Corporate

 Sponsorship  Case  Study:  

A  Conversation  with  Wholesome  Wave’s  Liz  Sheppard  
 
As  organizations  begin  to  look  beyond  traditional  grants  to  fund  their  programs,  many  are  exploring  
ways  to  garner  support  -­‐financial  or  otherwise  -­‐  from  corporations.  We  sat  down  with  Liz  Sheppard,  
our  Chief  Marketing  and  Development  Officer,  and  asked  her  to  share  some  insights  on  working  with  
corporate  sponsors  from  her  25  years  of  experience.    

Liz  Sheppard,  Chief  Marketing  and  Development  Officer,  Wholesome  Wave  

 
Liz  has  worked  in  the  non-­‐profit  and  for-­‐profit  sectors  
for  over  25  years,  creating  and  implementing  
marketing  and  sales/fundraising  strategies  that  raised  
significant  revenue  while  enhancing  brand  equity.    In  
addition,  she  has  led  PR  communications  efforts  for  
brands  such  as  Girl  Scouts  of  the  USA  (where  she  had  
to  wear  a  green  uniform  to  board  meetings!)  and  
Hallmark  Entertainment.  Most  recently,  Liz  was  the  
Interim  Chief  of  Development  at  ORBIS,  a  global  NGO  
working  to  prevent  blindness  in  the  developing  world.  
In  the  last  four  years,  her  efforts  helped  garner  over  
$25  million  in  cash  and  pledges  for  the  organization,  
and  over  $350  million  in  gifts-­‐in-­‐kind.  Liz  put  herself  
through  college  as  a  sous  chef.    She  lives  in  Southport,  
CT  with  her  daughter,  a  houseful  of  pets  and  a  large  
garden.
Liz  and    our  Founder  &  CEO,  Michel  

What  do  you  think  makes  an  organization  attractive  to  corporate  sponsors?  
 
Corporations  are  interested  in  giving  back  to  communities  as  well  as  generating  good  publicity.  
They  want  to  build  goodwill  within  the  communities  where  they  work,  and  to  build  trust  with  
community  leaders  and  federal  and  local  governments.  Your  organization’s  reputation  as  a  force  for  
good,  therefore,  is  crucial.    
 
Oversight  and  evaluation  are  very  important  to  corporate  sponsors.  The  ability  to  deliver  outcomes,  
show  good  output  to  input  ratios  and  keep  your  financial  house  in  order  will  make  you  more  
attractive.    
 What  internal  resources  are  required  to  build  and  manage  strong  relationships  with  corporations?

First  of  all,  you  need  someone,  like  an  executive  director,  who  could  make  the  marriage  happen.  It’s  
very  useful  to  have  someone  with  some  corporate  background  on  the  team,  since  an  understanding  
of  “corporate  speak”  can  help  you  better  communicate  with  potential  sponsors.

You’ll  then  need  a  grant  manager’s  time  to  report  on  outcomes,  and  a  point  person  -­‐  someone  who  
has  some  familiarity  with  your  program’s  operations  -­‐  to  manage  the  relationship  between  your  
organization  and  the  sponsor,  and  to  help  them  get  to  know  you  better.  

It’s  important  to  know  what  kind  of  

relationship  you  are  looking  to  
have  with  the  corporation:  are  you  
looking  for  a  one-­‐off  donation  or  
collaboration,  or  are  you  looking  to  

How  can  you  find  a  potential  

corporate  sponsor  whose  mission  
is  aligned  with  yours?

For  larger  corporations,  you  can  

often  find  this  information  on  their  
Naked  Juice’s  Pound  of  Good  Campaign  with  W holesome  Wave  
websites.  Take  a  look  at  their  goals,  
find  out  what  organizations  or  
projects  they  have  funded  in  the  past,  and  see  who  works  for  their  foundation.

For  smaller  corporations,  start  to  get  to  know  them  by  placing  a  call,  writing  them  a  letter,  or  paying  
their  local  office  a  visit.  Find  opportunities  to  network  in  person  when  you  can.

Corporations  often  have  social  responsibility  goals  that  non-­‐profit  organizations  can  help  them  
fulfill.  Look  for  companies  that  make  investments  in  the  U.S.,  particularly  ones  that  have  offices  in  
your  area.  Look  for  ones  already  invested  in  having  social  impact;  banks  are  particularly  interested  
in  this,  since  they  want  to  be  seen  as  a  resource  for  individuals  and  small  to  mid-­‐sized  businesses  in  
places  where  they  have  storefronts.  

What  is  the  biggest  challenge  for  organizations  pursuing  corporate  sponsors?

It  can  be  harder  for  smaller  organizations  to  attract  corporate  sponsors,  since  corporations  often  
look  for  scale.  This  is  why  it’s  important  to  present  a  good,  clear  vision  for  the  future.  It’s  also  
helpful  to  have  references  who  could  recommend  you  and  speak  on  your  behalf.

 
Say  you  have  landed  a  meeting  with  a  potential  sponsor.  What  are  the  next  steps?

Create  a  presentation  for  your  sponsor.  Tell  them  your  story:  Why  are  you  doing  this?  What  are  the  
problems  you  are  trying  to  solve?  How  are  you  solving  these  problems?  What  are  the  results  so  far?  
Who  else  is  supporting  your  program?

Demonstrate  your  value,  give  them  some  references  (e.g.  other  partner  organizations  or  corporate  
sponsors  you  work  with),  outline  your  vision  for  growth,  then  LISTEN.  Use  this  time  to  understand  
what’s  important  to  them.  

Never,  ever  ask  for  money  at  the  first  -­‐  or  even  second  -­‐  meeting.  Instead,  try  to  leave  with  another  
opportunity  to  connect  with  them,  be  it  another  meeting,  more  points  of  contact,  or  even  an  offer  
to  visit  a  market.

What  other  pieces  of  advice  would  you  give  to  organizations  looking  to  work  with  corporations?

Don’t  be  afraid  to  ask  for  help  or  advice.    People  are  very  interested  in  helping  one  another.  Try  
approaching  people  in  different  ways.  Go  to  someone  who’s  not  contributing  money  for  advice  -­‐  the  
important  thing  is  to  get  them  involved!    Don’t  ever  be  afraid  -­‐  it's  about  building  your  network  and  
keeping  it  close  to  you.

This  case  study  is  part  of  Wholesome  Wave’s  Working  Towards  Sustainability  series,  a  
compilation  of  resources  and  insights  shared  by  the  Partner  Sustainability  Working  Group  
convened  in  2012.