United Way of Greater Cleveland
Sponsorship Consultation for a Digital Landscape
United Way of Greater Cleveland Annual Meeting
THE ASK
It was “adapt and go” for United Way of Greater Cleveland amidst unforeseen events in 2020. The not-for-profit client sought help to transition one of its most significant fundraising events of the year virtual in the wake of COVID-19. The pandemic presented a hurdle for the UWGC Annual Meeting which relied heavily on the in-person event to gain sponsorship dollars incentivized by exclusivity of tickets, onsite sponsorship opportunities and networking exposure.
THE CHALLENGE
Provide promotional and marketing opportunities that would be alluring enough for sponsors to find participating in a virtual event valuable – with 6 weeks of runway to the Annual Meeting.
KPIs: Target Metrics
- Match 50% of the sponsorship support achieved in 2019
- Maximize promotion to increase exposure for sponsors
- Exceed the in-person attendance cap of 500 guests to show ROI to sponsors
THE SOLUTION
With opportunity in every challenge, we provided a sponsorship strategy that took full advantage of new marketing channels available, providing the digital infrastructure and guidance to help them to bring their fundraiser to life in a new environment. But what would be the draw for sponsors to contribute to and attend an event online? We understood their concern; executing their first virtual fundraising event would require a whole new mindset – and tools.
EXPERTISE PROVIDED
- Sponsorship Consultation
- Promotional Campaign Strategy & Content
- Event Website Design
- Digital Campaign Design & Delivery
- Social Media Content
- Event Production
THE APPROACH
The first step was to partner closely with UWGC sponsorship team and segment potential sponsors into different categories (Media, Financial, In-Kind, Promotional Partners). Together we worked to leverage personalized solutions for each group utilizing marketing channels that were previously unavailable for a private event. The approach took the form of tiered sponsorship packages with new customizable benefits such as marketing in all digital event communications, public advertising (including radio spots, dimensional mailers and social media), and sponsored features during the virtual event. United Way of Greater Cleveland provided sponsorship guides to help educate the sponsors understand and navigate the transition to a new event format.
Sponsor Segmentation
Identify New Channels
Define Tiered Packages
Create a Sponsor Toolkit
THE IMPACT
Without the limitation of a physical space, UGWC was able to expand its reach to the much broader audience of Greater Cleveland – connecting the day of across the live broadcast, Facebook Live, local Cleveland radio stations and YouTube. The broader reach meant more exposure and exceeding expectations in sponsorship and donations procured. UWGC received such positive feedback and increased opportunity to connect with the community, that it plans to incorporate a virtual component of the Annual Meeting each year moving forward. Additionally, BCD M&E was awarded creative and promotional services for a UWGC 12-part virtual series in 2021 to facilitate community discourse on the Cleveland Consent Decree.
NEW MARKETING CHANNELS
ADDED SPONSORS
%+
EXCEEDED AUDIENCE SIZE
“We couldn’t have done this without your whip-smart strategy. We are thrilled with the greater return – and in just 6 short weeks!! The opportunity for greater reach will keep us utilizing a virtual format indefinitely.”
