Sponsorship Collaboration Impacts More People

Now more than ever is the time to collaborate and to learn how to work with corporate sponsors.
The world we live in is one of connection, impact and influence. The age old saying “together we make a difference” is not only true, it might now be necessary. With so many options available to people for shopping, communication, entertainment and education, collaboration can help you reach the people in your target audience, and help sponsors at the same time.
Why do sponsors like collaboration?
First it is a model that reduces and shares risk. Many sponsors no longer take a philanthropic approach to sponsorship… the days of cutting a check and expecting very little are long gone. Sponsorship is a marketing relationship, from my experience they are looking for that… a relationship with you.
There are many reasons that collaborations struggle or fail. If you do not believe in the value of collaboration, you likely enter the collaboration with hesitancy or resistance. This will energetically put the relationship on edge, and impact the level that you and the sponsor invest. Unclear expectations and communication can lead to a number of challenges. A relationship that lacks trust will also impact results.
So what can you do?
1) Communicate with the sponsor. Ask how he/she would like to be communicated to (e.g. text, email, phone) and how often. Create a communication plan and keep up your commitment to the plan. This will show you are dependable, reliable, and that the relationship matters.
2) Address issues and concerns early on. Many people avoid conversations that are difficult, vulnerable or sensitive. Hoping an issue will go away typically just adds more layers of challenge to the situation. A sponsor may make assumptions about you, you may be perceived as difficult to work with and this could impact trust.
3) Think about the relationship from the perspective of short term. This will impact how you show up in the relationship.
4) Don’t assume no news is good news. Check in with your sponsor, don’t be “needy” or “high maintenance”. Instead, be accountable and available.
Most importantly, bring your best version of you to the relationship. After all, it is you (and your project) that sponsors are saying YES to.