2003 Taverner Cup Sponsorship For Your Team

WHO CAN BE A SPONSOR?

Entries in the Level I Competitive Category must secure the sponsorship of ONE of the following:

1. A birding club;
2. The Canadian Nature Federation, the Federation of Ontario Naturalists or any of their member clubs or equivalents;
3. A U.S. state Audubon society or chapter;
4. A not-for-profit organization or institution with a focus on the environment;
5. A business or enterprise that caters directly to the birding market.

The sponsor must pay a mandatory $300.00 sponsor fee to the Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club. Co-sponsorship with a corporation is a good way to offset the sponsor cost to a club or environmental organization.

Corporate co-sponsorship is also a way of widening participation. Corporate sponsors fall within the ranks of any profit-making enterprise. Optical companies, bird/nature tour companies, individual birder/nature stores or franchises would be typical corporate sponsors.

Teams can also secure the sponsorship of a business or corporation which does not meet the business definition, as described in 5 above. If they do not, they can still enter as long as they have co-sponsorship from one of the five categories above.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE SPONSOR FEE?

Teams who obtain sponsorship from a club or business within the Ottawa-Carleton region will dedicate their sponsor fee to the Ottawa Field-Naturalists for the Fletcher Wildlife Garden. Teams sponsored by clubs from outside the Ottawa-Carleton region may find that their clubs will want to pay the sponsor fee themselves. Club teams can fund-raise and dedicate 75% of their sponsor fee to their own environmental projects. The remainder would go to the Fletcher Wildlife Garden. If your team is from outside Ottawa-Carleton, and you have a corporate co-sponsor, the same 75/25 split would apply. If you are only sponsored by a corporation (i.e. no club co-sponsorship), the sponsor fee will go to the Fletcher Wildlife Garden.

WHAT IF OUR TEAM HAS TRADITIONALLY DONE THE BAILLIE?

We point out that the Taverner Cup is not intending to compete with the Baillie Birdathon. Club teams entering the competitive category should consider finding a corporate co-sponsor if they want to participate in both competitions. There should be no conflict if Baillie participants enter the Taverner in the recreational category. We encourage teams to enter the Taverner as the framework for doing their Baillie Birdathon. We encourage Ottawa-Carleton teams, using the Taverner to do their Baillie, to dedicate their discretionary Baillie funds to the Fletcher. Out-of-town teams of course are free to dedicate their discretionary funds as they see fit.

WHO PAYS THE PARTICIPANT'S ENTRY FEE?

Competitive team members must pay an entry fee of $30 per team member to a maximum of $180.00. Who pays this entry fee will be a matter to be determined between the team and its sponsor. We would anticipate that members of club-sponsored teams, who do not have a corporate co-sponsor, will likely pay their own entry fees. If you have a corporate sponsor, it is assumed that the corporate sponsor will pay.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE PARTICIPANT'S FEE?

The participant fee will be used to pay for refreshments on the evening of the event, for the brunch the next day, for promotion, for prizes, and for the basic administration costs which includes telephone, printing and postage etc.

We hope that the Taverner Cup will eventually become one of Canada's premier birding events offering fun, strong competition for those who want it, and at the same time raise money for important environmental projects in eastern Ontario and adjoining areas.

WHAT ABOUT COSTS FOR GASOLINE ETC.?

In other competitions, travel and associated costs are picked up by sponsors. Since we are at the initial stages of the Cup event sponsorship will be wary and price sensitive. We anticipate that teams would pick up additional expenses including: gasoline, car rental and mileage (if you rent), motel expenses (if relevant), any meals or incidental expenses (e.g. telephone). Individual team expenses will vary depending largely upon level of scouting, need for accommodations, and whether team members are local or drive in from outside the region.

WILL CORPORATIONS FIND ENTRY FEES EXPENSIVE?

The corporate sponsor cost of between $390 and $480 is not significant given the size of many company promotional budgets. If the Taverner Cup competition grows into a major promotional event, we would anticipate increasing the sponsor fee and the team entry fee gradually in future years. Eventually sponsors might also pick up the team's travel and organizational expenses. In this sense you may view the time you invest in the initial dealings with your sponsor as an investment in a longer-term relationship.

We point out that local businesses like a car dealer, or a sporting goods store, can support a Taverner Cup team, either by providing equipment or making a contribution to offset your expenses. But unless they pay the $300 corporate sponsor fee to the Ottawa Field-Naturalists, they are not a Taverner Cup Sponsor and cannot be recognized as such.

Corporations who might offer sponsorship to teams are motivated by several things:

• Favourable publicity
• Increased sales of goods and services among birders
• Competition with companies who also sponsor teams
• Personal association
• An interest in supporting environmental causes

All of these things can work in your favour when approaching a corporation for sponsorship.

WHAT SHOULD I DO FIRST?

First and foremost, have your act together before knocking on someone's door. Have the endorsement of a local bird club or environmental organization. Beginnings are tough times and nothing makes the corporate mind more skittish than uncertainty. In any business venture, a company wants to show gain and avoid embarrassment. SHOW THEM RIGHT AWAY AT THE OUTSET THAT YOU ARE SERIOUS, ORGANIZED, AND WELL GROUNDED IN THE EVENT, AND IN A FIELD THAT THEY WILL PROBABLY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT, AND WHERE THEY WILL BE RELYING ON YOUR EXPERTISE.

HOW CAN I MAKE SPONSORSHIP ATTRACTIVE ?

At the very least, a company will want recognition and publicity from sponsorship. Give it to them.

This is what the Fletcher Wildlife Garden/Ottawa Field-Naturalists can offer:

• Their name on the official Taverner Cup sponsor T-shirt;
• Their name included in the Taverner Cup's list of corporate sponsors;
• The opportunity to appear in major media. We anticipate that we can publicize our event to local/regional media such as CBC Radio and TV, hopefully some local commercial radio and TV channels and possibly that the events would be picked up by national networks;
• A free brunch. All corporate sponsors are invited to send two representatives to the Taverner Brunch;
• An 8" circular window decal with Taverner Logo which indicates that you are a Taverner Cup Sponsor

You can and should offer more. Prearrange for the press to cover you on the event. This can mean having a writer or TV or radio crew go with you on the "Big Day" or if this becomes difficult they can go with you on a dry run or scouting. At the very least, get the local major newspaper (the paper widely circulated in the community where your prospective sponsor is located) and a local radio station to cover you. Make sure you get some photos for promotional purposes. The Taverner Cup is an event media people may well find unique!

Don't forget to suggest having the corporate team featured in the company's in-house magazine, newsletter, or stockholders magazine - with hundreds of thousands of Canadians interested in birdwatching, and considerably more feeding them, corporations are bound to find a favourable regard within the ranks of stockholders. Get the company public relations people involved in the promotion. You might also want to invite a company rep. to share in the fun.

When you have done your homework, and your publicity is all in place, THEN knock on the door.

WHEN SHOULD I APPROACH A CORPORATION?

There is not time like the present! $390 to $480 is not a special budget item for many small businesses and especially corporations but its is still an expense that usually has to go through channels, especially for a new event. It will take time - often a month or more. At the very latest, you had better start approaching companies early in the new year. After all many companies rely heavily on Christmas sales to make their major profits and it may well be the best time!!

WHICH CORPORATION SHOULD I APPROACH?

The small business or corporation that is most easily approached is one that you or someone you know is associated with. If you or members of your team belong to a major corporation, they are prime candidates for sponsorship - because they know you and they trust you.

A corporation doesn't have to have a special stake in the birding community to be a sponsor. Companies know that nature sells and concern for the environment is now a mainstream topic. When most people think of "environment" they think of mundane things like "recycling", "solid waste", and arcane things like the "ozone layer". You can offer them something eminently environmental that is fun, exciting, and newsworthy.

The Taverner Cup involves people so that companies that deal with people - like telephone companies, national, regional and local newspapers, banks, and courier companies are approachable.

Consider the following types of companies:

• that would love to spruce up their environmental image: petroleum companies, chemical companies, pulp and paper manufacturers etc;
• that court an outdoor image, e.g. beer and car companies;
• that produce goods that are directly related to birding: optics companies, sports clothing companies and publishers of natural history;
• that simply relate themselves to birds: insurance and car companies.

WHO IN THE ORGANIZATION DO I APPROACH ?

Most larger companies have a public relations or marketing office. If you know the individual or belong to the corporation, make an appointment to see them.

If you are going in blind, call the corporation first. Get the name and title of the person who is in charge of publicity from the switchboard or from his or her secretary, if the switchboard puts you through. If you are comfortable doing it, ask to speak with him or her directly and make your pitch. If you are less confident, announce yourself and intentions with a short letter and information package (Fedex, Priority Courier or Express Post gets their attention) and then call at a prearranged time.

Your information package should include:

• Cover letter
• Article/information about the Taverner Cup
• Sponsorship fee and participants' costs
• Bibliographic sketch of team
• Any supporting documentation - letter from a bird club recognizing your participation etc.

Anticipate a busy individual. Anticipate initial skepticism. But don't forget, this person's job is finding innovative ways of selling his or her company or winning public favour. Your biggest difficulty will not be disinterest, it will be over-commitment (on his/her part). You will be fortunate to get the interest of a corporation the very first time. DON'T JUST GO TO ONE CORPORATION, GO TO SEVERAL, AS MANY AS YOU THINK YOU HAVE A SHOT AT. In the end of course you only need one.

Companies are used to dealing with business partners. When walking out onto strange terrain (like birding and conservation) it will help a corporate executive to know that he or she is not alone. Make sure they know that you have the support of a local conservation group. Tell them what money raised is going to accomplish.

If you can get a car agency to donate a car for the event that would be terrific. All auto companies have loaner fleets. They put these cars at the disposal of the press in return for ink in some print media. Just remember that the car company that donates transport to your team would become an Event Sponsor (rather than a Team Sponsor). If you can secure a car, you are establishing a relationship and ultimately (since eventually your sponsor will be on the hook for transport costs) you will be saving your sponsor money and building a strong framework for your long term commitment to the Taverner Cup.

Your prospective sponsor will want to know what other businesses sponsor teams. At this foundation period it will be necessary for you to keep in touch with Jeff Harrison to learn which sponsors have made commitments. This will make your job easier.

Remember you are offering something that small and large companies want. You are giving them the chance to come out on the side of the public good. While this may seem like a foreign concept in the era of belt-tightening you can be assured that the pendulum will swing back!!! Remember that you are not begging. You are trading something that sponsors may well want for something you want. It is just, plain business... but......

BUT, Canadian businesses are growing more conscious of the environment, and more businesses are allying themselves to causes that only tacitly benefit them.

Many corporate people are interested in getting their company to engage in worthwhile projects. A Taverner Cup, that raises thousands of dollars for and focuses public attention on the environment, is one of them. When you find the right corporate sponsor, you will also discover that they will be grateful to you for involving them in what we hope will be a pretty special event.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE SPONSOR FEE?

WHAT DO I DO AFTER I SECURE A CORPORATE SPONSOR?

Plan to do most of the work yourself. The corporation is just funding you, not organizing your team. You will, of course, take the name of the corporation as your own. You (and they) will certainly want some visible means of allying you and the company. Some obvious examples are:

• T-shirts or wind breakers with the company name;
• magnetic signs bearing the company logo for the car;
• bumper stickers.

Ultimately (if not in the first year) you may want to consider holding a press conference before the event and make sure the company PR person is invited. In conjunction with the PR department, write a press release and send it to appropriate papers both before and after the Taverner Cup. INCLUDE A BLACK AND WHITE PHOTO. Papers are more likely to print a story that is accompanied by a photo.

WHAT SHOULD I DO AFTER THE EVENT?

Send a letter summarizing the day. Discuss your plans for next year - how you will change your route, refine your strategy, get more publicity, perhaps raise more $$$ than ever before (if you are doing the Baillie). Tell them that you will be honoured to obtain their support next year - and don't forget to say "Thank you". That is the most important.

Feel free to call if you need advice or think that our direct contact would aid in your cause.

Jeff Harrison
Taverner Cup Co-ordinator
150 Wolseley N., Montreal West, P.Q. H4X 1V9
Tel: (514) 486-4943; Fax: (514) 487-8580;
E-mail: dha@videotron.ca