Developing a Sponsorship Proposal

Sometimes when you enter an organisation you find that you have no idea what you’re doing, how you got there and if you should even stay. Other times you find that you seem to slip right in place and have been there for years. Becoming a part of the team at Harvey’s Cureageous Pride as a new organisation has been a valuable experience allowing me to integrate smoothly amongst the new staff. Being only a small of team of four, I’ve been able to feel as though I can collaborate comfortably with all staff members.

Harvey’s Cureageous Pride is a non-for-profit organisation that raises money in support of childhood cancer research. The main two organisations that they support are the Childhood Cancer Institute of Australia and The Telethon Kids Institute here in Perth. The main event for the organisation is a 300km walk from Augusta to Perth.  As a charity the organisation relies on the contributions and efforts of the walkers who register to raise money for the cause, however in order to deliver a successful and professional event sponsorship is vital.

As a new organisation still under development, Harvey’s Cureageous Pride had little background information to provide to the enquiring public with only a small description on the organisations website and a fact sheet to email to those who wished to learn more. The organisation required the development of several public relation principles in order to increase their community awareness.

Being only the second year that the organisation has been operating it allowed me to openly and comfortably express the knowledge that I have developed throughout my time studying my degree in public relations. One of the first tasks that I recommended the organisation undertake was to develop a sponsorship proposal, which they welcomed openly.

I was allowed free range in my research into sponsorship proposals and packages for the organisation. I compared proposals developed from other similar not-for-profit organisations such as Varity and the Glass Slipper Ball. The head of the organisation approved the final documentation that I had developed. It was really rewarding receiving the approval of the head of the organisation, knowing that I was able to provide a key document that was successfully used in acquiring sponsors for the organisation and can be further developed and used in the future.  The organisation received a $5 000 contribution using the sponsorship proposal which I developed from our sponsor Fence Wright. They now have an existing relationship with this organisation and can be used not only to further gain momentum for this years walk but will provide credibility to the organisations cause for other future potential sponsors.

Communication - It's All About Our Relationships

What works best for the organization?

This is a question that comes up regularly as I continue my placement at Therapy Focus.

Everything communicated whether on paper or online comes down to what is the most essential.

The thing that surprised me the most about Therapy Focus is how broad the communications department really is. They deal with everything from Public Relations to Marketing and even a bit of Advertising.

 

Regular communication with families who use our services is very important.

We work with families who have children with a disability, so it is important to keep in contact with them.

Through the Therapy Focus website, its Facebook page and e-newsletter, we are able to maintain a strong personal relationship with them all.

It's all about "inclusion", "participation" and "communication".

 

What I have learned from this is that there is a  strong emphasize that is placed on the communication style. For example, never making children with a disability feel singled out. Studying PR for the last three years and learning how to effectively target your audience to convey the message, is a skill that I have mastered. But that does not mean its perfect.


Until next time,

Maria Nabankema
15508764.

 

 

 

 

 

Over and Out!

As my final week as an Intern at Tourism Council WA approaches, I’ve taken ten minutes out my busy day to reflect on my key learnings and observations of the PR industry, Tourism industry and non-for-profit industry!

The PR industry can be summarised in three words:-

1. Fast-paced                     2. Global                              3. Social

The reason behind my choice of these words is that the story you saw on the 6am news before work is now old news, and the 1pm update is your new focus. PR professionals are required to look ahead, source new stories and be innovative. The second, global, denotes the fact that EVERYTHING is available online and within a matter of minutes has reached a global scale. Last week saw the PR crisis happen with Blackmilk clothing over a social media post! And social … because the industry relies on WHO you know, WHO you can get to comment and WHO you can rely on to get coverage of your story.

A key finding of the Tourism industry is its collaborative nature. Despite the inevitable existence of competitors, the Tourism Industry’s success and growth relies on industry working closely with government, and governments being encouraged to support industry in return. TCWA are advocates of coordination and communication between all stakeholders of the Tourism Industry.

As for the non-for-profit industry, financial constraints control everything, and therefore the power of free PR tools come into play! Blogging, social media, newsletters, media releases and launch events are just a few of the tactics I’ve witnessed first-hand that have minimal cost to an organisation conscious of their spending.  

Interning straight out of studying has effectively shown how topics you research and write endless essays about are implemented in a real-life environment and really assists in giving you an understanding of the ins and outs of PR!

As for PR tactics, my internship truly gave me a first-hand experience on writing media releases, preparing newsletters, creating consumer marketing proposals, liaising with clients, writing privacy policies and developing a corporate style guide for enforcement of the brand.

Can’t wait to begin my PR career and complete more interns in the future!

Olivia Buck Intern @ Tourism Council WA