Fund raisers

Hi , its ok Im not after anyone,s money, but is there anyone on the site that has any experience of raising money for organisations ? My kids play in a marching band they,ve been very sucessful over the last two seasons but are running on donations from parents and we need some sponsorship from buisnesses to help us survive. So if anyone has any experience of raising a bit of dosh , would you pm me please.
Thanks
Stew

justgiving.com is a good start. Important to note they take 5% of donations and are a for-profit ran company, but the ease and simplicity tends to attract more than 5% more than you would otherwise.

Not so sure on getting direct sponsorship from firms and the like I'm afraid. Spam the local business park?

What you need is a local smallish business, but that's growing, that is looking for a suitable organisation to sponsor. We were looking for ages for a suitable group to sponsor - are now supporting Shrewsbury Young Performers' Choir. It doesn't cost much, but we get our name in their programmes and also in the paper. Plus, they're a charity so it's tax efficient. If you offer someone exclusivity then you're a better catch. Do a mailshot - stress all the positives that you offer kids, and all the publicity you can offer to a sponsor. Do remember that for a sponsor, sponsorship is all about a feel good factor, and a positive image. 'Would we want to be associated with such and such' etc.

Cheers Matt and Ed, thanks for the advice will have a look into it

Had another thought, as Ed says, you want smallish businesses (large ones just get bombarded with requests and have layers of marketing departments to wade through), someone big enough to rent their own cow shed (or half a shed) on the business park, you know, with like a single part time marketing person or something.

Anyway, be specific in the request rather than just a generic request for money. Something like "could you provide sponsorship for our uniforms/trombones etc." Even go down to the nitty gritty like "we've found this local firm that'll provide thirty uniforms for £600 with the phrase 'Sponsored by Honest Ed & Partners' emblazoned across the chest, or if you have your own preferred marching band uniform supplier* we'd be happy to go with that"

* Guessing that Honest Ed might have his own preferred supplier of marching band uniforms

when i was in the flying gunners we was sponsored by Kawasaki, Mer, Alpine windows, Wurth and Acerbis, all the offers was made after approaching them we had to obviously advertise there logo's but we got all the bikes given and loads of tools an goodies maybe you could ask a instrument manufacturer, ie Yamaha, Pearl, GHS, Hohner, your more likely to be sponsored by someone who is in the Field of music

Originally Posted by MiniMatt

Had another thought, as Ed says, you want smallish businesses (large ones just get bombarded with requests and have layers of marketing departments to wade through), someone big enough to rent their own cow shed (or half a shed) on the business park, you know, with like a single part time marketing person or something.

Anyway, be specific in the request rather than just a generic request for money. Something like "could you provide sponsorship for our uniforms/trombones etc." Even go down to the nitty gritty like "we've found this local firm that'll provide thirty uniforms for £600 with the phrase 'Sponsored by Honest Ed & Partners' emblazoned across the chest, or if you have your own preferred marching band uniform supplier* we'd be happy to go with that"

* Guessing that Honest Ed might have his own preferred supplier of marching band uniforms

You're not far off. We actually approached SYPC to ask if they needed sponsorship. They jumped at it - specifically to buy matching sweaties for the choir. They were very reasonable in their request, embarrassed almost, as they don't like asking for money. In return we get free advertising - most significantly, it's increased brand awareness.

Slight sidetrack Ed, up your neck of the woods I know of a rugby team in Oswestry that was looking around, I *think* they may be sorted for now but I can find out.

(despite being of diminutive proportions, throw me a rugby ball and you'd be suprised how bloody fast I can run if there's a field of 20 stone gorillas chasing me )

our problem is that we dont play comps locally, a typical season being a comp in july in Batley, then 3 comps in sept in Upton upon Severn, gloucerstershire, Stafford and Hickley in Leicestershire so a local sponsor wont get the benefit of local advertising, everything is miles away unforunately. Also the big instrument manafacturers would rather sponsor the Div 1 teams, and if you saw there standards you could hardly blame them,so yesterday one team arrived in a brand new Volvlo FL6 with Premier, Remo, Vic Furth and several other big names down the side of a purpose built truck and we turned up in an old bread van. Still we won div 2 with an old bread van and a lot of hard work and with some of our kids still are in primary school as well. Thanks for all the advice btw it,s very much appreciated.
Stew

www.cheshirecadets.org
have a look

you might get around the issue of not performing locally if you can arrange to get into your local paper a few times a year (obvously with mention/pics of sponsor!), thus generating local coverage.

Getting press coverage is another prob to solve, but if you target local papers/radio stations and make it easy for them (e.g supply pics and a good 'story' with a feelgood angle) they will be more likely to include something on the band.