Corporate Fundraising –Pitching to Win

Pitching to WinCourse Objectives

• Understand company viewpoint • Be able to develop & negotiate appropriate packages • Practise pitching • Be better able to handle meetings and negotiations

3 key questions

• What do you need?

• What can you offer?

• What are you good at?

Volunteers

Younger donors

Cheap premises

Increased profile

Supported

employment

opportunities

Unrestricted

income

Access/introductions

to business sector

New legacy

prospects

More men accessing your

services

Legal expertise

Better public transport to

your services

Call centre services

What are companies looking for?

• Good PR

• Overcome negative PR

• Celebrity involvement

• Endorsement

• Recognition

• Motivate & reward staff, customers, consumers

• Volunteering opps

• Help recruitment

• Reduce costs

• Improve safety

What are companies looking for?

• Improve or enhance image

• Change image

• Develop new skills

• Build understanding

• Networking

• Expertise

• Increased sales

• Increased profitability

• Give something back

• Licence to operate

What are companies looking for?

• Competitive advantage

• To stand out from competitors

• Not to be left out

• Recognition

Corporate benefits

• Benefits can be wide ranging – vital to highlight all of them

• Recognize & value your offering – DON’T undersell

• Don’t offer everything to everyone

• Don’t oversell – always underpromise & over deliver

Why might a company support you ?

• Policy

• Peer pressure (so find their peers)

• PR

• People (staff, customers, stakeholders)

• Profit

• Shared values or objectives

Policy

• Can be found on websites/directories

• If you can demonstrate you fit - great!

• Policies are a guide to giving but not definitive

• Only large companies tend to have them

Peer Pressure

• Get the right person to ask

• “Everyone else is doing it”

• or “X is doing it”

• Gives reassurance (and fear factor if don’t)

• Who are peers? Geographic, personal and sector

PR

• Even if not overtly sought usually welcome

• Media partner great idea

• What support can you offer ?

• Celebrity support

• Never promise PR

• Consider different audiences

• Keep control/approval

People

• Attract, retain, reward employees

• Think about longer term involvement

• Volunteering - esp. team challenges are v popular and may be essential

• Customers - is there a fit, mutual interest?

• Other stakeholders (e.g local govt, shareholders, even other charity partners)

Profit• Increase sales (new markets & customers

(donors, service users, your suppliers, could they become a supplier?)

• Improve reputation

• Change perception (foreign vs. Scottish, Glasgow vs. London, staid vs. innovative, inward looking vs. outward looking, dirty vs. clean)

• Advertising/product placement

• Reduce costs

Shared values/objectives

• Giving children the best start in life

• Promoting health

• Supporting communities in which they operate

• International focus

• Developing new customer markets

• Sustainability

• Care for the environment

• Commitment to fair trade and supporting developing world

• Faith (partnership/private companies rather than public)

What companies need• Hygiene factors

• Establish your credentials (endorsements)

• Financially sound

• Able to deliver

• No negative PR

• One point of contact

• A case to sell internally

• Do their work for them

• Make proposals easy to distribute

• Show them what is in it for them

• Make it individual

Developing packages

• Meet both partners’ objectives

• Appeal to target audience

• Be simple & easy to understand

• Have integral charity element

• Be achievable & financially viable

• Be timely

• Be legal & honest

Why do we research companies?

• To find companies who might give us money

– who we should ask

– for how much

– when

• To find sponsors

• To find corporate members

• To find volunteers

• Gifts in kind

• CRM Partners

Why do we research companies?• But also to find potential :

– Event participants

– Payroll givers

– Private donors

– Corporate foundations

– Work placements (e.g. homeless, disabled)

– Friends and ambassadors within the business community

– Find people who might support our cause

Why do we research companies?• To make people listen and want to find

out more

• I’m calling you because... I’m writing to you because...I’d like to meet you because...

Other reasons doors may open• Anniversaries (read packet labels)

• Moving to new areas (read job pages)

• New CEO - need for showcase event

• Death of key employee

• Personal involvement of staff (volunteers and beneficiaries e.g. Zurich)

• New company launch (e.g.KFI)

• Takeovers - especially foreign

• Renewable energy projects often have community fund

• Factory/site closedown etc etc…!

Once the door is open

Keep researching

• Sales literature, staff magazines, notice boards

• Use the meeting or phone call profitably...

• Open questionnaire

Brainstorms• Right environment

• Food & drink

• Ground rules laid down

• Positive atmosphere

• Clear objectives – no agenda

• Balance of people

• Not dominated by one person

• Scribe – use people’s own words

• No judgement at first

Network Rail Pitch

• Wednesday 10.30am

• 15 minutes max per group

• Everyone to participate

• Pitch an idea for a mutually beneficial corporate partnership

Your pitch should cover

• The idea

• How you see it working

• Your rationale for the idea

• Benefits to both sides

• Named charity partner

• No powerpoint

Pitching• Know who you are pitching to – best team?

• Tailor it to the company

• Establish decision making criteria in advance

• Decide on messages before visuals

• Paint pictures as well as giving facts

• Gimmicks & jokes can backfire

• Check for special needs

• Leave behinds?

• Rehearse frequently and time it

• Leave AV to end

Making the approach

• The most important word…

BECAUSE

• Talk in terms of the other person’s interest

The sales process (from Dale Carnegie & Associates)

1. Find new opportunities

2. Pre approach

3. Initial communication

4. Interview

5. Opportunity analysis

6. Solution development

7. Solution presentation

8. Customer evaluation

9. Negotiation

10. Commitment

11. Follow up

Making the approach

Successful approaches

Don’t sell too soon

Use referrals

Have clear objectives & share them

Build credibility

First 10 words

Why people buyPrimary interest

Other considerationsBuying criteria

Dominant buying motive

Questioning Process

As is

Should be

Barriers

Payout

Making the approach

• Research is important –

but so is asking

Charity of Year 2009-10

• Primary beneficiary to be Edinburgh or Glasgow based i.e. local to either office

• The charity must have opportunities available for staff and supporters to volunteer time via practical help, pro bono work etc., rather than requiring financial assistance only

• Staff must have the opportunity to get involved in working with the charity via fundraising events, team building exercises

• The charity should be focused on people rather than animals

• The charity must be willing to work with TM in a proactive fashion, participating in TM led events, publicity and sponsorship opportunities

• The funds raised should show tangible benefits i.e. funding a minibus, providing renovation costs for a youth centre etc.

Negotiation

No can mean;

• No - not now

• No - you’re asking for too much

• No - you’re not asking for enough

• No - I’m not the right person to ask

• No - I don’t want you to ask me

• No - that’s not quite right

• No - absolutely not

Negotiation – top tips

• If the fee reduces so do benefits

• Ensure you have the authority

• Role of LIMit

• Try to grade & value your benefits