How to get your board to help you fundraise for sponsorships
Photo credit: Styled Stock Society
Blog readers have viewed This post on how to ask for corporate sponsorship and get a yes over 25,000 times in the last two years! There never seems to be a good way for me to predict which content will resonate with my nonprofit community, but I'm guessing this one struck a nerve because many nonprofit leaders find it daunting to be in the "asking cycle."
In fact, many of my nonprofit clients have told me they can never seem to get out of the asking cycle. I understand the challenges and remember the days of staring at event budgets and wondering how in the world we were going to pull it all off.
Go back to the same sponsors every year? Give them a break and invite someone new? Reinvent the wheel over and over until you swear off events forever? Isn't there a better way to ask for sponsorship dollars, get a yes, and feel great about the partnership?
There is. And every nonprofit should have a tiny army of helpers to get there, too. It's called your board of directors.
Consider this example before you leave and decide that your board will never help you ask for sponsorships (or disagree with me that they even should be helping in this way).
“Andrea -- we had our board meeting last night, followed your plan, and by this morning, three board members had secured event sponsors for our golf tournament. I didn't have to do anything except call to thank them! Thank you so much for the advice!”
This message from a client made my day. So, what was the plan I gave them? Keep reading.
There are four steps to getting your board to help you raise sponsorship dollars. But, before we dive into those, let's take just a minute to settle the debate -- is this the best use of your board's time?
The short answer is maybe.
Your board of directors should be actively engaged in ensuring that your nonprofit is always moving forward in its mission. How this focus plays out varies, of course. In an ideal world, board members are focused on the big picture - making strategic decisions about how your organization will fulfill its mission and deploy the programs and services that meet the need of your service areas. (Sometimes this looks like making real estate decisions, exploring nonprofit mergers, making financial assessments, or evaluating investments in technology like reverse ETL strategy software.)
However, there are times when you should expect your board of directors to help you execute that plan. Every nonprofit would have dedicated team members for program implementation, fundraising, marketing, administration, and stewardship in a perfect world. (And all the readers laughed).
In reality, this just doesn't happen often. Instead, overloaded schedules pull nonprofit teams in a million different directions, and the best teams roll up their sleeves and do what's necessary to meet the goals.
The difference between the teams who take that approach and find financial success and those who continue to falter and burn out is having a board of directors willing to work alongside the team when needed.
This work may look different for every organization. For some, it may be board members making the phone calls, sending the emails, and having one-on-one meetings with donors. For others, it might be board members joining the Executive Director for a personal solicitation or simply providing an introduction.
Regardless of how it ultimately plays out, it first takes a willing board member.
So, how do you get your board to help you ask for sponsorship dollars in the first place?
Tie your event to the bigger picture
Break it down into manageable steps
Give them autonomy to do it "their way" with suggested guidelines
Hold them accountable
Connect your event to the bigger picture
Before getting anyone on your team to buy in (staff, volunteers, board, etc.), it's necessary to tie your event to the bigger picture. For instance, if you're about to host a golf tournament and feeling overwhelmed with getting sponsors on board, don't be tempted to just jump to the "we need your help" speech at your board meeting.
This approach will likely backfire as the vague directions can tempt board members to write this one off and assume someone else will take the cue. So instead, spend a little time helping your board understand why the tournament matters, what the larger goal of the event is, and what you'll be able to accomplish when the event is successful.
When you reframe the event in terms of an outcome versus another to-do list item, the perception of how each person can contribute to the outcome changes dramatically. Ask them to "go get sponsors," and you'll get low participation at best.
Ask them to help the organization ensure the next three months of programming can reach your new service area and secure housing for the city's most vulnerable population? Now that's a call to action.
Break it down into manageable steps
If someone has ever asked you to "help with an event," you know the task can feel overwhelming. What does help mean? What am I expected to do exactly? How much time do I have?
You can increase board participation in sponsorship asks (and any project, really) by breaking it down into manageable steps and giving concrete timelines.
For instance, if your total sponsorship goal is $20,000 and you have 15 board members, that's roughly $1,300 in sponsorships for each board member to secure. So your ask might look something like this:
Each board member is responsible for securing $1,300 in event sponsorships. Board members can achieve this goal with one sponsor (depending on your sponsor levels) or multiple sponsors at lower amounts. I've provided a sponsorship packet, which details all of the sponsorship benefits, as well as previously secured sponsors.
By getting specific with your board and reframing a larger goal into a manageable size, they'll be less likely to ignore the request. Now, you've made them personally responsible for a piece of the pie.
Give them autonomy to do it "their way" with suggested guidelines
The number one response from board members who are asked to fundraise is, "I don't know what to say." So, before you ask them to fundraise, overcome this objection. You can solve this objection through an informal process with a brainstorming session at your board meeting, throwing out potential phrases or ideas they can jot down on their own.
Or, you can provide board members with a framework to use (or even scripts). The sponsorship proposal template is a great resource and can distribute it to board members with the company pre-filled in - they just need to open the lines of communication and make the ask. (Just ensure they don't blindly email it out)
Some board members may prefer to take their own approach. Let them go as long as they understand how the sponsorship dollars will be used and prepared with all the information needed to close the deal.
Hold them accountable
This last piece might be the most challenging part of the process and one of the biggest reasons Executive Directors get frustrated with their boards. Too often, there is little follow-through from board members, and in the end, the staff is there to pick up the pieces.
However, when you give your board time to understand the request and carry it out, there's also a time to hold them accountable and ensure the work gets completed. Note: This does not work if you're asking your board to help with fundraising in a week or two. Make your asks early enough to give them time to get it done).
There's a section in the upside-down board agenda template (found inside the Nonprofit Template Library) to ask board members what actions they've taken since the last meeting. This section is excellent to use when holding them accountable for recruiting event sponsors. You can also include this in your Executive Director board report.
Let board members know that you'll be asking for an update during each meeting. Ideally, this will motivate them to do the work and report back, thus encouraging others.
Final Thoughts
Sponsorship dollars are crucial to the life of a nonprofit, often meaning the difference between a successful and profitable event and one that simply drained everyone's time and resources.
Nonprofit leaders should never apologize for asking board members to carry part of the load in raising sponsorship dollars. Their connections, expertise, and passion for the organization should carry them through the task and help them feel an even greater sense of ownership in its success.
As long as you keep the board's primary focus on the big picture strategic visions most of the time, asking for their help in this way once or twice a year is not only doable but recommended.
Until next time,
Andrea
You might find these related posts helpful:
How to ask for a corporate sponsorship and get a yes (even if your event is virtual in 2021)
How a board report template can save your sanity (and exactly what to include inside your report to better engage your board)
How to find new board members for your nonprofit (and welcome ideas, too)
One Nine Design is a digital marketing company helping small businesses and nonprofits learn how to use their website and email list to grow their reach and make a bigger impact!