Sponsorships are an effective way to demonstrate your cause-related commitments. Learn how to choose the right organizations with which to partner.

1. Thursday, November 3, 2011
Mid-Atlantic Chesapeake Conference

2. Jaya Bohlmann, Diana Mayhew

3. Jaya K. Bohlmann, MA, Diana Mayhew
APR President,
Corporate National Cherry
Communication and Blossom Festival
Design Consultant

4.  Importance of CSR
 Overview of Cause Marketing
 Strategic selection of organizations to
sponsor and partner
 Criteria for “good” sponsor partners
 Managing the partnership
 Adding Value to Your Sponsorship
◦ Tips to engage your employees via event
sponsorship
◦ Maximizing sponsorship-driven visibility

6.  Consumer trust in companies has hit an all
time low

7.  81% of consumers say companies have a
responsibility to address key social and
environmental issues beyond their local
communities;
 93% of consumers say companies must go
beyond legal compliance to operate
responsibly; and,
 94% of consumers say companies must
analyze and evolve their business practices to
make their impact as positive as possible
 Source: Cone Communications

8.  Stakeholders expect organizations to live up
to their stated values and to act on those
values, especially in their communities (local,
national, global)
◦ Corporate Social Responsibility has been linked to
brand loyalty, increased consumer base and a wider
recruitment pool
 Organizations MUST DEMONSTRATE their
your mission and values
◦ How you act is much more important
than what you say!

9.  How is your CSR program different from
others?
 How are you embodying your CSR programs
as an organization?
 Are you for real? Does your CSR program
align with your corporate mission?
 Are you involved with your causes or just
writing checks?

10.  Targeted cause or issue (make a difference)
 Internal buy-in (executives, employees)
 Realistic budget, resources and timeline
 Clear goals (what difference do we want to
make? Who do we want to impact?)
 Roadmap for tactical accomplishment
 NGO/influencer/third party partnerships
 Cause marketing and outreach
 Measurement, metrics, effectiveness
 Consistent, creative, targeted communication

11.  Cause marketing is a partnership
between a nonprofit and a for-
profit for mutual profit
 Sponsor profit: greater
favorability with consumers and,
potentially, increased sales
 Organization profit: Funds,
branding/visibility

12.  93% would buy a product associated with a
cause; 65% have already purchased a cause-
related product in the past 12 months.
 A popular cause: 94% would buy a product
that has an environmental benefit; 76% have
already purchased an environmental product
in the past 12 months.
 Source: Cone Communications

13.  Merck increased its total giving to $1.2 billion
in 2010, up from $923 million the prior year,
via philanthropic programs
 Cause sponsorships to total $1.55B+ this
year
◦ (among all types of sponsorships –sports, etc)
Sponsorships are key to
demonstrating CSR

14.  Credibility of the organization enhances your
credibility
 Opportunities to learn from the experts about
your cause
 Build a network within that cause area
 Understand the subject matter better
 Events create visibility opportunities
 Increases your effectiveness on behalf of the
cause

16. A Checklist

17.  Respected and established
 Board of Directors and Executive teams are
experts, have a track record in the cause and
organization
 Financials are stable
 Have a donor and supporter base
 Are able to attract funds and additional
supporters
 Shared values (authenticity)
 Access to desired markets and audiences
 Are sponsor-savvy and friendly
 Desirably located (among your key audiences and
business geographies)

18. A Best Practice Sponsor
Organization

19. • The National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc. is a
501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization
dedicated to promoting the beauty of nature
and international friendship through year-
round programs, events, and educational
initiatives that enhance our environment,
showcase arts and culture, and build
community spirit.

20. • Each year, the Festival produces the nation’s
greatest springtime celebration in honor of the
1912 gift of trees from Tokyo to Washington, DC.
• The 2012 Centennial Celebration will honor 100
year anniversary of the gift of trees with a 5-week
unprecedented tribute to the Festival’s history
complemented by world-class events.
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
March 20 – April 27, 2012
nationalcherryblossomfestival.org

21. In 2011:
• Over 1 million attendees
• Festival tourists generated over $126
million for the city
• 7 week public relations and marketing
campaign valued at over $15 million
• Significant media coverage throughout
the world with an estimated 175
million Nielsen audience domestically

22. • Aligning goals
• Determining the objectives
• Customizing packages
• Building Personal relationships
• Setting expectations
• Reporting Results

23.  Prominent placement throughout collateral
 Media coverage

24.  Exposure at events
 Business networking
 Access to VIPs (community and government)

25.  We are passionate about the Festival and
what it represents
 We engage our Board
 Constantly grow our network of contacts
 We are patient (build relationships over years)
 We are persistent
 We understand it needs to make business
sense for your company
 We are business people ourselves

26. Organization Sponsor
Report results Pay attention and hold them
accountable
Communicate consistently Track results to your goals
Be accessible Don’t overwhelm or demand (know
your place)
Assign team members to clients Ask for creative solutions to your
business needs
Ask good questions and Meet deadlines
listen/remember
Provide high quality promotional Provide materials, messages,
and publicity materials executives
Be organized Attend meetings and all events
within your commitment

27. Engaging Employees and
Maximizing Brand Visibility

28.  Volunteering – teams or individuals
 Employee/executive attendance (especially at hosted events)
 Publicize internally via newsletters, intranet, company blogs
 Ask/coordinate employee efforts on various related online
communities and blogs;
◦ give them tools, photos, videos, message guidance,
encouragement to do so
 Choose program areas in your sponsorship that are yours
exclusively
 Do your part to help make the overall event successful (sell
tickets, reach out to your network, provide testimonials)

29.  Do your own media outreach, including social
media
 Send press releases about your sponsorship; follow
up with more information as the event date gets
closer
 Create corporate blog posts about your
involvement; get guest bloggers to support and
enhance your posts
 Take photos and videos of all events and post them
to your organization’s Facebook, Twitter, corporate
blogs and other social media platforms
 Invite your media contacts to attend events

30. Lessons You Can Use Today

31.  Align your CSR strategy with business goals and
implement among audiences and in communities
that make sense for your business
 Choose the right cause strategy for you – products
or events
 Select partner organizations with the right attributes
 Maximize your sponsorship-related visibility
 Engage your employees related to the sponsorship
(morale-boosting, publicity)
 Measure results and communicate

32. DISCUSSION

33.  http://www.sponsorship.com/ (IEG)
 www.coneinc.com/2011globalcrrelease
 http://www.prnewsonline.com/store/47.html (PR News'
Guide to Best Practices in CSR & Green PR)
 www.linkedin.com/in/jayabohlmann
 www.nationalcherryblossom.org
 http://libguides.stanford.edu/content.php?pid=17077
9&sid=1438250 (top CSR blogs ranked by Stanford
University)

34. Jaya.bohlmann@verizon.net
diana@downtowndc.org