I'm not going to name any names, but every year in my historic, seaside society an occasion takes place to celebrate our town's maritime heritage. I've attended the last seven or eight. Therefore have a look at the following article taking us through the theme your business bill of rights when you support historical San Angelo Community Events.
As an occasion planner myself, and a public relations/society outreach/marketing professional, I pay attention to how actions are managed and who is supporting them financially - especially those with a historical theme, which is my business. What I have noticed with this particular incident is that year after year the same small group of people dutifully writes checks because they are "supposed to."
Come summer; my town has a farmers market every Sunday right off the main highway. While that's a great place to have it to attract last-minute drivers riding by, they also have a cute little sign right in front of the property, advertising the time and dates so that people can plan on attending ahead of time, instead of having to turn around and find a parking spot last second.
Unfortunately, most of the nonprofits running these kinds of events don't "get" that contributions from businesses are, ultimately, supposed to benefit the business. It's not how they think. Adding a logo to a poster or a program is fine, but it's only a start. Instead, the nonprofit event planners need to ask the donor, "How can we make this work for you to make sure you achieve your business goals?"
And if businesses are not being asked this question, they should either ask it themselves or, frankly, take their money elsewhere. Tough talk, I know. But I think businesses need to ask more questions, stop being taken for granted, and determine their return on investment. The next time you are asked to support a historical society incident, here are some ways you can leverage your donation.
Ask about the marketing/promotion plan for the event, and find out where you can be included. You will be told that your logo and your business name "will be included in all promotional materials." Okay, but where, exactly? Ask if you can provide a quote for the news release about why you are proud to support the event and a word about what you do. Provide a one-sentence descriptor to accompany your logo and business name wherever it appears.
Insist on a link to your Web site in social media messages, email blasts, and from their Web site. If there is a printed program for the incident, make sure you are in it. Perhaps, in the program, you want to make a special offer for incident attendees. You will be told that there isn't enough space to do what you ask in a publication or enough time to add links for "everyone, " or the organization has "never done it that way before." As someone who has provided services to the nonprofit sector for 20 years, I've heard it all. Push back!
Have a presence at the occasion. Staff a table where you can distribute information, answer questions, or make a special offer. Be creative! Have members of your team circulate among the crowd in matching t-shirts. They can hand out material, engage people in conversation, and help put a friendly "face" on your business.
As an occasion planner myself, and a public relations/society outreach/marketing professional, I pay attention to how actions are managed and who is supporting them financially - especially those with a historical theme, which is my business. What I have noticed with this particular incident is that year after year the same small group of people dutifully writes checks because they are "supposed to."
Come summer; my town has a farmers market every Sunday right off the main highway. While that's a great place to have it to attract last-minute drivers riding by, they also have a cute little sign right in front of the property, advertising the time and dates so that people can plan on attending ahead of time, instead of having to turn around and find a parking spot last second.
Unfortunately, most of the nonprofits running these kinds of events don't "get" that contributions from businesses are, ultimately, supposed to benefit the business. It's not how they think. Adding a logo to a poster or a program is fine, but it's only a start. Instead, the nonprofit event planners need to ask the donor, "How can we make this work for you to make sure you achieve your business goals?"
And if businesses are not being asked this question, they should either ask it themselves or, frankly, take their money elsewhere. Tough talk, I know. But I think businesses need to ask more questions, stop being taken for granted, and determine their return on investment. The next time you are asked to support a historical society incident, here are some ways you can leverage your donation.
Ask about the marketing/promotion plan for the event, and find out where you can be included. You will be told that your logo and your business name "will be included in all promotional materials." Okay, but where, exactly? Ask if you can provide a quote for the news release about why you are proud to support the event and a word about what you do. Provide a one-sentence descriptor to accompany your logo and business name wherever it appears.
Insist on a link to your Web site in social media messages, email blasts, and from their Web site. If there is a printed program for the incident, make sure you are in it. Perhaps, in the program, you want to make a special offer for incident attendees. You will be told that there isn't enough space to do what you ask in a publication or enough time to add links for "everyone, " or the organization has "never done it that way before." As someone who has provided services to the nonprofit sector for 20 years, I've heard it all. Push back!
Have a presence at the occasion. Staff a table where you can distribute information, answer questions, or make a special offer. Be creative! Have members of your team circulate among the crowd in matching t-shirts. They can hand out material, engage people in conversation, and help put a friendly "face" on your business.
About the Author:
You can find a detailed overview of the reasons why you should attend San Angelo community events at http://www.sdartistries.com right now.