Let’s Create Corporate Un-Sponsorship.
Take away the transactions and we leave meaningful gifts with huge value. It might just be a better way…
Commercial and Corporate Sponsorship is a transactional thing. You trade X for Y and we all assume it’s the best way to go.
Sponsor my event. Gold Sponsor package £x. Here’s what you get…
It’s a bit staid.
What if there was a better way to do it – a way that created far more value for both the sponsoring organisation and the sponsor, opened conversation and created opportunities?
That’s why I developed Un-Sponsorship.
A better way of making great things possible.
Here’s how it works…
Let’s assume I’m organising an event (it could be a project, piece of research, or anything else). I need to raise funds to make that event happen. Let’s say it’s going to cost me £10,000. If I had £10,000 that would be everything I need to put this event on.
Look at that a different way.
Of that £10k, some of it will go towards paying for tangible things. So actually, what I need is £10k worth of items, goods, services and other things… one of those things being money.
Your organisation has one or more of those things at your disposal, it could be a venue, it could be a service, it could be printing… it could be a budget.
You also think that what I’m doing fits in well with your organisation’s message, ambition… or, you just like the idea.
What if you gave me that thing as a gift?
A New Dynamic
By gifting me something I need, you contribute to making my event happen to the best of your organisation’s ability to do so, or in line with the value you put on it going ahead.
You’ve given me something – this is no longer a transaction.
By removing the transaction X for Y relationship, you’ve now unleashed what I can do for you in return.
In enabling my event to happen, you’ve created immense value for me and given me an amazing gift. I’d like to reciprocate. Sure, I’m happy to put your logo on the website and some banners, but there’s more I can do than that…
More Valuable Reciprocation
As an individual (likely attached to an organisation), my whole skill and service set is now available to you, on top of the more standard sponsorship rewards. What if instead of crediting you as a sponsor, we conduct a piece of work together that results in an article, report, video or white paper for your organisation? Let’s do an amazing project, create some insights, stimulate some buzz! Now that’s far more valuable.
It’s also more fun, more genuine, more rewarding… and more commercially valuable.
If we turn this into a 2-way gift giving relationship, what used to be a mundane sponsorship arrangement suddenly offers vastly more value, opportunity and potential.
Why aren’t we doing it?
#unsponsorship
Un-Sponsorship in a Nutshell
- I need this – how can you help?
- You’ve given me a gift – I’d love to reciprocate!
- Here’s what I can offer – what do you need?
- How can we work together?
Next Steps
I’m using All About People to test and refine the Un-Sponsorship idea — you can read about my plans here. I’m also working on an idea to gamify it, so the process of finding potential Un-Sponsors becomes more fun.
