Hello and thanks in advance for any input you can give. I am trying to set up an event to profit the local school districts. I was thinking of a video game tournament, $5 entry and all proceeds benefiting the school system. I was wondering how I would get the funding to put this together, we are a small station and are hoping to get sponsorships. We also will need prizes and was wondering if anybody had a contact with any corporate pr people who could help with donations. We normally get gift cards to local restaurants, not exactly the prizes we would want for this. I want to benefit the schools first and foremost, but I would like our station to be able to get some sales out of this as well. Any information or ideas you can send would be great. I have done event planning within my fraternity, but this is at a different level and could use some help.
Hey Andrew... as well as being the gsm for a couple of radio stations ina B sized market in Canada; I also sit as a director for a foundation who's sole purpose is to generate funds for the School system to cover costs that sometimes cannot be paid by families. We have been quite successful.
Okay here's one idea that has gone over fabulously... and I think I could also suggest a revenue stream for the station as well. The Foundation developed a plan that they presented to the City. This plan was comprehensive and included media support from both of my stations for free.
The plan consisted of :
Asking the city to donate all parking meter revenues for te month of Decemeber to the Foundation. This seemed logical as many of the parking meters in the areas heavily populated with retail stores, are deemed free to encourage easier downtown boutique shopping.
You would be surprised how many people still put money into parking meters anyway. Donations via the parking meters
was supported by by the on air campaign. The City liked it because it was for the "Kids", it was Christmas Time and optically it had all the right things going for it. So thats the basics to the "Good works PSA side of it."
In so far as revenue to the station; and because it is such a feel good , optically heart-warming idea hears how you get the school board and or fundation to help you out.
All schools, school baords or foundations within a district have contracted suppliers for all of their needs as a school / board. These are contracts that get renewed every year. therefore the client is the School or school board and these suppliers of goods and services want to keep said client happy.
So the school board/ school or foundation approaches all contract suppliers of goods and services to act as sponsors of the entire program .
Each sponsor will receive inclusion in the form ao support tags at the end of each and every commercial that is broadcast on a rotational basis. It's best if you set up the sales peice for them to present in simple terms and allow the school peeps to present it. You just need to establish a total promotional on air value for it; included non scheduled mention, website inclusion, facebook ect.and put a dollar figure as a total "spend on marketing for the program"
The sponsorship dollars that the school helps you raise is repayment ( kind of ) for your free cshedule that you gave them.
IN most cases, ( and providing the price point is not whacked ) the suppliers will feel obligated to become a sponsor.
If you wanted to, you sweeten the pot by including with each sponsosrship a "Christmas greeting "for each sponsor that will run ROS as a 00:15 second commercial in a dediacted schedule. ( which you probably do anway.)
It has worked so well that this idea has been moved to the adjacent cities with all proceeds goimng back to the same school board foundation.
I guess the only thing that might be an issue ... if you don't have parking meters.... the you've got a challenge... but not a complete reveue killer... ust take te same concept and apply it to a similar scenario, There's lots of them
Cheers
Darren "Bear "Matassa
The donation of the proceeds are a nice opti
Thank you so much. I will def talk to the school board, that is a great idea. I don't know if the meter thing would work here, but I'll still ask the worse they can do is say no. I'll let you know how it goes. Thank you again!!!!
