The question that I am most frequently asked by both college students and international development teams is, "how do I obtain a corporate sponsorship for my project?"

The answer: obtaining these sponsorships is a two-step process. The first step, which I will discuss here, involves creating an appealing sponsorship package that will add value to your sponsor's business, in exchange for their financial support. The second step, which I will discuss next month, is finding a business that will be willing to sponsor you.

Businesses pay thousands of dollars every year to place advertisements in the local media. They want their name to be on the forefront of their customers' minds so that the customers will be more likely to buy their products. Knowing this  enables you to create a sponsorship package that will appeal to many businesses that in turn, can fund your charitable endeavors.

The most appealing sponsorship package makes use of the local media to cover and generate publicity for your event and your sponsor. (If you are not familiar with how to work with the media, don’t worry, this is covered in the “Working with the media” section below.)

When you approach a business to request a sponsorship, explain that you are going to gather extensive media coverage for the project. Tell your sponsor that when you speak to the media, you will be emphasizing that your efforts were made possible through the support of their business. This will ensure that your sponsor's name is splashed across the media in a glowing light, which, as mentioned earlier, is worth thousands of dollars to many businesses. In exchange for the publicity, you can ask the business to financially back your project.

This creates a win-win. You want funding for your project. Businesses want publicity. By sponsoring (or partially sponsoring) your project, you can give the business free advertising. Simply put, it makes sense for the two of you to work together.

This strategy also requires that you understand how to work effectively with your local media. It is the media's job to cover news stories and other events of interest. Your project, whether it involves working with a local charity, or helping the less fortunate in the developing world, will be an interesting feature story. Because you are working with your local media, it will also be relevant as it involves a community member.

Two or three weeks prior to your event, send an email to a reporter or editor at your local newspaper, radio and television stations. In your email briefly explain the project you are working on, and tell the reporter that you would love their help raising awareness. If they haven't written back to you in about a week, pick up the phone, call their office, and speak to them about covering your event. You can also contact the media immediately after your event to discuss the results and the experience.

Using corporate sponsorships for your humanitarian projects makes sense - both you and the business benefit by working together. In the next issue, I will explain how to find and approach the businesses in your community that are the most likely to fund your projects.