Where Can .Orgs Go For Sponsorship? 5
Greasy311 asks: "A group of people from #windowmaker on irc.openprojects.net have just registered to run a booth for windowmaker.org at the .org pavillion of the Linux World Conference and Expo in New York City. We have been thinking of ideas for some type of giveaway and would like to do business card sized CDs with a tour and information about Window Maker, themeing, and graphical documentation on it's use, as well as some basic utilities so it could be used as a bootable rescue disk. To us, this is something that is very usefull as well as a way of gettin Window Maker some exposure. But the problem is we have no way of paying for the media and packaging. How should we go about finding sponsorship to help us with funds?"
"Sponsorship" can be a difficult word (Score:1)
It may help you - a lot, even, depending on circumstances - to remove the word "sponsorship" from your pitch language. From my own experience, the most overriding reason for this is the number of (extra) hurdles you may face in approaching any company of size for what is - more often than not - an exchange of money for tied exposure, which in my book is advertising.
From your question, it seems as if you are effectively thinking about creating publicity products for the Expo - and desirable ones at that. Pencil in the positions on the media you plan to produce, group this list with the demographics from the Expo exhibitors blurb, a bullish pro points list for Windowmaker (home environment, work environment, productivity increases whatever) and a few juicy quotes from the mainstream media about Linux.
Voila - Media Pack.
Now pricing is a different matter, but a very very rough ballpark would be to start with the price for a full page full colour advert in any programem or visitors guide to the expo, and work on a multiple of that. Even if you look to be expensive, once you've worked on the cost of your media and screen prinitng logos or whatever else you plan, you can argue value add from e.g. value of your media vehicle over time (user reloads windowmaker on several systems), possibilitty for reuse or archive, novelty, heightening public interest in anything GUI related. Make up the list as you go along.
Get this all together in your head and call a likely target company. Do not call and ask for a sponsorship manager unless you want to be involved in a long drawn out set of meetings tryign to show how your organisation's values, history et.c. fit so beautifully with your prospects. Take it from me this is an agonising waste of time if you can actually write down a convincing product argument inside say 6 main letter pages + appendices and send this to someone by fax. Also, try to pitch someone who is not mainline advertising or marketing. Most of the ad market works on schedules to assist bulk buys of established regular products (magazines, whatever) and there is burocrasy there to make you weep. Try to find a sales director or product manager rather than those who probably just place the ads to spec. This is especially important if your time is valuable to you.
You say you would have a problem paying for media and packaging. Now most major publications charge a hefty cancellation fee for any advertising, even to their best accounts. This is because it is practically impossible to caluculate the price fo an unsold page of advertising (there be lots of nasty option math in there, but i'm not sure the publishers even think about that). The bulk of advertising costs exist within the selection, placement process and people recognise that. So when you make a sale it is expected to be firm, and you are not expected to swallow the costs is the buyer runs. If you have never dealt with a customer before it is quite normal to demand advance payment, mayeb in full, possibly at least half inside 14 days of the order beign signed. If your customer complains, think this through and reput the arguments. If you ar eoperating through a limited liability vehicle with fresh incorporation or a low Dunn and Bradstreet rating, have these arguments at the ready and practised, since even if the person who signs the paperwork with you is cool, it is normal for credit control and payment to get their look in, sometimes even try to renegotiate prices, when they get the work flow for payment. Be calm, be firm, reel in the deal.
Maybe this is my last thought for now (unless you have something specific you want to know else, in which case post below) but : Pitching for the business is fun or can be made so. Getting it home every time makes for early baldness. Trust me, I know. Hope this bald guy was useful to you today.
DVD cases (Score:3)
AOL gives away DVD cases, which seem like fun. (Though I miss the free floppies.) It sounds silly, but maybe you could sell advertising space on DVD cases.
Why you are a .org booth.... (Score:2)
There needs to be a broker... (Score:3)
Need money.... (Score:2)
try Banner ads(Like /. did). /. traffic is not going to be much of a problem.
The more traffic you get the more money you make, and because you are already on
BTW: I think these things sound way cool.
If I post a link to your page on mine will you send me one?
--
Spelling by m-w.com [m-w.com].