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First consideration- Who is going to attend the event and where/how it will be advertised?
Second- What businesses in the local area could benefit from the advertising they would receive as a result of their sponsorship?
In other words- What local businesses have several customers who are going to know the event is coming up and might attend?
For a Greek philanthropy event- I would think good places to start are the local grocery store, local restaurants and fast food places, places where a lot of Greeks buy clothes or other items, and- in smaller communities- local law, CPA and other professional firms who would have a strong interest in supporting their community.
Large chain stores can be difficult- corporate policy makes these kinds of things near impossible. But if it is, for example, a franchise of something like Domino's Pizza, the owner might be willing to be a sponsor.
Also look into which Greek alumni may own or work for local businesses that could offer a sponsorship.
And to some degree- it is a good idea to call on any business in the area where lots of students spend money since you never know who might or might not be inclined to donate.
As for the solicitation process, a few suggestions-
1. Send 1-2 people who have with them a very brief summary flier about the event and the charity. Make sure that flier indicates the charitable donation is going to a tax-exempt IRS-registered charity. Make sure the people going around asking for donations all have a very simple and consistent presentation- maybe do a brief 1 hour training with everyone beforehand to ensure everyone knows what to say/how to answer certain basic questions.
2. Make sure the teams going out to ask for sponsorships are professionally dressed. For men, I mean coat and tie- or at least khaki pants and a button down long sleeve shirt. For ladies, business casual or rush attire is fine. This really can make a difference.
3. Go to businesses at a time of day when they are least likely to be busy. For restaurants, the ideal time is between 2 and 4 PM. For professional firms, late morning or early afternoon Tuesday-Thursday is the safest bet. For retail shops, before lunchtime Monday-Thursday.
4. Make sure that the flier indicates clearly what a sponsorship allows for the donating company. Ask if there are coupons or fliers for the company that could be passed out at the event etc. The sorority probably already has this set up, but just emphasize that the sponsor can reap some goodwill and business for their generous donation.
5. Again, this might already be covered by the sorority's game plan- but I think it is important to have sponsorships for as little as $20-25 with at least a public mention of the donation. Sure you want to get $100+ per visit, but you are going door to door anyway, so if you can pick up some $20-50 donations from businesses that would otherwise say no to a more expensive donation- then you still come out ahead.
Hope this helps and best of luck to you. If there is one aspect of a well rounded life that most fraternity chapters are missing- it is philanthropy. Good to see an active brother doing his part in this area.
___ kai ___,
Tom.
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