Features to Look for When Choosing a Corporate Sponsorship Program
Are you looking for corporate donation opportunities? Interested in donating money to a charitable cause, but not sure where to start? Luckily, there are a lot of programs seeking corporate sponsors. As you start to review different programs, you may want to keep the following criteria in mind.
Reflects Your Beliefs
When choosing a program for your corporate donation, you should look for a program that reflects your beliefs. For instance, if you're really concerned about the environment, you may want to pick a charity focused on that. If you want to help fledgling entrepreneurs, you should look for a charity that funds startups or helps entrepreneurs in other ways.
Mirrors Your Corporate Social Responsibility Statement
In addition to reflecting your personal beliefs, the charity's mission should also match your business's corporate social responsibility (CSR) statement. The CSR is a statement that all companies should make, giving their commitment to bettering their communities in particular and the world in general.
If you don't have a CSR, you may want to create one before you start looking for programs to sponsor. Take some time. Sit down with your board of directors or your management team. Then, brainstorm some words that reflect your company's commitment to social responsibility. Ideally, your CSR should also tie into your brand image.
Provides You With Recognition
Helping the community is just part of corporate donations. You should also get credit for your donation, and you should leverage your work to boost your business's exposure. For instance, if you're sponsoring a children's sports team, you may want to see if you can get your logo on the uniforms or a poster hung in the stadium or gym where the team plays. Similarly, if you're donating to a literacy program, you want your business name and a link to your website on the organisation's site or a nod to your involvement in the organisation's newsletter.
When you're choosing a corporate sponsorship, don't be shy about asking what exposure you'll get from the relationship. That is a perfectly acceptable question, and most organisations understand that businesses want and need to use corporate sponsorships as part of their public relations campaigns.
Is Easy to Get Involved
Finally, as you narrow in on the right organisation for your donation, consider looking for an organisation that makes the process as easy as possible. Ideally, you want to be able to submit a cheque quickly without a lot of paperwork or hassles. However, in some cases, you may want to look for a group that also has volunteer opportunities. Many businesses are starting to give their employees paid work time to volunteer for other organisations as part of their CSR.
For more information, contact a company like Story Dogs.