Details
Intercultural inclusion through social entrepreneurship
Introduction

Introduction

Photo by olia danilevich from Pexels
Photo by olia danilevich from Pexels

Successful fundraising depends on effective communication, i.e.  you need to let the world know of your cause to be able to attract funds. However, make sure to identify people who will find value in your idea and will be willing to participate. If you are not a financial expert (and it is totally OK if you are not) try to get some financial advice from a professional who would be aware of the best ways to attract sponsors to sponsor your idea of creating social events for migrants/asylum-seekers from your regions in order to showcase their culture, traditions, talents and strengths.

Sponsors offset the costs of hosting a large event and are often integral in pulling off the event. The sponsors usually benefit by helping out the community and getting their names out into the public. The key to a successful sponsorship is finding a business that aligns with your efforts and values. You also need to establish a mutually beneficial relationship so the businesses want to support your event.

Here are some important steps to consider when looking for sponsors:

  • Review the purpose of the event you are organising – think about the types of businesses/investors that align with that purpose and your main mission. For example, if you are planning to organise an event in the form of an international cooking day for migrants, make sure to include in your list of potential sponsors local restaurants or hotels that rent event halls.
  • Identify the benefits for the sponsors so you have something to attract them – For example, think about printing their logo on promotional materials, announcing the names of the sponsors during the event and/or printing their name in press releases and advertisements for the event.
  • Make sure to communicate to potential sponsors the main objectives of your event and why you are holding it – Besides, explain why you need sponsors and how they will contribute to holding the event.
  • Network your own acquaintances – spread the word that you are looking for sponsors in case anyone you know has a lead on a possible sponsor. For example, your neighbour might be related to the manager of a restaurant that is willing to support you by providing you with an event hall for free.

Task

Task

Photo by Sora Shimazaki from Pexels
Photo by Sora Shimazaki from Pexels

As you can already imagine, communication and meetings with people are integral part of the process leading to the realization of your idea. When looking for sponsorships, it is more important than ever to be able to present and defend your idea in the best possible way. Therefore, your task in this part of the quest will be to create an “action plan” that will help you in the not easy task of finding a sponsor.

You will be able to find detailed instructions on how to execute your task in the next "Process" section.

Process

Process

In order to be able to execute your task properly, we strongly recommend you to go through the following steps:

  • Once you have identified the sponsors you would like to attract for the organisation of your event, start researching their work in order to find out if their missions align with yours. Make a list of companies/organisations that might be a perfect match, including with their contact details.
  • Prepare an official letter/e-mail to be sent to each of the identified potential sponsors – keep it short and straight to the point. Present yourself, your idea, how do you see the sponsor would be involved in it, and indicate what the benefits would be for them getting involved in your endeavour. Be confident and try to convince the person reading your letter that participating in your idea will be worth it.
  •  Once you have received a positive response that some of the sponsors are interested in your idea and they want to have a meeting in person with you in order to discuss the details and conditions before giving you their final decision, you should start preparing for the meeting. The standard preparation for this type of meeting would include the following: preparation of visual presentation of the exact idea you have, creation and presentation of a draft agenda for the event you are planning to organise, specific involvement of the sponsor and breakdown of tasks.
  • Finally, make sure to share everything important and “put all cards on the table”. Remember that fair communication is the way to good cooperation!

 
Conclusion

Conclusion

Good communication is key to successful partnerships. To be able to attract sponsors to invest and support your ideas might be challenging, but at the end, it will be for sure rewarding. 

Make sure to engage with the right people, i.e. find those potential organisations/entities/individuals who are operating in the same sphere in which your idea is. If you plan to organise an event in the form of an international cooking day for migrants in order to support them and showcase their cultural background and positive traits, make sure to contact managers of various restaurants or owners of event halls for rent.

Prepare yourself to present your idea in the best possible way – you can even create an elevator pitch in advance in order to be ready to surprise the person standing in front of you.

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Competence Area 1: IDEAS & OPPORTUNITIES
  • 1.6) I can experiment with different techniques to generate alternative solutions to problems, using available resources in an effective way.
Competence Area 2: RESOURCES
  • 2.10) I can experiment with different combinations of resources to turn my ideas into action.
  • 2.12) I can discuss the need for investing time in different value-creating activities.
  • 2.21) I can use various methods, including social media, to communicate value-creating ideas effectively.
Competence Area 3: INTO ACTION
  • 3.5) I can create an action plan which identifies the necessary steps to achieve my goals.
  • 3.16) I can work with a range of individuals and teams.
  • 3.21) I can reflect on my interaction with others (including peers and mentors) and learn from it.

Resources