Successful sponsorship programs are an art and a science. Best practices and models can be key to avoiding pitfalls and advancing sponsorship programs.
How to Create Recognition with Impact for Sponsors
A Facebook post suggested eliminating sponsor recognition at conference general sessions to reduce session length. I agree that traditional, transactional recognition like “Thanks to our Gold Partner Acme Widgets for their Support” can be cut; neither sponsors or...
An Association with No Competitors? Really?!
The CEO of a national association said to me, “our association doesn’t have any competitors for our sponsorship program; our association is the best resource for companies that want to reach our members.” I replied, “I beg to differ; our research shows there are...
The Value of Staff Collaboration to Increase Sponsor Revenue
Can an association’s corporate sponsorship program succeed without collaboration on staff? I don’t think so! I heard this story recently: An association’s Program Director suggested to the association’s Sponsorship Director a dynamic, popular association project that...
The Right Balance of Association Needs and Sponsor Needs
Providing members with valuable educational content is vital for association growth and development. Collaboration with corporate partners can enhance these efforts. However, it's crucial to balance associations’ needs for educational content and companies’ needs to...
Sponsorship Lessons Learned from at World-Famous Fountain
While doing some sightseeing in Italy on a Trafalgar tour, we visited the Trevi Fountain. I’m sure there are companies involved in restoring and maintaining this world-famous landmark. Maybe some companies offer their services in-kind. However, we would consider it...
Sightseeing in Italy Reminded me of why Associations Need Sponsors
We had an excellent Tour Director on our trip with Trafalgar. She has been leading tours for 44 years. She has a wealth of expertise in Italian culture, history, architecture, politics, geography, education, agriculture, industry, transportation, health care,...
The Value of Providing “Surprise Delights” for Your Association’s Sponsors
What did “surprise delights” on a tour of Italy teach me about enhancing sponsorship value? Our Trafalgar of Italy had many highlights .... superb tour director, excellent guides, historic buildings and fountains, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, VIP tours, outstanding...
How to Add Value for Sponsor’s at a VIP Banquet
An association’s top-tier corporate partners were invited to the VIP banquet at the association’s annual conference as a benefit. But the corporate partners didn’t get much value because there were 500 people at the banquet and the corporate partners were unlikely to...
How to Know if Your Association’s Sponsorship Program Needs a Refresh
Associations are eager to know if their corporate sponsorship programs are up-to-date and maximizing revenue. But there’s little benchmarking information available for sponsorship programs. Therefore, I put together this list of warning signs that your sponsorship...