Corporate Sponsorship

When you're involved in a sport or community group, it can be difficult to find the money to keep going with your activities. Fundraisers in the community can help you buy supplies and support member activities, but who's going to pay for the mouth injuries? You may look at a couple of options, a family dentist, Toronto pediatric office or sports clinic may help you to defer these costs, but these are big expenses. Many non-profit organizations and groups therefore turn to for-profit companies for corporate sponsorship. To learn more about corporate sponsorship, read on.

You might wonder why companies would voluntarily give away some of their profits just to help a dentist in Scarborough, Ontario go to Central Asia to do free root canals for the poor, or to help an athlete train to win an Olympic medal. But corporations are often not just willing but eager to do so for three reasons. Firstly, supporting these organizations wins them good will in the community, secondly donating to charitable causes allows them to write off the amount on their taxes, and thirdly corporate sponsorships are a form of advertising for them.

It is at the sole discretion of the corporation which organizations they sponsor, so often there are many applicants. There may be several groups receiving support but not usually within the same category. For example, they may donate tankless water heaters to Habitat to Humanities and money to Doctors Without Borders, but will tend not to support two cancer charities or two youth clubs. In exchange for their support, charities are required to acknowledge the company in public in newsletters, signs, publications, or even on t-shirts or equipment.

If your organization is looking into the possibility of corporate sponsorship, you have to be willing to associate your name with the company. So if you're worried about a company's ethics or practices, skip it and apply to the company that supplies the Paco water pumps you plan to buy for your African well drilling mission. Asking the companies most closely related to the work you do will net you better results than casting a wide net.

So what kinds of things will a corporate sponsor pay for? Whatever you manage to work out in your deal. Some corporate sponsors will hand over chunks of money for you to do with as you see fit while others will donate their flangers and other products for use in your projects. Some will want their money earmarked for a specific purpose, such as travel costs to Central Asia or a charity ball.

We would like to thank Bear Equipment for their sponsorship of this website.