Marketing Sponsorships
One of my greatest joys is creating for-profit + nonprofit marketing sponsorships. These “Marketing Marriages” have made life better for more than 100 million people. They have raised more than $40 million for nonprofits. And they have generated hundreds of million of dollars in equity value for corporations and their investors.
Successful nonprofit sponsor partnerships involve much more than the for-profit partner just writing a check (although that is still an important part of the relationship). The fact is, many for-profit companies are eager to sponsor nonprofits because, while for-profits struggle to capture customer hearts and minds . . . nonprofits do that every day. It is a natural outcome of their work.
Following are a few snapshots of partnerships that I have proudly created.
American Humane
The American Humane Association has been protecting children and animals from abuse and neglect for more than a century. I enjoyed the privilege of working with them to develop several successful fundraising partnerships. Read more
Be Kind To Animals
I partnered American Humane with the Purina PetCare Company and the Friskies brand to create the Be Kind to Animals early education program and shared it with teachers and students in more than 1,000 classrooms nationwide.
The Very Best Pet Network
In an effort to save the lives of the millions of pets euthanized every year, we partnered with Purina PetCare Company, Walmart, canine movie star Benji and 2,500 local animal welfare organizations to create the first nation wide shelter animal adoption program.
American Humane’s marketing marriages with Purina PetCare Company and Walmart generated more than $2.5 million in pro-bono services and program funding and $500,000 in private donations. During the first year, the program reached 100 million Americans and resulted in local adoptions that saved the lives of more than 125,000 pets.
American Humane – Animal Planet Rescue
Concurrent with developing the Be Kind to Animals and Very Best Pet Network programs, we forged an extensive partnership with Discovery Network’s Animal Planet channel. Together, we developed a program centered on rescuing animals in natural disasters. Professional animal care participants established a wide variety of battle tested rescue best practices. The American Humane – Animal Planet Rescue program attracted more than $6 million in grant funding and donations.
Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Working to re-energize Frank Lloyd Wright’s legacy of sustainable architecture, I created fundraising partnerships with First Solar and Osram-Sylvania. Working with these world class manufacturers of sustainable energy technology, we provided them with an opportunity to demonstrate their products at Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright’s historic architectural laboratory.
These marketing marriages provided the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation with $2.0 million of sustainable energy products. And, the installed products reduced Taliesin West’s annual energy bills by more than $100,000. Read more
Cripple Creek Colorado
Working with the City of Cripple Creek, I created a branding, special events and advertising program titled Cripple Creek – The World’s Greatest Gold Camp.
The program involved fundraising partnerships that encompassed the Cripple Creek City government and two dozen casinos and tourist attractions. We produced an extensive calendar of special events and promoted them through aggressive TV, radio and digital advertising.
The World’s Greatest Gold Camp program increased tourism and casino patronage by more than 100,000 visitors and historic preservation funding by more than $500,000 during its first year. Read more
Navajo Tourism
Working with the Navajo Nation, I created marketing marriages that promoted the new San Juan Marina on Lake Powell. The first marriage was with Goulding’s Lodge in nearby Monument Valley and additional marriages included radio stations in feeder markets. These marketing marriages generated radio advertising and promotional activities valued at more than $400,000 during the marina’s first season. Read more
Need A Marketing Sponsorship?
It goes without saying that every marketing marriage comes with at least a few devils in the details. If your organization is interested in a marketing marriage, I would be honored to provide a little prenuptial counseling. Please contact me.
