Thanks Brian! Ive been through nearly all the threads and this is a great summary. You should make this a top/sticky post in the group. Megan Holcomb Community & Outreach Manager Green Spaces - Denver, CO
On Monday, February 1, 2016 at 12:37:16 PM UTC-7, Brian Yen wrote: > > There are a number of threads about sponsorship and some are dated. We > summarized the actionable advice below and have the following specific > questions for you about how to best launch a sponsorship program. > > > *Our Questions* > > > - How much are you getting for your cash sponsorships? How do you sell > them? What benefits are you offering your sponsors? > - If you are offering memberships to other organizations(like a > neighborhood crossfit gym), how does that work for you? > - Which specific companies have you worked with? Any suggestions? We > love Justin's Snacks by the way. > - What other ways have you been able to get sponsorships? > - If you have had some success, we would love to chat and share some > best practices. (Hint: Free Beer) > > > > *SUMMARY NOTES FROM PREVIOUS POSTS*: > > > *Types of Sponsorships* > > > - Sponsorships come in all shapes, ways, and form; sponsorships for > invoicing, accounting, supplies, car sharing, CRM software, computer > accessories, printing, and cafes are a couple examples. > - Apply for a grant, program, or competition from a government > program, university, or other organization in the area. > - Work with Internet providers, especially with fiber companies that > are looking to grow, for free or discounted Internet. Many co-working > spaces are receiving six months to a year in free Internet or large > discounts for the service. > - Sell ad spaces on the building or inside the office space. For > example, many incubators are selling the name of their rooms, such as a > conference room. > - Create membership packages with universities, gyms, coffee shops, > and larger venues to get discounts for their members to your space or for > your members to their space. For example, a cowork space in the UK > sold two memberships to a local university in which two students at a time > may use the space. Another example is getting a gym discount for your > members. > - Partner with public transportation networks, such as shared bikes, > shared cars, and subways. > - Create incentives for members to sponsor or contribute more upfront. > For example, you can print exclusive black RFID cards for members that > pay for an entire year in advance. One space created a “Wall of Fame” > that features the initial “founders” and “sponsors” forever for $500 to > $1500. > - Work with a law firm (either local or national) for a cash > sponsorship or for them to give free advice and services. The firm is > able to connect members with their connections and often will write about > you in articles, blog posts, and magazines. > - Create events, such as pitch competitions, in which companies are > able to participate in, recruit from, and provide funding or a service. > - Partner with media sources (generally local) to advertise your > workspace for content. Ad departments have empty ad spaces to fill. > > > > *Advice for the Pitch* > > > - Create a formal proposal that you can provide to the potential > sponsors. The platform helps you know what you are asking for and > what you can provide to the sponsor. > - Make sure that your sponsors know what they are getting in return. The > return for them should be several times larger than their contribution. > This is crucial because it has been expressed to us that so many > people call for a sponsorship but they never talk about what the sponsor > will get in return. > - Make sure the company that is sponsoring is a great fit. They want > access to your members. > - In-kind sponsorships are easier to get than cash sponsorships > - One-time sponsorships are easier to get than on-going sponsorships. > > > Brian Yen > > Sponsorships > > GeniusDen Business Incubator - Dallas TX > > 214-455-5652 > > > -- Visit this forum on the web at http://discuss.coworking.com --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
