Finding Sponsors

 

Lupus.org

 

You have created your team and registered on lupus.org, what is your next step toward reaching your fundraising goals? Obtaining sponsors!

A few points possible sponsors will be considering:

1. How will this donation affect the company?
2. Will this association bring in more business or create a positive image?
3. Is the cause worthwhile?

• Sponsoring helps the company gets their name out in the community. This could drive more business their way or, in some cases, take business away.
• Sponsoring can make a large impersonal company seem more engaged and caring.
• It can also alienate customers who do not agree or support the same cause.
• Those the company selects to sponsor will affect the public image of the company (which is why careful consideration is necessary before a donation is made).
• Aligning themselves with those they sponsor helps the company more fully display their mission to the public.
• The nonprofits chosen by the company become a part of the above-mentioned mission—meaning that if something happens with either the non-profit or the company (good or bad) one can be directly associated to the other.

If you are a non-profit team hoping to obtain a few sponsors to help reach your fundraising goal, the best strategy might seem to be to call on as many local businesses as possible and see who will donate to your cause. However an alternate route to consider that could prove to be more effective is to sit down as a team and pool your resources. It is often best for companies to support causes that their employees either support or are directly involved in. See if anyone on your team has a connection. Then go around and make a list of sponsors your team would like to be associated with.

Because your walk is a local and you are a local team it would be best to consider businesses and companies in your immediate area, but be selective! Only chose businesses and companies you would be proud to advertise for during fundraising events and the walk because their name will most likely be included on your promotional material and even your team shirts (capes, hats, etc). This means researching the names on your list to make sure their mission aligns with that of your team.

When you have narrowed your list down to the best 15 options divide the outreach evenly amongst your team, unless you have nominated one specific member to be in charge of all sponsorship outreach (this might be best in the long run for organizational purposes). Collect the contact information. This might mean visiting your local businesses in person and inquiring about the best person to contact or for a larger company, simply search their website (or call) for that information. Craft a letter/email for each possible sponsor. Make this letter personal and full of information about the team, the walk, and what the donation will do to help. Keep the length relatively short (a single typed page) and do not forget to include your contact information (website, Facebook page, Twitter, phone, email, mailing address)! You want the make it as easy as possible for them to get back to you.

Now comes the part that can be a bit intimidating for some—following up. Do not be afraid to call after a reasonable period of time (say 10 days) to find out if they have received your letter and if they are interested. Remember to be polite in the face of possible rejection. This will say a lot about your team and burning the bridge will not help you in the future.

After the acceptances have come in gather with your team and come with a creative thank you! This can be in the form of a card signed by the entire team, a team photo, a small token of appreciation, or an invitation to meet you all at the walk. Be creative and have fun with it!

Remember that your team can raise money and be active participants in the walk without sponsors, but that sponsors are a great resource and can help you reach and even surpass the team fundraising goals.

The quick breakdown for obtaining sponsors:

1. Pool team resources
2. Find connections
3. Create a list
4. Research each possibility
5. Finalize 15 possible sponsors
6. Collect contact information
7. Craft a letter/email
8. Send letter/email
9. Follow up
10. Send a team thank you

Check back for an example letter/email to send and possible thank you ideas!

Happy Walking!

Purple Is The New Black

 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

This Valentine’s Day show someone with Lupus that you care by donating!

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in)

 

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in

my heart)i am never without it (anywhere

i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done

by only me is your doing, my darling)

                                                      i fear

no fate(for you are my fate, my sweet) i want

no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)

and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

 

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows

higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart

 

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

—e.e. cummings

 

Taking the First Step

 

Your friend has asked you to join their Walk team.

You have always known that this friend’s life has been affected by __(Lupus, Cancer, Autism, etc.)___ and you have seen and maybe even donated to Walks like this one before, but can you be an actual team member? What do you do? How do you even help your team, fundraise, spread the word about the Walk, and most of all make people care?

This blog post is going to be a short and sweet about taking that first step.

1.       Decide what kind of team member you are going to be and  honestly relay that to your captain. Do you have the availability to lead fundraising efforts or are you more of a casual fundraiser with most of your energy going into making the day of the walk a success?

2.       Research your cause. You need to be prepared to answer any questions correctly and if you do not know the answer then have a few reliable sources ready to pass along.

The Walk is not just about fundraising; it is also about educating the public about something they may never have come in contact with before!

For example: What is lupus?

Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body (skin, joints, and/or organs inside the body). Chronic means that the signs and symptoms tend to last longer than six weeks and often for many years.

In lupus, something goes wrong with your immune system, which is the part of the body that fights off viruses, bacteria, and germs (“foreign invaders,” like the flu). Normally our immune system produces proteins called antibodies that protect the body from these invaders. Autoimmune means your immune system cannot tell the difference between these foreign invaders and your body’s healthy tissues (“auto” means “self”) and creates autoantibodies that attack and destroy healthy tissue. These autoantibodies cause inflammation, pain, and damage in various parts of the body.

• Lupus is not contagious, not even through sexual contact. You cannot “catch” lupus from someone or “give” lupus to someone.

• Lupus is not like or related to cancer. Cancer is a condition of malignant, abnormal tissues that grow rapidly and spread into surrounding tissues. Lupus is an autoimmune disease, as described above. However, some treatments for lupus may include immunosuppressant drugs that are also used in chemotherapy.

• Lupus is not like or related to HIV (Human Immune Deficiency Virus) or AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). In HIV or AIDS the immune system is underactive; in lupus, the immune system is overactive.

• Lupus can range from mild to life-threatening and should always be treated by a doctor. With good medical care, most people with lupus can lead a full life.

• Our research estimates that at least 1.5 million Americans have lupus. The actual number may be higher; however, there have been no large-scale studies to show the actual number of people in the U.S. living with lupus.

• More than 16,000 new cases of lupus are reported annually across the country.

• It is believed that 5 million people throughout the world have a form of lupus.

• Lupus strikes mostly women of childbearing age (15-44). However, men, children, and teenagers develop lupus, too. Most people with lupus develop the disease between the ages of 15-44.

• Women of color are two to three times more likely to develop lupus than Caucasians.

• People of all races and ethnic groups can develop lupus.

This information was collected from lupus.org. Please visit to learn more about Lupus!

3.       Sign up! Create a dynamic profile that makes people want to donate to your cause, because this IS your cause now!