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Corporations and Small Businesses

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CORPORATIONS & SMALL BUSINESSES

If your media organization has a strong connection with its community, is involved in programs with a high public visibility, and is entrepreneurial, then donations from the business community can be a good source of support.

Upside:


  • Corporations can have many doors to walk through for a donation including:
    • corporate foundation office
    • the CEO or CFO office
    • advertising and marketing departments
    • community relations and/or public relations offices
    • human resources
    • employee designated contributions
  • Small businesses are all over your city and can be approached very easily.
  • Nonprofits who are highly visible have an excellent opportunity to cash in on the increasing interest in "cause-related marketing."
  • With a small business donation, very little paperwork might be necessary.
  • Decisions on a contribution can be made rather quickly.
  • Contributions can come in the form of money, goods, and/or services.
  • Very visible public programs (like film festivals) are in an excellent position for sponsorship opportunities.
  • Partnerships with businesses bring increased credibility to a nonprofit.


Downside:


  • It is very hard to do research on corporate funding (at least for corporations without official foundations).
  • Corporations are much more interested in "strategic investments" than in pure donations, so your project usually has to provide an advertising, public relations, or promotion benefit to the company.
  • The proposal to a corporation may have to include sophisticated demographic and/or psychographic data about the people you serve.
  • It is difficult to get support without some personal connection to someone in power at the corporation, or someone who will provide entre.
  • Small businesses rarely give money, and when they do the amounts are modest; they are much more likely to provide donated goods and services, or purchase an ad.
  • Competition for small business donations is fierce--they are constantly approached by many charities and organizations in their communities.
  • Partnering with the wrong business can damage your reputation.


SOME STORIES:


THE MEDIA ARTS PROJECT (ASHEVILLE, NC)
As told by Greg Lucas, Executive Director.

 

THE ART CAFE (DAVISON, MI)
As told by Cora Smilkovich, Executive Director.