A good amount of time and effort will be required to secure appropriate sponsorship for your meeting or corporate event. This being the case, it is important to start your planning process early. Beginning this process as much as 18 months in advance of a planned meeting date is not unrealistic.
You may want to consider aligning potential sponsorships with your corporate vision, values, strategy, brand promise and reputation.

Where to look for sponsorship -
Your strongest prospects are going to be the people you do business with.
When you are ready to make contact do so by going through the person who manages your vendor account.
Once they have put you in touch with the person within their organization to approach, focus first on building a relationship. Become a friend before asking for funding. Have a plan in place for getting to know your prospective sponsor.
In this plan you should clearly state what you have to offer, how the sponsorship will be implemented and what is in it for the sponsor.

There are three key areas to focus on when evaluating your sponsorship. The first area is being in agreement on all aspects of the sponsorship. The second area is implementing the sponsorship and the third and final area is measuring satisfaction and performance.

Reaching Agreement

Get to know your potential sponsor.
Develop an understanding of your prospective sponsor’s business goals and primary audience - what they are looking for.
All partners involved should be clear about objectives, roles and expectations.
A contract should be drawn up allowing ample time to deliver on all promises.
Focus your efforts on desired outcomes and event audience needs and benefits.

Implementation

Develop an audience-centric sponsorship policy with your sponsor’s input.
Develop an action plan for fulfilling all obligations.
Follow a clearly defined risk management policy.
Encourage your sponsor to work closely with your event organizing committee.
Offer visibility in advertisements, printed material and press releases. Incorporate your sponsor’s logo into promotional material to their satisfaction
Look for ways to leverage your sponsor’s name and association with your organization.
Provide your sponsor with regular updates.
Spend quality time with your sponsor.

Measurement

Measure what matters most to your sponsor and their key stakeholders.
Ask your sponsor if they were pleased with the value they received.
Thank your sponsor both personally and publicly (at the event) for their contribution.
Produce a summary report, measuring and evaluating results against plan.
Share feedback from attendees, employees and customers.
Recognize important individual and team contributions.

When managed well a fully integrated corporate sponsorship can be beneficial to all parties involved.

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For those who are considering buying a franchise you will need to know that the initial franchise fee is not the only cost to secure that business of your own that you have always dreamed of. The Initial Franchise Fee is generally the money paid for use of the rights and trademarks. There will also be other costs and fees to be paid to start the business, as well as ongoing fees such as royalties and other costs, which will be described in the UFOC Uniform Franchise Offering Circular.

Below is an excerpt on Item 5 from a Uniform Franchise Offering Circular, which I prepared for my company;

ITEM 5

INITIAL FRANCHISE FEE

We offer franchises on a single unit basis. The Initial Franchise Fee is $20,000 and is payable in a lump sum upon signing the Franchise Agreement and may not be uniform in all cases for persons purchasing a franchise under this offering. We may allow you to enter into a direct financing agreement with us for a portion of your Initial Franchise Fee.

Upon signing the Franchise Agreement, $10,000 of the Initial Franchise Fee will be deemed fully earned and non-refundable in consideration of administrative, marketing, legal expenses associated with preparing this and other documents required by the government to protect you and other expenses incurred by The Company in granting the franchise and for our lost or deferred opportunity to other potential Franchisees. If you fail to satisfactorily complete your training course, the remaining $10,000 will be refunded or, if applicable, subtracted from the balance due any direct financing agreement you have with us.

– — – — – — – — – — –

Be sure to thoroughly go through the UFOC and read every page of the attached disclosure documents and franchise agreement, even take it to an attorney if there is anything in there you do not fully understand. Consider all this in 2006.

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Some people have a very skewed view of the world and condemn Wal-Mart for the incredible rise to power. You see, Wal-Mart is a great American Company and Sam Walton was a brilliant man, with vision, intelligence and passion for excellence. I would be proud to be a Wal-Mart Greeter in my retirement in his honor.

Wal-Mart is the distribution system for the United States of America and those nations Wal-Mart moves into will be well served by over 212,000 skews and choice and low prices, Consumer Choice, freedom and variety. Wal-Mart is a wonderful example of what Free-Enterprise can do for the World. Still some say all the products in Wal-Mart are made in China.

That is not true at all. 46% of the products in Wal-Mart come from China and another 16% have at least some component made in China. Why not go read Sam Walton’s book “Made in America” they buy American products first provided they are of the same price.

Many American companies are competing fine and their products are indeed on the shelves. Wal-Mart buys products, which have components in them or are wholly made from 131 Nations. Wal-Mart is the largest employer in the United States of America. Canuck, how many jobs did you provide for America Today? Consider all this in 2006.

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Association — It connotes people working together to achieve a common goal. That goal could be anything from improving your education, finding a new job, getting more business, increasing your visibility or simply expanding your network of support resources.

That works for me! I’m an association junkie. I learned very early in my career that belonging to an association can make or break you. So, if you haven’t joined one now is the best time to start. For you independents out there, belonging to an association can get you great discounts on services you might not be able to afford otherwise. Or, membership can provide a way to showcase your services and products for a nominal investment.

There is an association for almost everything and it’s important to assess which one can do you the most good. Just having your name in the directory is meaningless unless you utilize the resources and work as an active member. Active means participation of some kind — not just sitting on the sidelines waiting for something to happen.

So what can a professional association do for you?

 Increase your credibility and visibility
  Introduce you to new contacts
  Position you in the forefront of the industry media
  Engage you in long lasted personal relationships
  Provide opportunities to enhance your professional skills.

What can’t an association do for you?
  Do the work for you
  Redeem shoddy performance
  Repair burned bridges
  Get your name out there (you have to do that yourself)
  Make you a star if you aren’t willing to shine!

So think about what associations can do for you for the balance of the year and invest some dollars in resources that can help you.

What’s your best bet? Look for associations that offer a multitude of services for the investment dollar.
  Listing in a directory
  Website hotlink
  Free self promotion services
  Press release placement
  Speakers Bureau
  Experts Bureau
  Job bulletin board
  Opportunity to submit articles and information
  Conferences, events and trade shows.

Make sure that you invest in, at a minimum, one association that has the resources and the support to help you shine.

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Many women in business find that in order to meet their business’ financial needs, they turn to searching out a loan source. Business loans for women are widely available through the Small Business Administration and a variety of other sources such as banks, credit unions and other financial institutions. Loans, however, are not the only source for financing. In some instances, business grants for women are available.

Business grants for women are a wonderful option for some women in business. Grants are an excellent source of funding because grants are not repaid. The funding is provided through government resources that have been budgeted for specific needs in our national community. Anyone is open to apply, so business grants for women are available to anyone regardless of gender, race, religion, or background.

The downside of grants is that business grants for women are not widely available. Rather, business grants for women are available only to select businesses and under very strict circumstances, mostly for research or development. Technologically-focused businesses, for example, will find it much easier to qualify for a grant than a craft or retail business. Still, because the money is readily available, even if your business is retail oriented, it may be of benefit to check into business grants for women available for various resources that could assist you in your business.

According to Denouement Solutions and Grants.gov, the United States government and its government organizations offer more 1000 grants totaling more than $400 billion in grant funding every year. Only 10 percent of citizens that qualify for these grants actually apply for grants, despite the fact that many more than that would qualify for a business grant for women. Therefore, even though not every individual or business is eligible for a business grant for women, it certainly can be beneficial to check into business grants for women.

According to grants.gov, the United States government’s web site and main resource for grants that are available and can be applied for, there are more than 1000 grant programs offered by the 26 Federal grant-making agencies. These programs fall into 21 different categories, as defined by the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. While some agencies may list available grants under multiple grant categories, the Federal government lists these categories of grants as follows:

- Agriculture
- Art
- Business and Commerce
- Community Development
- Consumer Protection
- Disaster Prevention and Relief
- Education
- Employment, Labor, and Training
- Energy
- Environmental Quality
- Food and Nutrition
- Health
- Housing
- Humanities
- Information and Statistics
- Law, Justice, and Legal Service
- Natural Resources
- Regional Development
- Science and Technology
- Social Services and Income Security
- Transportation

Even though the category of Business and Commerce may be what appears to have the largest selection of resources for business grants for women, consider the other categories as well, according to where your business falls. For example, if your business is a restaurant, don’t hesitate to check the Food and Nutrition category for grants currently available. If your business is a farm, check the Agriculture section.

Grants aren’t available for starting or opening a new business, and they also aren’t available for expanding on an existing business. However, business grants for women can offer funding for research or development of the business. Many grants may not be applicable to your particular business or needs, but there may be funds available for research, education, or other things needed for you to operate and improve your business to help you achieve business growth.

In general, when considering the options for a business grant for women, do your homework and read carefully. Look at all grants available that might be related to your particular business. Consider looking into the Business and Commerce section, of Grants.gov, as mentioned, and also look into the different categories of grant fundings. Take the time needed to read the grant qualifications carefully. With any business, check into the Regional Development category, as well as the Community Development category. Depending on your location within the United States, it’s possible to qualify for a grant to economically develop certain areas, and expanding a business in one of these areas can possibly assist you in qualifying for a business grant for women.

Additionally, consider applying for an educational grant if returning to school is an option you’d like to consider. Many grants for higher education are offered each year, and not all are awarded. Knowledge is an extremely valuable business tool, and because the money is readily available for those who qualify, and educational grant is an excellent option to consider as a business grant for women.

Contact the specific government agency offering the grant for tips, information, and to ask questions before submitting your application.