Re: Finding sponsors for a charity web site
Denise,
My ideas: Do you already have relationships with some of the celebrities?
If so, see if any of them already endorse a product- then go after that
product (if it's appropriate for your audience, I suppose a partnership with
Victoria's Secret might be questionable on a site dedicated to children...)
You could possibly 'sell' the partnership by having a feature story about a
visit done by that celebrity on your home page and that product endorsement
goes with it. Sell it as a package deal- a 2-4 week front page spot, then
the next 6 months as a regular advertiser; just don't overbook your first
year so that you turn someone off! It will help them and you- it gets you
money, it continues to link their product and that celebrity in the eyes of
the public as well as giving them positive branding by associating with
charity. I'd also surf around other charity sites- see who is sponsoring
them, there's a chance someone with a strong community involvement policy
would pick up your charity too. Pick some big names- movie studios, auto
manufacturers, utility companies come to mind here, and visit their web
sites, look for their community involvement policy to see if they seem to be
a good candidate. Try some talk show hosts... it seems that if you can
catch Oprah's attention and just get a mention of your organization on one
show you get phenomenal exposure. Submit a touching biography of a child
you've worked with to several major magazines- indicate your policy of how
you use donations and sponsorships and include your new url- you might find
that sponsors will look you up to get their name attached to a charitable
organization.
Getting the name of the right person to contact might be the tricky part
here- but I'm guessing that if you're able to contact celebrities someone on
your staff is good at getting in the door with agents and should be able to
do the same with your sponsors. Good luck!
Received on Wed Dec 03 2003 - 11:05:41 CST
