Too Small for Sponsorship? Nope

I had a conversation with a small arts organization today. They told me that they were too small to have a sponsorship strategy in place.

Too small to have a sponsorship strategy? I don't think so. I think the issue is lack of knowledge around sponsorship opportunities.

Don't Compete on Price and Benefits

One problem with the Platinum-Gold-Silver sponsorship lists that many nonprofits use, is that the model is about What, not WHY.

Unfortunately the What becomes a commodity - a product that is the same no matter who produces it - and nonprofits end up competing on price and benefits alone.

With the WHY, you will be better equipped to have a more successful conversation with a corporate sponsor.

Delta Calls New York Home

I stumbled upon The Crew Report Blog and read this piece about Delta aggressively moving into New York City via sponsorships, advertising and media buys. Here a a few quotes from the blog:

"This year, Delta has taken some of its biggest steps yet in New York —- including spending almost 90 percent of its advertising and media buying budget on the area, according to Gail Grimmett, Delta’s senior vice president-New York."

“We’re sponsoring all of the iconic things of New York,” said Grimmett, who moved to New York from Atlanta. She added, “I have never seen such fierce baseball fans.”

In January Crain's New York reported that Ms. Grimmett would be "seeking philanthropic opportunities and hosting events for corporate customers. She'll also be reaching out to New York's ethnic communities, now that Delta flies from JFK to China, Japan, India and Eastern Europe."

They made a big splash with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Lets see what they do next.

American Express OPEN forum and Twitter

I think the American Express OPEN forum is so well done. To add value to the user's experience, they introduced new tool to allow small businesses owners to share Twitter posts through the site.

According to mediapost.com, "American Express OPEN, the financial giant's small business unit, found nearly 60% of entrepreneurs feel challenged in finding innovative ways to market their business, but only 10% are turning to online social networking, based on a recent survey.

To help educate small businesses owners on the topic, OPEN Forum has also started a dedicated social media section, featuring a group of expert contributors including John Jantsch, founder of Duct Tape Marketing; entrepreneur Rafe Totengco of Rafe New York; and Adam Ostrow, editor-in-chief of social media blog Mashable. The new section features both articles and podcasts of interviews with the assembled experts."

The Allstate Foundation, $635,000 In New Economic Empowerment Grants

The Allstate Foundation is aiding domestic violence survivors with $635,000 in new economic empowerment grants for statewide coalitions against domestic violence in eleven states.

The grants will be used to support a variety of programs focused on developing strategies to move survivors of abuse toward financial independence. The grantees’ work will center on:

· Financial literacy

· Individual Development Accounts (IDAs)

· Job readiness activities

In addition, FICO, a leading proponent of consumer credit empowerment, is donating 500 free FICO scores for survivors involved with the Economic Empowerment Grant Program.

Mary Lou Quinlan at AWNY: Reinvention in a Recession

Last Tuesday night I had the pleasure of hearing Mary Lou Quinlan, the author of What She's Not Telling You, speak at the AWNY (Advertising Women of New York) workshop.

The title of this AWNY workshop was Reinvention in a Recession. The event began at 6:00pm and most people were in their seats by 6:15pm. Normally 6:00pm is a bit early to start an event but this group was ready to go.

Mary Lou asked the audience how many were in transition- which meant they were unemployed, looking for jobs, exploring new careers or scared to death that they would lose their current job - and nearly half of the audience raised their hands.

Mary Lou then asked the audience to answer a series of questions called GAMES:

Good Intentions: One of these days I will...

Approval Seeking: Who are are you pleasing by staying put?

Martyrdom: How do you describe a typical day's trials? Who do you vent to?

Ego Protection: What keeps you in your job? What self image am I trying to preserve?

Secret keeping: Is there something that you want--a reinvention you dream of--that you haven't told anyone about?

After each question, she asked for volunteers to share their responses. Little did I know how emotional this would be. There were women who were out of work and lost hope, drive and self esteem. Some were afraid to get back into the workforce. One 40ish year-old was terrified that she would lose her creative ad job to a young 20-something. A magazine editor who lost her job a year ago (and didn't understand "digital") had an interview scheduled with a shelter magazine the day they announced its closing. The atmosphere of doubt, fear, and empathy permeated the beige room of the 21st floor in the Time Warner Building.

As I left the workshop and entered into the empty shops at Columbus Circle, I realized that in order to survive, we need to push ourselves and ask what we can do differently to navigate this new economy.

Power of Online Brand Interaction, eMarketer

There is a good article on eMarketer about online brand interaction.

"The power of online brand interaction is not to be denied: A solid majority of connected consumers have had their opinion of a brand swayed, either positively or negatively, by an online experience."