Raising funds through sponsorship

Raising funds through sponsorship

Dave Nixon – Number 11

I imagine we’ve all at some point been asked to sponsor someone. Perhaps you’ve even been the person asking others to sponsor them. Particularly in the summer months, sponsorship asks fill up our news feeds. Why? Because they are a great source of income for non-profits. JustGiving, the big online sponsorship giant, has reported that they’ve helped raise $4 billion for good causes since they started 15 years ago and half of that was raised just in the last four years.[1]

I remember when my son, then four, did a sponsored Teddy Toddle (walking around an obstacle course whilst holding his teddy) at his nursery to raise funds for some new equipment. I put this out on social media to ask if anyone would sponsor him and within half an hour, he’d raised £150! I wish it were that easy for me!!!! But here demonstrates one of the beauties of sponsorship; anyone can do one! And, when people complete a sponsorship challenge for your non-profit, you suddenly have strangers, who you would otherwise never have access to, giving to your work.

I’ve asked Dave Nixon, the Centre Manager for Number 11, who completed a sponsorship challenge of running 11km for 11 consecutive days (including his birthday!) his thoughts on how to raise money through sponsorship.

1.        Why are sponsorship events a good source of income?

People can see what it is that you’re trying to achieve (e.g. maybe a race or hitting a target/goal) and then decide whether or not to sponsor you, e.g. they can take some ownership over it rather than feeling pressured to give. It can also bring communities and groups of people together to support a good cause.

In terms of for the non-profit themselves, funds raised are measurable and easily documented and it also means that multiple people can conduct a sponsorship event without it all falling on one individual’s shoulders.

2.      With so many people running sponsorship events of some kind, how do you make your event stand out?

By using online sponsorship sites such as ‘JustGiving’ which appears to be widely recognised and a trusted charity giving website/organisation. Good sites allow you to share your story and include more information about why you are doing what you’re doing (more personal approach). Although online giving is really useful, it is helpful to give people an option of giving cash or donating by electronic bank transfer.

Picking a catchy phrase and logo, which is easy to remember and related specifically to the charity you’re fundraising for helps. So, for me, my charity is ‘Number 11’ so I decided to do 11 x 11km runs on consecutive days. As part of this, someone designed an image for marketing which easily summed up what I was doing.

Regular updates were posted via social media to keep people informed were also crucial.

3.      How did you use social media to drive donations to your sponsorship site?

I used Facebook mainly because most Number 11 followers and supporters ‘like’ our page and receive regular updates 3 times a week to keep people informed of what we’re doing as a charitable organisation and the impact we’re having on the community. Also, whilst I was running, I was able to post updates on how I was getting on (including videos, images and graphics). Each time I posted, I included the JustGiving link so that people had many opportunities to donate.

4.      What can some of the downfalls be about raising money through sponsorship?

It is worth being aware that once you’ve carried out one or two fundraisers, people can be reluctant to give money to the same charity, particularly if the event and the person being sponsored are the same. In that case, it’s no longer a challenge and so people are reluctant to give.

It can also be time-consuming and quite draining, not only completing the challenge but then collecting money, advertising, keeping people updated etc… The time used in planning and completing the challenge might have been more productive if used towards another income source such as grants from trusts and foundations.

Thinking of new, creative ideas can also be quite difficult. Gaining income through sponsorship events is great but once you’ve done the parachute jump, cake sale, choir concert, marathon run etc… how do you encourage people to give regularly so you’re not always relying on unpredictable income.

5.      How can you make the most of the sponsorship opportunity after the event itself?

Making sure that people are publicly thanked and appreciated e.g. give final totals, share how the funding has been used as a result and keep people informed. If people feel valued and that they have been part of making a difference, you can ask them to consider giving more regularly.

Dave is Centre Manager for Number 11, who seek to bring hope and restoration to the lives of the most vulnerable people in the community of Burslem. You can find out more about what they do through http://number11.org.uk/ or https://www.facebook.com/Number11Burslem/

[1] https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising