Thank you to Leontyne Anglin from Staging Executives for her exciting and interactive presentation highlighting corporate day of service events for non-profits.  Grants are a major source of funding for non-profits, but it is becoming more and more difficult to secure grant money and that money can take months to come in.  There is an untapped source of funding available through corporate entities.  By building strong partnerships with businesses, non-profits can enhance their funding while also promoting their mission and gaining new and enthusiastic volunteers and donors.

There are 5 simple and manageable steps when trying to develop a relationship with a corporate sponsor through a day-of-service project:

1. Determine your project scope
   • Start with 2 basic questions – Do we want to raise awareness of a local issue; Is there a larger problem we want to help tackle
   • Set aside at least 6 months to plan
   • Start with a manageable and simple project, such as a food drive or holiday gift drive, that can be completed in no more than 1 day
   • Determine responsibilities for the project before approaching a potential sponsor, such as what items or activities is the non-profit and corporate entity responsible for
   • Have a timeline for the project, including meetings and any preparatory work involved
   • Consider investing in a photographer to capture all aspects of the day-of-service, including a list of shots you would like before, during, and after the event
2. Conduct your research
   • Make sure to research which businesses best match the mission of your non-profit or the type of service project you wish to undertake
   • Look at company websites, especially their “Recent News/Events” or “Community/Giving/Volunteering” pages to get an exact sense of whether that company is a right fit for your organization – you are trying to identify a potential mutual benefit between your respective organizations to encourage a long-term partnership, including funding
   • Attempt to locate the contact person for that business, which may be listed on press releases
3. Assemble your team
   • Divide your team, if possible, into 1st sale and 2nd sale groups
     • 1st sale should make the pitch and meet with corporate decision makers
       • Include executive directors, visionaries, and strong communicators
       • Be upbeat and positive
     • 2nd sale should lead the implementation
       • Include project managers and board volunteers
       • Be detail oriented, have strong project management skills, and be relationship builders
4. Implement your project
   • Pitch the project in a concise email (1st team) and then set up conference call to go over more details (2nd team); attempt to secure a site visit
   • In subsequent meetings (have a standing meeting date/time), provide an overview of the project, including individual project teams and clearly review all roles and responsibilities
   • Day of the event
     • arrive 90 minutes early to make sure things are set up and your people are comfortable in their roles
     • Start on time and with a motivational welcome speech
     • Take pictures of the group early on or at lunch to ensure you get the most people possible
     • Grab video testimonials before people leave to share via social media or at an event with your organization – make sure to invite the corporate sponsor to the event!
5. Post-event follow up
   • Send thank you message within 24-48 hours
   • Invite the volunteers to future events without asking them for anything, including money

You can download a copy of the presentation at https://www.njstatelib.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Corporate-Day-of-Service.pdf.  For more information on this as well as other topics related to non-profits, please contact Leontyne Anglin at stagingexecs@gmail.com or 856-449-7763.