Guest Post by Lori Zoss Kraska, MBA, CFRE Founder & CEO of Growth Owl, LLC
Recently, I had the pleasure of hosting a webinar with Michelle Brien, CMO at Matchbox, where we dove into how digital initiatives can help associations and nonprofits unlock new sponsorship opportunities and grow revenue. From getting started to experimenting with more advanced strategies, we discussed how even small steps can make a big impact. If you missed the session, you can catch the recording here.
The key takeaways from our conversation offer practical insights on how your organization can harness the power of digital initiatives to foster deeper relationships with sponsors, drive engagement, and ultimately increase revenue.
How to get started with digital sponsorships
The beauty of digital sponsorships is that they don’t need to be overly complex to be effective and that even for associations just getting started, there are simple ways to incorporate sponsorship into your digital activities. When considering where to start with creating new revenue-generating digital initiatives or adding sponsorship options to existing initiatives, it’s important to ensure that the sponsorship activity is functional, informational, engaging, and fosters connection or action with your members and stakeholders. It’s also essential to establish guidelines to ensure that any new sponsorship opportunities align with and support your mission and respect any rules that your organization must adhere to.
Here are a few low-effort, high-value opportunities that can help you get started:
- Email and Newsletter Sponsorships: Email remains one of the most direct ways to reach your members, and sponsors love getting their brand in front of an engaged audience. A simple inclusion in your newsletter or a sponsored email promoting upcoming events is a great way to offer value to sponsors without reinventing the wheel.
- Social Media Shoutouts: Social platforms are powerful tools for connecting with your members, and a thank-you post for your sponsors can be an effective way to showcase their support. Consider creating a spotlight post highlighting how a sponsor’s product or service directly aligns with your members’ needs and linking to the sponsor’s website to make this a more valuable option for sponsors.
- Pre-roll Spotlights in Webinars: If your organization already hosts webinars, you can easily tap into these for sponsorship potential. Offering pre-roll ads or inviting sponsors to welcome members and introduce the webinar content is an easy way to extend your sponsorship offering for sponsors in a way that puts them directly in front of members and offers more value.
At Growth Owl, we’ve seen how these seemingly simple steps can lead to long-term partnerships and increased sponsor investment over time. Michelle shared some great advice that Matchbox gives their clients, which is when getting started with revenue-generating digital initiatives, the important thing is to look for the ‘win-wins.’ The most successful strategic initiatives try to find the fit between answering a need for your members and providing value to your sponsors. If you can identify the desired outcomes for all your stakeholders and find the balance between need and value, then you’re already on the path to creating a successful digital initiative.
When you’re ready to explore more enhanced sponsorship engagement, a vendor showcase is a good first step for many reasons.
The Vendor Showcase: A Game-Changer for Sponsorship Revenue
One of the most exciting topics we discussed was the potential of a Vendor Showcase. This is an online event where your members can explore products and services from your sponsors in real time. Vendor showcases provide a way to engage and highlight sponsors and industry partners outside of exhibiting at the annual meeting and offer sponsors valuable touchpoints with members. The vendor showcase, sometimes called a demo day or partner showcase, provides a valuable service to your members by answering their need to research and buy products and services throughout the year. It makes your association a go-to resource to help them succeed, maybe in a way they didn’t expect!
As a stand-alone event, this digital initiative allows you to offer high-value sponsorship opportunities to industry partners without worrying about restrictions that may be in place for sponsorships of educational events in specific industries. For example, medical associations might have corporate sponsors in the pharmaceutical industry, where there are restrictions on sponsoring content opportunities.
“Vendor showcases generate significant non-dues revenue for associations, which can then be reinvested into other member-focused initiatives and programs.”
Matchbox notes that many clients run these quarterly to see the best results. It is also recommended that demo slots are priced at the exact cost as a booth at your in-person tradeshow because of the value the showcase offers to sponsors by directly connecting them with members who are ready to purchase. So you can imagine the significant revenue this generates when running a showcase with 6-8 sponsored demo slots, 4, 6, or 12 times a year! Matchbox’s client ASAE stated that their monthly Demo Days vendor showcases have become their most successful non-dues revenue-generating initiative.
Michelle shared that vendor showcases have a multiplying impact on sponsorship revenue programs, for example, helping Matchbox’s clients strengthen relationships with sponsors, who then increase spending in other areas with the association. Also, the vendor showcase brings in new sponsors that then go on to exhibit at in-person meetings. Demo slots can also be bundled with in-person exhibit booths or sold as a stand-alone offering, so there are multiple possibilities to increase sponsorship revenue with this versatile digital initiative! The key to success here is offering value to sponsors throughout the year, not just during your annual meeting. By running vendor showcases multiple times a year, you’re giving sponsors more opportunities to connect with members, and you’re creating new revenue streams for your organization.
Build Long-Term Partnerships Through Thought Leadership
Sponsorship isn’t just about dollars; it’s about building relationships that provide value to both your members and your sponsors. One way to do this is by positioning your trusted sponsors as thought leaders in the industry.
During our webinar, we talked about offering sponsors opportunities to engage with your members through sponsoring educational content. This could be a guest blog post, a webinar where they share insights or case studies, or even a sponsored white paper that provides valuable information to your audience.
The goal is to create a win-win scenario: your members receive valuable content, and your sponsors can showcase their expertise without the hard sell. This builds trust, deepens relationships, and often leads to sponsors increasing their investment in your organization.
Simple steps to start securing sponsorship success!
Whether you’re dipping your toes into digital sponsorships for the first time or looking to optimize your strategy, the most important thing is to get started. As Michelle and I discussed in our key takeaways, it doesn’t have to be perfect right away—what matters is that you take the first step. Set some guidelines, start with a pilot program, track what works, and iterate from there.
At Growth Owl, we specialize in helping organizations like yours create sponsorship strategies that align with your mission and provide real value to your partners. If you’re ready to take your digital sponsorship game to the next level, let’s chat! And if you’re looking for a partner to help you execute these initiatives seamlessly, Matchbox’s combination of strategy, technology, and services is a game-changer for associations. Matchbox helps associations create and deliver dynamic online experiences that engage members and strengthen sponsor relationships.
Watch the full recording of Lori Zoss Kraska and Michelle Brien’s LinkedIn Live webinar on digital sponsorship strategies here.
Ready to take your digital sponsorship strategy to the next level? Contact Growth Owl or Matchbox to learn how we can help you create dynamic, sponsor-friendly experiences that engage members and boost revenue.
