Author Archives: Bloomington Chamber Staff

10 Ways to Get the Most from Your Event Sponsorship

These days, many nonprofits raise as much money through high-profile fundraising events as they do through such traditional fundraising channels as fund drives, donor solicitations and direct mail.

Sponsorships are different from donations in that they explicitly offer publicity in return for money, which is why they are generally geared toward businesses.  Sponsor benefits can range from logos on t-shirts to an invitation to hand out awards onstage.  If the event involves a meal or admission, sponsors usually receive free tickets, perhaps an entire table.  Participation can be a substantial part of the benefit, and sponsors are usually asked, or even expected, to attend the event and provide their banner and logo.

There is nothing wrong with getting the most bang from your sponsorship dollars, and doing so helps out the organization you are supporting.   You paid the money.  Now, what can you do to get the most out of your sponsorship?

  1. Set clear expectations when you commit.  What level of sponsorship are you purchasing, and exactly what will you receive in return?  Will you receive logo recognition, or name only?  How and where will your brand be displayed? in advertisements? hot linked on a website? a banner at the event?  How many complimentary tickets will you receive?  You need to know these things before you can take full advantage of your sponsorship.
  2. Look for exposure opportunities that go beyond just what’s offered up front.  Ask the event organizer if they need promotional giveaways, goodie bags, door prizes, or silent auction items.  This will get your name in front of more people, and help out the organization as well.
  3. Organizers view attendance as a key measure of the event’s success, second only to how much money it generated.  Make sure you promote the event within your business, and not just at the owner or management level.  Your employees will be proud that you are supporting a worthy cause, and the organization you are supporting will always appreciate more attendees.  Ask if there’s a way to get discounted tickets in addition to those included with your sponsorship.
  4. At the event, have your team wear their nametags and appropriate logo wear.  If possible, don’t seat all your attendees at the same table.  Tell them to spread out so more people are aware of your support.  This has the added benefit of offering networking opportunities for your people.
  5. For most nonprofits the week of the big annual fundraiser is the most demanding time of the year.  Ask if your business can provide volunteers to help out before or during the event.  In return, you will create more goodwill, and increase your visibility.
  6. Protect your brand.  Keep your banner clean and flat, with no tatters or tears, and with enough grommets so that it hangs straight from any wall or suspension system.  It’s good to have banners in several different sizes, as some venues offer limited (or unlimited) room for display.  Make sure the logo file you provide is high resolution – you don’t want your logo to look pixilated when it’s blown up on a projector.
  7. Publicize the event on your website and with your employees and customers.  Hang up a flier in your store or office, and offer to sell tickets.  These are all ways to draw attention to your support for the cause and foster affinity with people who are important to you.
  8. If you don’t plan to use all your tickets, tell the event organizers as soon as possible.  If there’s a meal, they need to give the caterer a head count often a week or more in advance.  Or ask to ‘donate back’ your tickets for other attendees, perhaps awardees, which helps the organization cover costs.
  9. After the event, ask for a summary of your benefits.  Did the organizers do everything they promised?   How often did the advertisement run on the radio, and on which stations?  How many hits did they get on Facebook?  Did your logo get any hits on their webpage?  Information like this helps you manage who saw your brand and make comparisons with other sponsorship opportunities out there.
  10. If you are dissatisfied, tell someone.  Many nonprofits rely on volunteers to help with events, and things can get lost in the frenzy leading up to a big event.  Most nonprofits are small enough that you can bring your concern directly to the attention of an executive director or program manager.  It might have happened to others too, and the organization can’t address the problem unless it’s aware of it.

The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce holds many sponsored events throughout the year, offering a wide range of sponsorship levels and benefits to accommodate businesses of all sizes.  We’re pleased to be able to share these suggestions based on our years of experience.

Do you have some suggestions of your own?  Visit our LinkedIn discussion group and let us know what they are.

 

smaller big invite

Help us grow the collective voice of business! The Big Invite!

The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce its new initiative to grow the voice of business in our community — The Big INvite!

Believing that members are the foundation of our organization, The Chamber is looking to strengthen that foundation and increase the collective voice of business with this important membership initiative. The event will be held on Tuesday, June 28th at the Clubhouse at Cedarview Management’s “10th & College” Building.

Volunteers representing a cross-section of Chamber member businesses are expected to participate in The Big INvite, working on the premise that a phone call from a friend or colleague regarding Chamber membership is the best testimonial possible. More than 120 Chamber member volunteers will participate in the day’s activities that will include refreshments and friendly competition among the various teams of volunteers.

“The Chamber is a membership organization and many businesses believe they have to be invited to become a Chamber member. While this isn’t the case, an invitation to join from a friend or professional colleague is a wonderful way to become involved,” said Mary Jo Orlowski, account executive with The Chamber.

An “After Party” is planned for the volunteers and will be held immediately following the event at Grazie! Italian Eatery from 4:30-6:30pm with hors d’oeuvres, wine & beer provided.

Interested in being part of The Big Invite! Want to encourage your peers, business associates, etc. to join the Bloomington Chamber to grow our voice in the community, provide more services for all members and expand our community’s business network? Sign up to volunteer from either 8-11am or 1-4pm to compete for bragging rights and be a part of this important Chamber initiative!

Contact Mary Jo Orlowski at morlowski@chamberbloomington.org or 336-6381 to get INvolved in The Big INvite!

Doing Good Business

Bloomington has a robust nonprofit sector that fills a wide range of important community needs, including emergency services, education, public health, historic preservation, supporting the arts, protecting the environment, and others. Without critical charitable support from for-profit businesses, these services would struggle to exist.

Philanthropy takes many forms, and includes much more than just outright monetary donations. Most nonprofits depend on businesses to sponsor events, purchase tickets, and provide volunteers. Businesses also bring valuable perspectives and leadership to nonprofit boards and commissions. In addition, hiring people in supported employment – for example, persons with developmental disabilities – provides benefits to businesses, but also satisfies crucial community needs.

The Chamber’s new Mosaic Initiative aims to tell the story of private sector philanthropy in Monroe County, and highlight the positive contributions that the for-profit sector makes in our community. Upcoming articles and online discussions will explore topics such as:

  • Handling multiple charitable requests
  • Differences and similarities between for-profits and nonprofits
  • Employee voluntarism
  • Leadership on nonprofit boards

We’ll solicit insights from our Chamber members who give back, highlighting their involvement and sharing their various philanthropic approaches. We’ll also feature a few of our many nonprofit Chamber members to hear their perspectives on how private businesses help them fulfill their mission. Future projects may include member surveys, guidebooks, and research on local giving. All this will be available on a new area dedicated to the Mosaic Initiative on our Chamber website .

For now, we want to hear from you about how you handle multiple charitable requests. What do you consider before you write a check, volunteer, or join a board? Check out our new Mosaic discussion group on LinkedIn, and stay tuned to our website for valuable resources, as well as opportunities to tell the story of your own community involvement.

 

DOING GOOD BUSINESS – THE CHAMBER’S NEW MOSAIC INITIATIVE

 

Bloomington has a robust nonprofit sector that fills a wide range of important community needs, including emergency services, education, public health, historic preservation, supporting the arts, protecting the environment, and others. Without critical charitable support from for-profit businesses, these services would struggle to exist.

 

Philanthropy takes many forms, and includes much more than just outright monetary donations. Most nonprofits depend on businesses to sponsor events, purchase tickets, and provide volunteers. Businesses also bring valuable perspectives and leadership to nonprofit boards and commissions. In addition, hiring people in supported employment – for example, persons with developmental disabilities – provides benefits to businesses, but also satisfies crucial community needs.

 

The Chamber’s new Mosaic Initiative aims to tell the story of private sector philanthropy in Monroe County, and highlight the positive contributions that the for-profit sector makes in our community. Upcoming articles and online discussions will explore topics such as:

• Handling multiple charitable requests

• Differences and similarities between for-profits and nonprofits

• Employee voluntarism

• Leadership on nonprofit boards

 

We’ll solicit insights from our Chamber members who give back, highlighting their involvement and sharing their various philanthropic approaches. We’ll also feature a few of our many nonprofit Chamber members to hear their perspectives on how private businesses help them fulfill their mission. Future projects may include member surveys, guidebooks, and research on local giving. All this will be available on a new area dedicated to the Mosaic Initiative on our Chamber website at www.chamberbloomington.org.

 

For now, we want to hear from you about how you handle multiple charitable requests. What do you consider before you write a check, volunteer, or join a board? Check out our new Mosaic group on LinkedIn, and stay tuned to our website for valuable resources, as well as opportunities to tell the story of your own community involvement.

DOING GOOD BUSINESS – THE CHAMBER’S NEW MOSAIC INITIATIVE

Incentiprizing

In a recently posted article from the Huffington Post called “’Incentiprizing': The New Path To Business Breakthroughs,” the author, Naveen Jain, comes to an interesting conclusion about how to successfully grow your company from the inside. He begins his argument by noting that process most companies use to increase innovation and growth is to hire new employees. Jain then proposes that instead of going through this process, it makes more sense to create incentives for your current employees regarding innovative developments, investment ideas, and other such ventures. He quotes Sun Microsystems co-founder Bill Joy, who said, “No matter who you are, most of the smartest people work for someone else.” Jain notes that this very opinion gets employers stuck thinking they constantly need new talent in order to create new ideas.

This theory, Jain notes, is not so. He argues that there are employees at every company capable of thinking outside of the box for a company’s needs, and that the best way to tap into this hidden pool is through incentive contests, effectively singling out those employees who will be most useful for your business endeavors. To quote Jain, “Instead of looking for that needle in the haystack, let that needle come straight to you.”

 

Check out the full article here to see what Jain suggests for creating your own Incentiprizing initiatives!

Catching Up With the Chamber

hYPe Oliver Winery Event

It was a great crowd at the May hYPe event! Thanks to all who attended

On Wednesday, May 11th, we hosted a hYPe event at Oliver Winery, featuring some great networking activities, not to mention great wine and food provided by the Winery and local Bloomington restaurants. And this is just the beginning! With summer just around the corner, the Chamber is pleased to bring more exciting events to our members. In addition to the Oliver Winery Social Event, we have many more outstanding social events planned for members of both the Chamber and hYPe.  Some of the events in the near future are:

ABC: Credit Card Processing 101

When: May 20th, 2011 at 11:30am
Where: The Johnson Creamery Building, Rm. 108

If you are interested in offering the benefit of credit card processing for your clients and customers, this presentation is a must-attend. All your questions about credit card processing will be answered! The seminar will cover topics including, but not limited to, the following: cost components of a transaction, factors that influence cost, and pricing alternatives. You can even bring along your current merchant statement for personalized review with an Account Representative!

 

You can register for the event on our website, here!

 

WEB Awards Ceremony and Luncheon
When: May 25, 2011 at 11:30am (Doors open at 11am)
Where: Henke Hall of Champions

We are so excited to bring you the 2nd annual Women Excel Bloomington awards ceremony and luncheon. During this luncheon, we will honor seven businesswomen from Bloomington who have gone above and beyond the call for bettering their business and our community. In addition, we are thrilled to have guest speaker Caroline Dowd-Higgins, the Director of Professional Development for the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, and an active advocate for women in business. This is an event you won’t want to miss!

 

You can buy tickets or sponsor a table by visiting our website, here!

 

hYPe Financial Health Professional Development Event
When: June 8th, 2011 from 5:30-7:30pm
Where: Bloomington Country Club

The hYPe Financial Health Professional Development event is a great resource for both newcomers and seasoned professionals alike! During this event, hYPe is happy to give you the opportunity to speak with a professional advisor and participate in discussions about topics like credit scores, strategies for debt relief, retirement, in addition to many more! The event will feature light snacks and a cash bar, and is free to attend, but registration is encouraged.

 

You can learn more and register for this event by visiting our website, here!

 

ABC: 10 Steps to Successful Social Networking in Business
When: June 10th, 11:30am-1:00pm
Where: The Johnson Creamery Building

This seminar is one for the modern professional needing to know about the best strategies for managing the social aspects of business. Rhonda Foster, the Human Resources Director with the Monroe County Government, will cover everything from how to manage projects, people, and time, to project presentation and research, and many more topics! The event attendees will also enjoy a lunch provided by Scotty’s Brewhouse, and is free to members!

 

Make sure to register for this event on our website so you can attend this informative seminar!

 

28th Annual Golf Scramble
When: June 15th 2011, with breakfast at 6:00am, and tee times at 7:00am and 12:30pm
Where: The Eagle Point Golf Resort

The Chamber is thrilled to present the 28th Annual Golf Scramble, which should be a fun day of golf with the chance to win amazing prizes! The tournament will be in Florida Scramble style with teams of four, offering more than $30,000 worth of cash & prizes up for grabs, including $1000 to the top 3 teams: 1st – $600, 2nd – $300, and 3rd – $100. Tee times are at 7:00am, preceded by a breakfast served at 6:00am, and 12:30pm, with a complimentary lunch for all players from 11:30am-1:30pm. Registration is required, so make sure to sign up early so you don’t miss what is bound to be a great event!

 

For more information and easy online registration, visit our website, here!

 

We hope that you are just as excited as we are about these events, and make sure to check our website for more information on events for our members. If you Like us on Facebook, you can get invites to our events directly so you will always know what’s going on at the Chamber!

 

April Showers Bring…

Indiana Thunderstorm

This photo was taken by an amateur Indiana Photographer from the Flickr Group "Indiana Thunderstorms." Click on the picture to check them out!

With all the bad weather and severe storm warnings we’ve been getting in Bloomington lately, we figured it would be a good idea to write out some suggestions for designing and implementing your plan in case of an emergency. The magazine Communication Briefings published an article concerning this very subject. They outline a series of steps a business could take to control a crisis situation in a way that minimizes the effect the crisis has on regular business flow. Because this model is a great resource for coming up with your disaster plan, we wanted to share it with you!

Step 1: Develop a crisis communication plan

a. Create a plan for how your employees and associates would communicate during an emergency; Start by creating an outline of rules that supercede normal procedure. Perform mock drills, and make sure to candidly critique your own readiness and performance. Designate a crisis team who will take charge during an emergency. Organize your crisis team by determining assignments each member can assist with in the disaster, including a primary spokesperson position. Make sure to compose the following materials: an up to date list of possible media contacts, federal emergency agencies, and important contacts that will need to be notified about the crisis and could help.

Step 2: Remember that perception is reality.

Remember that rumor control is critical in the business world. Do your best to manage your crisis effectively, and avoid the assumption that everyone knows you are trying your best to control the situation. Rather, assert that you are with solid public performance.

Step 3: Treat the event seriously.

When working in the public eye, keep in mind that all of your words and actions should echo the compassion you feel for any and all persons effected by the crisis. React seriously as if lives, careers, and your business are on the line, because they just might be!

Step 4: You only know what has been confirmed.

When dealing with the media in a crisis situation do not speculate about the impact of the emergency before you know what they are. When you speculate, you open the door for rumors that could hurt your business in the end. Stick to the facts

Step 5: Communicate early and often.

Like the previous step, do not make public comments until you have all of the facts. Make sure that you aren’t speculating, but early communication is just as important as accuracy in rumor prevention. As a rule of thumb: Provide as many facts as possible, even if they are little things like the square footage of the building or the number of employees that work on site.

Step 6: It ain’t over until it’s over!

Don’t assume because the story isn’t on the front page anymore that your business is in the clear. Make sure to reassure your important customers and business associates that everything is okay.

Step 7: Get back to business.

Make sure to get back to business as soon as possible. This will show customers and clients that your business won’t let a crisis like this prevent it from functioning normally. Be prepared for media. They may want to film you back at work, so make sure you are ready!

Hopefully, these steps will help you create an emergency plan, especially in case Bloomington continues to receive the crazy weather we’ve been having this spring! Stay safe and dry out there!

 

22 Tips To Use At A Networking Event

The Chamber recently hosted an ABC luncheon presented by the very talented Linda Dausend (South Central Indiana Human Resources Association) on the subject of Networking.  Networking is one of the single most important aspects of doing business.  Everyone has experienced those awkward and anxiety producing moments at a networking event.  But you also know that these events are necessary to build better business relationships.  Here are Linda’s helpful hints for making the most out of your networking events and having fun while doing just that!

Katie Bruhn

Member Services Coordinator

 

Regardless of your feelings on the subject, when attending an event, it’s important to have the perspective that your goal should be to help others first. Unfortunately, it’s an old cliché that is often left at the door. The next time you’re headed to an event, keep in mind the following simple, helpful rule: after it’s all said and done, you want to have earned the right, privilege, honor, and respect to be able to meet with them again. This is not a license to sell yourself, but an opportunity to build a relationship.

1. When you arrive at a networking event, avoid gravitating to people you know. You should initially thank the host and then immediately find someone new to introduce yourself to. This will help keep you in the right frame of mind as to why you came.

2. Stop selling and start listening! When you meet someone for the first time, use it as an opportunity to get to know them. Don’t try to sell them anything. Rather, begin to establish a relationship.

3. Keep your business cards in the breast pocket of your coat, a shirt pocket, or in an outside pocket of your purse so they are easy to access and in good condition.

4. When giving a person your card, personalize it by hand writing your cell number on it. This will cause the recipient to feel that they are receiving something special.

5. When giving or receiving a business card, be especially careful when dealing with people from outside the US as many cultures treat them with very high regard.

6. When receiving a card from someone, take a moment to write yourself a note on it such as where you met. If you do this while you’re still talking to the person, it will help convey your sense of personal connection.

7. During the course of a conversation, use the other person’s first name two or three times. People always like to hear their own name and it will help you to remember it when the discussion is over.

8. Rather than telling a new contact all about yourself, spend your time asking them questions. It’s amazing how much you’ll learn!

9. After you meet someone for the first time, use the back of their business card to jot a note about something you learned from the conversation and the date and place you met them. Recording the information will give you something to talk to them about the next time you see them.

10. Connect with the person you’re talking to by tilting your head as you listen to them. It is an effective body language technique which communicates that you’re paying attention to what they’re saying.

11. When a person is talking to you, be sure to look directly at them. Giving a person full attention with your eyes will encourage them to share more.

12. When giving someone eye contact, remember it’s not a “stare-down” contest. Give the person 3-5 seconds of eye contact and then look away briefly before returning your focus to them again.

13. The best location to network is by a high-traffic area such as a main door, the bar, or near the food.

14. Never approach someone if they are walking towards the restroom or if they have a phone in their hand. Wait until they have returned to the networking area or put their phone away.

15. After the person has shared something with you, ask them another question about what they just said. This shows that you’re paying attention and that you care about what they’re telling you.

16. Always keep one hand free to allow yourself to shake hands with people. This means that you shouldn’t eat and drink at the same time. Remember, you’re there to network, not eat a full-course meal.

17. As a way of demonstrating your networking skills, introduce each new person you meet to at least one other person.

18. Never try to barge into a group of 4 or more people. Come along side of the group, but do not attempt to enter into the discussion until you’ve made eye contact with everyone and a minimum of two other people in the group have said something.

19. Do not approach two people who are talking, as you may be interrupting an important discussion.

20. Initiate conversation with someone who is standing by themselves. They’ll be happy to have someone to talk to them and, as a result, will many times open up with valuable information.

21. When you meet someone for the first time, you have 48 hours to follow up with them before they will completely forget about meeting you.

22. A networking event is not a time to see how many business cards you can acquire. Rather, it is a time to develop a few relationships that have potential.

 

Secrets to Success

Recently, Fortune Magazine released their top 50 Women in Business List for 2010 (which you can see by clicking on this link), and in an interesting feature, Time Magazine interviewed several of the women from Fortune’s list. The interviews are really interesting and the topics range from their best and worst business decisions, to the greatest challenges they met in the business world and challenges that they anticipate future businesswomen will face. We think this is a great resource for women in today’s business world, so make sure to read the full article!

 

Click here to see the full article!

 

“Taming the Data that Dominates Our Work Lives”

Fortune magazine recently posted an article written by Kishore S. Swaminathan, the Worldwide Director of Research at Accenture, about the way data is used in the business world today. His article asserts that the technological age has given today’s business people a greater advantage in that statistics, demographics, and other relevant data, are more easily accrued due to the Internet and online marketing. He takes an in depth look at the way data has been used throughout his career, and then makes note of the potential opportunities and pitfalls of data usage, and suggests ways that one can use data to its fullest potential.

Check the article out to learn how you can harness the power of your data!

Forbes Favorite Small Business Blogs

In Forbes “Best of the Web” directory, we stumbled upon an article rating the best of small business focused blogs. Each blog focuses on something unique about operating a small business, whether it is advice on how to develop the most cost effective business model, to the ethics behind government taxes on small businesses, each of these blogs is an interesting resource for any entrepreneur. Here are a few of the blogs mentioned in the Forbes article:

 

Duct Tape Marketing:www.ducttapemarketing.com/weblog.php

Forbes says:

“ As its name implies, the Duct Tape Marketing site highlights marketing methods for small businesses operating on the cheap–everything from public radio program sponsorship to helping your direct mail piece stand out from the usual junk mail by making it lumpy or unusually shaped. While the site’s homepage comes on strong with a sales pitch about its own marketing “system,” the site’s blog offers helpful commentary by nine pros in the field–including Dan Jana’s PR Leads, Martin Jelsema’s Buzzworthy Branding and Jill Konrath’s Selling To Big Companies.”

 

Church of the Customer: http://customerevangelists.typepad.com/blog

Forbes says:

“If you’ve ever wondered how your company can cultivate the kind of customer loyalty found at, say, a Harley-Davidson road rally, then beeline for the Church. Updated a few times a week by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba, authors of Creating Customer Evangelists, the blog dissects both the triumphs and miscues that big and small companies make when dealing with their customers–decisions that entrepreneurs can learn from.”

 

The Entrepreneurial Mind:http://www.drjeffcornwall.com/

Forbes says:

“Jeff Cornwall, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at Nashville’s Belmont University, holds forth here on everything entrepreneurial. Posts are conveniently categorized by subject, like Entrepreneurial Myths (such as the “if only I had money” myth or the “entrepreneurs are gamblers” myth), Exit Planning and Learning from Mistakes. There’s a charming dose of folksiness–Cornwall makes ample use of golf as a metaphor for operating a business–and links to posts by Belmont students involved in an entrepreneurship class that opened a used-CD store.”

The Small Business Brief:http://www.smallbusinessbrief.com/

Forbes says:

“Editor Linda Kiley publishes scores of links to the most helpful small-business related articles across the Web. The result is an exceedingly practical blog, offering primers for upstarts on how to successfully negotiate a small business loan, open an online merchant account that accepts credit cards and deal with angry customers.”

 

If you are interested in reading the full list of blogs, in addition to a more detailed review of each blog, you can read the article here!