them before the pitch, you will realize that even your pitch decks have to be modified to different audiences.

For example, if you know they are more keen to look at the social impact measurements of your projects, put them up early in the pitching flow. However, if you know they are concerned about how their funds will be used, show them actual photos of your work, or a budget allocations pie chart.

#5. Show them how their brand will be portrayed

Here's taking personalization to the next level, and they are going to love it! If you promise the sponsors brand mentions, show them in your mockup how their logos will look in those visuals.

Say your project involves refurbishing old PCs and donating them to villages, show them how their logos will be placed on the boxes or the devices itself. This process helps them visualize the result, making it easier for them to make a decision, and for both parties to set expectations as well.

#6. Promise Deliverables

Somewhere towards the end of your deck, show them what impact measurements (KPIs) you will be using. They need to know how their support will be used to move your project forward, and they also have their own reporting to management to do. Providing this data will definitely help give them the assurance they need that they are picking the right partner to work with.

There you have it. A quick but effective guide to help you secure those first few sponsorships.

Remember, don't just focus on them because end of the day, you will need those individual support as well. Work on strategies where they both can come hand in hand, and delegate your tasks to your co-founder or teams to help you lift the load.

---

Hi there! Thanks for stopping by. I mostly blog about Steemit Success Strategies, business, marketing, entrepreneurship, psychology, community and random thoughts.

Talking about Steemit Success Strategies, if you want to 10x your results on this platform, perhaps some of these guides will be able to help you.

1. How to generate at least 365 post ideas for your Steemit Life (and possibly never run out of ideas again!)
2. 29 Steemit Post Types to Attract More Followers & Boost Your Popularity (Part 1)
3. 29 Steemit Post Types to Attract More Followers & Boost Your Popularity (Part 2)
4. Copywriting Magic for Steemit: "How To" Post Titles
5. Copywriting Magic for Steemit: "List Type" Post Titles
6. Steemit Success Strategies #1 - The Law of Requisite Variety
7. Steemit Success Strategies #2 - Batching + Parkinson's Law
8. How to apply the 80/20 rule to your Steemit Life
9. Steemit Experiment Report: 21 days, 21 minutes, 21 posts later, PLUS an 8-Step Guide on How to Write a Steemit Post every day under 30 minutes
10. Case Study on Bid Botting - A Steemit Bootcamp follow-up module, a cheatsheet and why I probably won't use it

At least once a month, I run Steemit community events and training workshops with my buddies at #teammalaysia too. Some examples are:

1. Steemit Bootcamp March 2018 - KICKSTART Your Steemit Success
2. BoilerRoom 03.03.2018 | Let's Huddle, Hustle & Hack Out Awesome Steemit Contents!

I'm also grateful to be part of #steemitbloggers , SmartSteem and the sndbox.

_{Animated Banner Created By @zord189}

---

Wait, why's Mav posting on Steemit nowadays?

Well, unlike other blogging and social media platform, Steemit is the only platform that allows me to earn cryptocurrency when I engage with it. Yup, one Steem is about USD5, and you, too, can earn Steem Dollars every time you:

• Create content (articles, blog posts, podcasts, videos, photos)
• Upvote (like) other people contents
• Comment on other people's posts
• Have discussions, share opinions etc!

Yup, basically it's the very same thing you're doing on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc all along!

The only difference? For once you can earn a nice income on the side!

Sign up for a free Steemit account, and you can thank me by coming back and upvoting this article. And guess what, you will earn Steem too for doing that! #awesome