Sponsorship in action!

Update! I’m now well into my internship and am finally getting a good idea of what Dine for Life is all about. Knowing the core ideas, values and purpose of the organisation is very important in public relations. Working in non-for-profit also poses some challenges but is also immensely rewarding.

The past few weeks I have been putting my gift bag pitch into practice, which has been daunting, terrifying but very satisfying. After practicing reading and saying the pitch to fellow co-workers, I made my first phone call to a local brand I thought would be appropriate for Dine for Life’s goodie bags whilst also be open to the idea of donating 250 individual products to a charity. I tried to be as confident as possible but quickly became nervous when the company began asking questions I wasn’t sure I knew the answers to. Knowing exactly what your organisation needs, why they need it and what we can offer the contributing company was essential to securing a sponsor.

After modifying and correcting my pitch I continued with phone calls. Because Dine for Life is 100% non-for-profit, meaning everyone is a volunteer and we cannot offer any money to our sponsors, the work can be quite difficult as you do not hold much power, when establishing relationships. After several bad responses, begging and pleading for sponsorship can be quite disappointing. Then finally success! After much persistence and pitching the ‘yes’’ started to roll in. My fellow events intern Sonja and I acquired five gift bag sponsors for Perth and six for the Melbourne event which we are also working on. The products are local, gourmet and artisan foods that align with Dine for Life’s purpose and mission.

When pitching to these sponsors, I had to explain what we could offer their company in terms of public relations benefits. I stated that each organisation had the opportunity to showcase their product to a wide demographic including; the hospitality industry; corporates; top chefs from 10 of Melbourne’s most prestigious restaurants; a number of media personalities as well as the general public. I also said that Dine for Life is a well-recognised charity across Australia and their brand will gain exposure through print and social media.

So far acquiring sponsorship has been both daunting and very rewarding. I have learnt that it is very important to knowing the core ideas, values and purpose of an organisation and that working for a non-for-profit can be difficult as you have little leverage and not a lot to offer.

Until next time,

Siobhan Herne

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