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I was about town the other day pounding the pavement,
distributing Corporate Sponsorship packets for an organization's
upcoming Disco Inferno for which I am the Chair.Truth be known,
I am a disco diva at heart and this event happens to be my
brainstorm. I love disco. I listen to disco while I work and
drive. I even have a funkadelic sticker that says 'Disco Diva".
And, if you watched the opening ceremonies for the Winter
Olympics--- you know that each country walked into the stadium
to a 70's disco tune.
Anyway, I made sure I called local companies before visiting
them to introduce the event and give them a packet, as a
courtesy. I stopped into one and spoke with the general manager.
Merely glancing over the 'really nice packet', and with no
questions about the event, number of people expected to come, or
sponsorship benefits for companies... he dismissed the event. He
said he must get 50 calls a day for giving. That he gives 'quite
a bit' locally and he just can give to everything.
Well, I do understand that companies get numerous calls. I don't
know about 50 a day?! But, my question to him was, while I
understood his situation, "What was his return on ALL that
giving?" Understand, goodwill is a great benefit to companies
and they want to give back too. His daughter is a Brownie and he
helps them--- but that shouldn't be about company giving. He can
open up his own personal check book for that! If their giving is
based on a first-come, first-serve; or if their giving is based
on doing it the easy way---- give to what we gave to last year;
or if their giving is based on one person's solo decision---
then for sure--- their giving is nothing more than a deep well
that goes dry before 6 months in to their budget year and no
bottom line results are seen as a part of giving.
I hear this scenario ALL THE TIME! Company giving is about
goodwill. It is also very much about brand, impact, product or
service delivery, employees and the bottom-line. People squirm
when I say this. But it is the "makuto"--- the truth that
everyone know but speaks nothing of. ( this is a Fijian word and
I LOVE IT!)
Next time you are asked to contribute to an event or cause, ask
yourself---How does this align with my company's business
interests?
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