The role of Landcare
Australia Limited
Landcare Australia Limited is the national sponsorship, promotions and fund-raising body for the landcare movement. It undertakes activities to create community and business awareness of landcare and raise funds from the corporate sector for landcare activities. Some of its major awareness raising campaigns are the National Landcare Awards and Landcare Month activities.
Landcare Australia has established the Landcare Foundation in each state to help attract sponsorship from a number of high profile companies.
National sponsorship helps to promote landcare and make it a popular cause with strong public and political support. Much of Landcare Australia’s work is in maintaining these sponsorships and seeking new opportunities to assist the growing landcare network.
Tax deductibility
Sponsors may be encouraged to contribute if they know they can make a tax claim on their sponsorship.
Contact Landcare Australia Limited (ph 02 9412 1040) to make sure sponsorship of your event or project is eligible.
If the event or project is eligible then the sponsor will need to make the cheque out to Landcare Australia Limited.
The total amount will be returned to the group along with a receipt for their sponsorship. Because Landcare Australia Limited is a registered charity, money paid to them may be tax deductible.
The Landcare Logo
The Landcare logo is extremely valuable because it is well recognised and it represents a credible, active community network which is well supported by government and business at all levels. To retain this value, it is vital that the logo is used by both groups and sponsors in a consistent manner.
The Landcare logo is freely available to community landcare groups to help them establish an identity within their local area. Groups can use it on stationery, publications and sponsorship proposals.
A major sponsorship benefit for many companies will be the right to use the landcare logo on signs, letterheads, publications, products etc. to publicise their support of local landcare groups. In being associated with landcare, through the well-recognised logo, companies anticipate they will be perceived in a favourable light by their clients and customers. The conditions for use of the landcare logo should be specified in a sponsorship agreement.
For more information on use of the logo, contact Landcare Australia Limited on (02) 9412 1040.
Steps FOR SEEKING SPONSORSHIP
1. Refine the details of the project or event you are seeking sponsorship for.
2. Work out what you can offer a sponsor.
3. List potential sponsors, narrow them down and research the companies you plan to target.
4. Prepare a sponsorship proposal
5. Meet with the company to discuss your proposal.
6. If NO, find out why and try again and again and again and again.....
6. If YES, develop a comprehensive sponsorship agreement.
7. Meet with sponsor, keep them involved and informed, and deliver all benefits you promised.
landcare sponsorship
a guide for groups in NSW
This webpage is based on the booklet Landcare Sponsorship a Guide for Groups in NSW. The original material was compiled by Kate Langford and published by the former NSW Dept of Land and Water Conservation Sydney in November 1999. Copies of this document are available by contacting John Perrott on 02 9895 7252 or john.perrott@environment.nsw.gov.au
1. Introduction
With resources for landcare becoming increasingly difficult to access, many groups are looking towards sponsorship as an alternative way of funding their activities. Sponsorship is also seen as a way of involving the corporate sector in landcare and gaining their support for landcare activities.
This webpage to help landcare groups and their support staff in seeking sponsorship at a local and regional level.
Landcare groups have a lot to gain from sponsorship and a lot to offer potential sponsors. Seeking and maintaining sponsorship does take considerable effort but the benefits can definitely be worth it.
A good sponsorship works two ways - there are benefits to both the sponsor and the recipient.
By becoming a sponsor companies ‘buy’ the right to be associated with an event or project in order to make a positive impact on their sales, new products and company image. In some cases, sponsors will provide ‘in-kind’ support in the form of products or service
Landcare is an effective, popular and well-known community network with which many companies want to be associated. There is growing understanding that without landcare there would be adverse consequences for the environment and the whole community. Many businesses, especially rural-based ones, recognise this and are willing to put something back into the community through landcare.
Preparation, planning & professionalism
Being organised, well prepared and professional are vital for dealing with the corporate sector, particularly when you are seeking support for your event or project.
There is a great deal of competition for corporate sponsorship so you will need to show that you can efficiently and effectively run a project and deliver results to the sponsor.
Most landcare groups will have people holding executive positions
such as chair, secretary or treasurer. If you are serious about sponsorship,
why not appoint a sponsorship officer and/or get together with other landcare
groups in the area to approach sponsors on a regional basis.
What to ask for
Firstly, make sure you are clear about the event or project you are seeking sponsorship for and can answer the following questions.
There are three different types of sponsorship you can ask for, discussed below.
Monetary sponsorship
This is the most common type of sponsorship and it seeks money for an event or project in return for agreed sponsorship benefits.
It may be best to break up the total sponsorship amount into smaller amounts which cover different aspects of the event or project. Companies may also give more generously over a period of time rather than in a lump sum. If it is practicable, consider asking for sponsorship to be spread over several months or even years.
In-kind sponsorship
This involves the sponsor providing products or services which will be used in the event or project. If you seek in-kind sponsorship then make sure you critically review any products or services for their relevance, quality and purpose for your event or project, before entering into any agreement
Cause marketing
This involves a company donating a percentage of sales of a product to the ‘cause’, in this case landcare.
What can you offer a sponsor?
So you know what you want, but what’s in it for the sponsor? Remember that sponsorship is a two-way agreement with benefits for both the sponsor and the recipient.
A sponsor will look to support events or projects which are consistent with the company’s objectives and which involve their stakeholders and target audiences. You will need to offer a credible event or project with which the company wants to be associated and which may reinforce their specific marketing campaigns (e.g. by providing educational or marketing opportunities).
Think carefully about what you can offer a sponsor. Create opportunities for the sponsor to add value to their support. The types of benefits attractive to sponsors include:
Choosing a potential sponsor
Sponsors are usually sought by directly approaching specific companies. They can also be sought by calling for expressions of interest.
If you are targeting specific companies, make a list of possibilities and narrow these down according to the area the company covers, their customers and any possible links between their business and landcare. Make sure potential sponsors are appropriate companies for landcare to be associated with. When a company becomes associated with landcare this can make them seem to be responsible corporate citizens.
Landcare’s current national sponsors may be good companies to approach at a local level for sponsorship initially. Contact Landcare Australia Limited (Ph 02 9412 1040) or visit their website (www.landcareonline.com) to find out who the national landcare sponsors are.
All major national sponsors secure exclusivity for their contribution to the landcare movement and it is vital that every effort is made to ensure this exclusivity is maintained. Therefore, you need to make sure you are not seeking sponsorship from companies who are in direct competition with landcare’s national sponsors.
Regional community support officers keep a register of sponsorship approaches, proposals and agreements in their region. This is to prevent companies from receiving multiple sponsorship proposals from different landcare groups. Groups or local support officers should ask their regional support officer which companies have been approached for sponsorship and tell the regional support officer who they plan to approach.
Spend some time researching the companies you intend to approach. Find out about their objectives, customers and products. Look for companies with similar stakeholders to those who will be involved in your event or project.
In many cases, companies sponsor an event or project to give them an edge over their competitors and the company may want to be ensured of exclusivity. This means you will not receive sponsorship from another company in the same business area (one airline, one fencing supplier, one bookshop) for that event or project. You must also be careful that in your choice of a sponsor you do not unfairly disadvantage any another companies from the same business area.
The proposal
Many companies get a large number of requests to sponsor events or projects and so you must make your request ‘stand out from the crowd’. Some companies will have sponsorship policies and will assess proposals according to guidelines. Get hold of any policies, guidelines or proformas and work within these. Annual reports and websites can also provide useful information on a company’s sponsorship arrangements.
Nearly all companies will make sponsorship decisions based on written proposals they receive. A sponsorship proposal should include the following type of information.
Keep the sponsorship proposal as short and succinct as possible but still convey the key messages. Keep it simple and written in clear, plain English. Avoid using jargon, acronyms, complex terms and long sentences.
Be positive and present an opportunity, not a problem.
Target the proposal to the company you are approaching for sponsorship. Print their name in the document to show how they could fit positively with the event or project.
When you deliver your sponsorship proposal to the company will depend upon whether or not you have managed to secure a meeting with them. If you do secure a meeting then you could either give the sponsorship proposal to the company at the meeting or send it to them shortly afterwards.
If you do not manage to get a meeting with the company, send them your proposal with a covering letter saying you are happy to talk to them about it at a time and place which is convenient to them. Follow this up with a telephone call to try and arrange a meeting to discuss the proposal further. Make sure you give the company a time frame for when you need to know the outcome of your sponsorship proposal.
Contacting the company
Find out who in the company makes sponsorship decisions and speak to that person. In small companies it may be the manager or owner and in larger companies there may be a sponsorship manager or decisions could be made by the marketing or public relations manager.
Telephone the company and arrange a meeting with key people to discuss your sponsorship proposal. Give a brief rundown of the project, stating the sponsorship benefits and the amount of money being sought. Don’t try to sell the proposal over the phone. The people you are dealing with are usually very busy, so be brief and clear.
Meeting with potential sponsors
Meeting with potential sponsors will give you a chance to explain the details of the event or project and sponsorship benefits as well as answer questions the company may have. It also provides an opportunity to find out the types of activities, events or organisation which the company may be interested in sponsoring.
Prepare thoroughly so that your presentation is professional and organised. Do a trial run first with an audience to make sure you have anticipated many of the potential questions.
Keep it short and simple. Refine your presentation until it runs for less than 20 minutes. Don’t waffle and explain every detail in the written proposal. Outline the main points - what the project is, how it will deliver benefits (economic, social, environmental) and what the sponsor has to gain from involvement. Make sure you leave enough time for questions. Use visuals (photos, maps, plans etc.) to help with your presentation.
The people you are presenting to may have little knowledge and interest about your issues. It is your challenge to interest the company and encourage them to support you. Be enthusiastic and convincing, and make the sponsorship sound appealing and worthwhile.
The sponsorship agreement
Once a sponsor is secured you need to negotiate a written agreement (contract). An exchange of letters is often all that is required. For sponsorships involving large amounts of money you may want to seek legal advice about wording the agreement. The agreement should clearly set out:
Maintaining the sponsorship
Once you have entered into an agreement with a sponsor, make sure you deliver all the benefits that were promised without being reminded by the sponsor. Keep sponsors informed and involved in the progress of your event or project and invite sponsor staff to participate in landcare activities. Make sure you provide the sponsor with regular feedback and thanks for their role in your event or project.
Wherever possible and appropriate give the sponsor more than is in the agreement, e.g. tickets to events, invitations to launches etc.
Fostering good relationships with sponsors is essential if you want their support again in the future. Your sponsors may also be able to put you in touch with other companies or clients who will support your work.
Feedback and evaluation
After the sponsorship is complete provide the sponsor with a detailed report including media clippings, media releases, evaluation reports, photos and any feedback received. Meet with the sponsor to find out how successful they perceived their involvement to be.
If the sponsorship is ongoing, seek input from the sponsor about what they expect and how they can maximise their sponsorship benefits.
What to do when they say no?
If a company decides not to sponsor your event or project try to find out if it is because your proposal didn’t appeal to them or because it didn’t fit into their current priorities. Ask for specific details about what the company is looking for in a sponsorship arrangement.
Ask if the company would be interested in sponsoring a smaller part of the same project and if they would welcome sponsorship proposals for other projects in the future. Find out if they know of any other companies who may be interested in supporting your project.
Go back to your original list of possible sponsors and try the next one on the list. Don’t give up just because one company couldn’t sponsor your event or project.
For more information
Please Click Here for a hypothetical sponsorship proposal - the type of document a landcare group would send to a potential sponsor. (313 KB pdf).