Newsletter: Why You Should Treat Partnerships Like a Stadium-Naming Opportunity 🏟 ; The Fundraiser That’s a Punching Bag for Cause Marketing Critics 🥊 ; 5 Ways Marketing Can Support Sales 🤲
📣📣📣 With the holiday 🧨 on Monday, I'm taking a vacation day next Wednesday. I'll be back in your inbox on Wednesday, July 13th. Have a great Fourth of July! 💥💥💥
Since it's difficult to tie many nonprofit/for-profit partnerships to an actual boost in sales for the corporate partner (we all struggle showing this, right?), do partnership teams need to focus on the more nebulous "branding" benefits of supporting a nonprofit event or cause?
If so, can nonprofits learn from how stadiums market naming rights opportunities to corporations? Apparently, studies show that buying the naming rights for a stadium doesn't improve the bottom-line either! Yet companies line up for the privilege to pay millions to plaster their names on stadiums and arenas.
I realize there's a big difference between the two.😬 Still, I think partnership teams could learn a few things...
1. Get people talking about your partner. One thing companies like about stadium-naming rights are the constant mentions and tags in the media, especially on social media.
Nonprofits should do a better job increasing mentions for partners. But how?
It might mean renaming some of your programs and events to include the company's name. Instead of The Pan-Mass Challenge - a popular fundraising event here in Massachusetts that attracts thousands of riders - maybe it's called the Charles Schwab Pan-Mass Challenge. The point is that you put your corporate partner's name front and center so it will be seen and talked about.
2. Emphasize the "legitimacy" you give a company. When a company buys the naming rights to a stadium it's drawing a direct line between their brand and the venue. It's saying, "We're the real deal and a player in this space" (e.g. music, sports, etc.).
Explain to companies how supporting your cause can deliver the same connection. It says they care and they are prioritizing the change your organization is trying to make in the world. To be clear, you shouldn't wash a company's dirty laundry. That's a no-no. But if they are sincere, the support for your nonprofit/cause would be a reflection of that.
3. Mention the perks. Naming rights often include a special corporate box at the venue where companies can entertain clients and employees. What perks do companies get when they partner with your nonprofit?
Will a representative from your organization meet with company stakeholders to explain a complicated, sensitive, or urgent topic?
Do corporate partners get access to something nobody else gets?
Do they get permission to use something - like your logo or tagline - on their packaging or in their marketing?
Give your partners the front row seat they deserve with a stadium-naming mindset!
✍️ Partnership Notes
1. Purchased-triggered donations are a punching bag for cause marketing critics. Proceed with caution.⚠️
2. Everything is starting to pop in my gahhden! I've been busy adding native plants to my garden to attract more pollinators. 🐝🦋 Check out these pollinator cause marketing programs from Lush and Bumble.
3. C-stores are excellent prospects for corporate partnership programs. This industry publication agrees and highlights a recent webinar on POS programs for c-stores.
🤑 Marketing Your Cause
1. Five ways the marketing team can support the partnership sales team. #2 didn't surprise me: Create best-in-class sales enablement resources (aka Case Studies!).
"What sales teams really need from Marketing is for case studies to cover a wide range of use cases and personas, ensuring that Sales can confidently showcase the value its product has for particular prospects."
Need help with your case studies? I can help. Hit reply to this email!
2. Brilliant article! How the National Park Service gets their social media captions so good.
3. I'm always pushing you to survey your audience. How can you pitch your audience to a prospect if you don't know who they are??? Want to get started? Here are the top six free survey maker tools.
😎 Cool Jobs in Cause
1. Manager, Corporate Partnerships, Feeding America, Chicago/Hybrid
2. Resource Development Manager - Corporate Partnerships, Wounded Warrior Project, 15 Locations
3. Development Director, Susan G. Komen, Boston
4. Associate Director, Corporate Partnerships, AACR, Philadelphia
5. Senior Director, Corporate Engagement, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, NYC
🧠🍌 Brain Food
1. Interesting: How the Roe V. Wade decision will change the way marketers advertise.
2. So true: The hypocrisy of abortion as a corporate perk.
3. 2022: "This is the worst year."
