sponsors with which they are already familiar and enjoy both or-
ganizational and personal relationships.
Your best starting point is doing an internal and external audit
of all the stakeholders (those with a stake in the success of the en-
terprise) referrals from within your team and from within the or-
ganization looking for potential sponsors. In working with non-
profit entities looking for sponsorship, it is almost always the case
that there is someone within the organization who knows some-
body at XYZ Corporation. This can be a great help in getting that
first sponsorship. However, most events will need more than one
sponsor, and so we move on to the next step in identifying po-
tential sponsors.Research
The value of research cannot be stressed enough when you are
identifying potential sponsors. Without proper research of compa-
nies’ values, core concepts, and marketing strategies, you are
bound to fail in an attempt to secure sponsorship. If you don’t
have a researcher on staff, hire one, even if it’s on a part-time ba-
sis. A researcher finding that a CEO or president of a company has
a favorite pastime, hobby, or cause has developed many sponsor-
ship relationships. If you need to do the research yourself, here is
a partial list of media to use to search for potential sponsors:Daily newspapers
Periodicals
■Generic—People, Vanity Fair, Newsweek
■Product/service specific—Sports Illustrated, Business
Week
■Special event
Advertising agencies
Internet search engines
Community public affairs officeYour research should also include the information needed to
qualify any potential sponsors. What, if anything, have they spon-
sored in the past? Are they currently sponsoring any events? Your
research should also determine the marketing strategy of the com-94 Chapter 4 Funding the Event Marketing Program