On Tue, Aug 16, 2011 at 12:31 PM, Alex Hillman <[email protected] > wrote:
> I think the key to any of these kinds of sponsorship or donation "deals" is > being clear about expectations. > > This sounds obvious upfront, but I've seen this go sour enough times that > it merits bringing up. > > The fact is, if you're doing something "cool" or "good", people are going > to be likely to *want* to contribute to it. *This is a good thing*. > > The tricky part is, figuring out what to accept, and who to accept from. > Remember, there's no such thing as a free lunch, so ANY kind of > contributions come with expectations, if not some strings attached. > > A couple of tips I've learned to help these sorts of donor/sponsor > relationships work best: > > > - State your purpose. Ask your sponsor/donor to state theirs. Make sure > you're both comfortable with each other's missions. > - Have a beginning, middle and end to the deal. Open-ended sponsorships > and donations may seem great because they can go on as long as they need > to, > but you're setting yourself up for a uncomfortable end to the deal if you > haven't discussed it upfront. Eventually, somebody will outgrow the > arrangement. Most of the time, it'll go on longer than it should, and > create > tension/stress for everybody. > - Transparency & Authenticity are two buzzwords that get tossed around > alot, but they *mean* a great deal when it comes to sponsor/donor > communication. When somebody finds out that the intent wasn't clear, trust > is broken. Coworking works because of trust networks. *Don't undo your > hard work earning trust just to earn (or save) some quick cash.* > - Create levels. When you're going out to sell sponsorships or donation > opportunities, don't go in saying "well, whatever you can give". Go in with > some specifics in mind. Maybe it's a dollar amount. Maybe it's a specific > piece of equipment. And know what you intend to give them in return for > their contributions. Expect negotiations, but don't expect *them* to > lead the negotiations. > - I personally prefer to work with sponsors *who want to be involved > anyway*, even if there isn't a sponsorship opportunity. Knowing that > somebody would give their time and effort is far more difficult to come by > than money, and usually much more valuable. > > > -Alex > > > /ah > indyhall.org > coworking in philadelphia > > > > On Tue, Aug 16, 2011 at 11:49 AM, Ryan Price <[email protected]> wrote: > >> This is a subject we're interested in as well, especially because our >> space is part of a nonprofit organization. >> >> One idea we have is to have a company sponsor the events in the space - we >> hold an event 4-5 nights a week for the community. >> >> We also batted around having someone's membership sponsored - sort of like >> an Artist in Residence. >> >> Last but not least is what Mathis brought up - having local companies >> donate equipment - but the question is always what do they get in return? In >> the case of events, it's easy to say "naming rights". >> >> We do have our web hosting donated by a local provider, and for that they >> get a mention at the bottom of every page of the web site. >> >> To one of Scott's questions, we have a kickstarter going for a specific >> event we are hosting, but as far as I can tell Kickstarter has some rules >> about what they will approve. You may have to revise your proposal to get it >> out there if you go through them. >> >> What sorts of things have you gotten donated/sponsored? >> >> Peace, >> Ryan Price >> [email protected] >> @liberatr >> 407-484-8528 >> >> UrbanReThink.com >> >> On Aug 16, 2011, at 11:11 AM, [email protected] wrote: >> >> I'd definitely be interested in knowing more about this. >> >> We bootstrapped Uncubed, but a friend mentioned a lot of the Phoenix area >> Cowork spaces were backed and able to free or less expensive, etc. >> >> Would be interesting to hear how it's been done. >> >> John Wilker >> Founder, 360|Conferences >> twitter: jwilker <http://twitter.com/jwilker> >> johnwilker.com | Ignite Denver <http://ignitedenver.org/>| >> Denwhere<http://denwhere.com/>| >> 360|Flex <http://360flex.com/> | 360|iDev <http://360idev.com/> >> >> “A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as >> something to aim at.” >> ~ Bruce Lee >> >> >> On Tue, Aug 16, 2011 at 8:50 AM, Mathis Young <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> I've had this same question. I know some places have office furniture >>> places sponsor the space and therefore donate the furniture in the space. >>> >>> On Tue, Aug 16, 2011 at 9:39 AM, Scott <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> Would anybody be willing to share succesful strategies for seeking >>>> sponsorships when opening a new space? I am considering kickstarter >>>> for smaller contributions and working with a fiscal sponsor to entice >>>> larger sponsorships? But beyond good karma, a bit of press and >>>> exposure what offerings have yielded the best results? Thanks so much! >>>> >>>> -- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>> Groups "Coworking" group. >>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>>> [email protected]. >>>> For more options, visit this group at >>>> http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en. >>>> >>>> >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>> "Coworking" group. >>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>> [email protected]. >>> For more options, visit this group at >>> http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en. >>> >> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Coworking" group. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> [email protected]. >> For more options, visit this group at >> http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en. >> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Coworking" group. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> [email protected]. >> For more options, visit this group at >> http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en. >> > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Coworking" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group. 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