Ideas for sponsorship
 

Does anyone have any ideas on getting big corporations to sponsor Greek events?

Phi Mu is hosting Hoopapaluza a 3-on-3 basketball tournament and this will be our 2nd year putting it on. We are really looking to expand our event and there is so much room to be grow and be really creative. Last year we raised $1300 and we want to significantly increase the proceeds that go to Children's Miracle Network. Has anyone done a large scale fund raiser? Does anyone know how to go about getting donations from large corporations, local or national ones?

I appreciate ANY feedback!
THANKS

My fraternity used to host a scholarship pageant for women on campus. A large chunk of our funding came from local company sponsorships. We basically typed up a letter explaining what we were doing and requested donations in exchange for advertisements in the pageant's program. That worked out pretty well.

Large corporations (in my experience) are a different story. I requested the procedures for donations for Best Buy, and there were several steps necessary just to request an application for sponsorship. Their donations have to come from corporate, so it's a lot more difficult.

If you talk to your Greek Life or Student Activities advisor, they should be able to give you some tips. Good Luck!

Can you get sponsorship from departments on campus? Ask the student life office about that. My org tried that. You have to make a presentation telling them what your event is all about as well as how much money you need and for what.

Like KnightShadow said, it is a LOT easier getting donations from local companies than larger ones.

There were always local companies in the small town I first went to college in who would regularly support one of the fraternities when they held big events. They normally received advertising (or the company logo) on the event brochure or tshirt in exchange for sponsership.

I work for a non-profit, and we have two big fundraising campaigns every year.

First, pay attention to events that go on in your community. A lot of the time you'll see banners/marketing material that say "Thank you to our generous sponsors." Make note of those companies because they have $$$ to donate.

Second, SOLICIT. We send out letters asking for help. In the letter we include a brief blurb on our organization, our mission statement, our organization's accomplishments so far, and a brief detail of the event we're seeking funding for. If there's an event flyer, we include that too. The Children's Miracle Network is a widely known organization, so by emphasizing that, hopefully you can convince them to donate!

Ditto what the others have said about soliciting help from national HQ of large corporations. You might want to stick to something locally. Do you have a close relationship with your alum chapter? If so, ask if they have any contacts in the community and if they'd be willing to co-sign the solicitation letter. In the non-profit I work for, we have a dedicated bunch of Board of Directors from different sectors in the community, and that generates a lot of donations.

Finally, FOLLOW UP. Make that phone call. Sometimes things get lost in the mail or they overlook it. Sometimes they might have questions. The worst they can say is "no," right?

Absolutely. And I'm sure this goes without saying, but make absolutely sure that EVERYTHING you send out is prepared professionally. You don't have to pay a PR firm - surely you have a sister or close friend to the sorority who is majoring in graphic design or PR and can coordinate the packet. Brand your event (logo, colors, fonts, etc.) and stick to it. Call me a graphic design snob, but something put together in Word with TimesNewRoman and low resolution artwork printed off in the campus computer lab on 20# bond will turn me off when I'm looking at solicitation materials.

I suggest you also create "levels" of sponsorship: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum - or anything that goes along with your brand/theme. Make a list of what the companies will receive with each level and include that in your packet. If companies have a guideline to go by and know what kind of exposure they will get in return, they might be more likely to fork over the cash.

Thanks!
 

Thanks for everyone who replied to my thread. I definitely like the idea of going to local businesses and handing out a very professional information packet. Since its a basketball tournament, I'm going to go to Dick's, Champs, and Finish Line since I live near a huge mall. Then, I will try to contact Gatorade too and see how that works.

Much Love and Happy New Year!

Go to all of the stores, not just the sports ones.

Use your local alumnae, too. Many of them will have contacts or connections with companies you wouldn't think to approach.