Many nonprofits, charities, associations and event planners are missing an important step in the sponsorship and fundraising process.
This one step can help you raise funds and attract the interest from brands and businesses you have not yet partnered with.
If you are not asking for references and testimonials from corporate partners and sponsors that you have worked with, you are missing out on attracting new partners and sponsorship to help you raise funds, increase revenue, and help you make a bigger impact in your community.
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When to Request Sponsor Testimonials
When you complete a project, launch, event, or program, ensure you first create a sponsor fulfillment report outlining the impact of the sponsorship, outcomes, deliverables, metrics, and how everything you promised was delivered. Once you have met with the sponsor, delivered the report, and have had a “debrief” meeting with the brand, it’s a great time to ask them for a testimonial or reference. The recommendations are most powerful for use on your website, in future sponsor information documents, and to help future sponsorship prospects in understanding the value of working with your organization.
Once you receive the testimonial, ensure that you thank the brand representative not only by email, but also by sending a thank you card in the mail. Keep a file of all testimonials you receive from sponsors so you can pick and choose which testimonials you will use for different purposes.
A great exercise to do every year is to ensure you reach out to request testimonials. Schedule time to do this every quarter (and after every project ends). You’ll be glad you did!