Partnerships
You only have one chance to make a rst impression! Fundraising guru Howard Rose shares his advice on researching and identifying the right contacts, and honing what to say...
PITCH PERFECT!
Identify a sponsor The rst thing to do is simply look at what existing connections you have. These could be current sponsors, parents who are involved with the school, or contacts via the PTA with whom you could engage. The next step is to research which
parents have their own business or run a local business. Look at other schools and charities to see who is sponsoring them – chances are they would be interested in doing something with you, too. Who is advertising in local
newspapers or regional magazines? If someone is paying £120 a month or more to advertise, they have a budget that you can tap into! Also look at jobs boards to see
who is hiring in your area. If a company is expanding, then again, they may have funds.
Who to contact Always try to talk to a decision maker. This could be the MD, Marketing Manager or the person who deals with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). If you don’t speak to a decision maker you are wasting your time, as the information you give is unlikely to be relayed correctly, in full or with the passion you have for your school. If you need to get the name of the
decision maker, make an initial call to nd out who that person is – perhaps say you want to send them something. By taking the time to make this extra call you will save
42 SUMMER 2016 FundEd
valuable time later and be more effective. Don’t worry that the person who answers the phone will ‘know it’s you again’ if you call several times – this is a common fear and is totally unfounded! When you do get to the right
person, ask ‘is it convenient to talk now?’ You may nd that it’s not, so ask when is? It sounds so simple but if they are in the middle of something you may not get the positive result you were hoping for.
What should you say? So you have done a little research on the company, you have your contacts’ name, now you just need to make the call. Be condent! Have some bullet points written down if you are nervous or unsure of what to say, and always remember to ask if it is convenient to talk. Most businesses will want to cut
to the chase, which usually boils down to ‘What’s in it for me?’, so make a short pitch, tell them what you want from them – sponsorship, goods, or services – then ask, ‘What can we do for you in return?’. It may be that the things you can
do are exactly what they are looking for or even exceed their expectations! Businesses want to feel that they
have negotiated a good deal – this will also make it easier to start building a relationship with them. Once you have arranged to meet
face-to-face, say you will conrm it, put it in your diary and send an invitation if possible via Outlook or
similar. If they are coming to see you, send directions and details on parking. Ask if they need any other information either prior to the meeting or for you to have ready when you meet. Remember they are a business
and expect these things. If you show that you operate in a business-like manner, you will build rapport more quickly. Bear in mind that other schools and charities will be looking for funding too, so be as professional as possible, deliver what you say you’ll deliver, and you will set yourself apart from the competition!
How much should you ask for? Try to show that what you can do offers good value for money. You may not be able to promote the business to as wide an audience as, say, a local newspaper, but what you can do is show more effective targeting of a particular sector. I say things such as ‘You might
pay £600 for a full page advert in the paper that goes out to 50,000 people, but how many people actually see your advert? You are amongst many other advertisers and response rates are usually very small. What we can do is offer a more targeted approach to the demographic you want to reach. At £200 or £400 or whatever it is that you ask for, that represents good value for money.’ Sell the CSR side, too! This is
becoming much more of an issue for PERFECT MATCH
By matching your sponsor to an event or project, you have a much greater chance of gaining support and building long-term relationships. For example: Local garages, insurance companies and people I know who like F1 sponsor our teams for the F1 in Schools Challenge, Specsavers has supplied over 100 high-visibility jackets for off-site trips, Marriott Forest of Arden provides the ingredients for our cookery club, Midshires supplies our photocopiers and sponsors the school newsletter, Drama company Stagecoach is sponsoring our year-end production for £550 as well as providing costumes, a make-up artist, and videographer.
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