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View Full Version : Trying to get a sponsor [extra life story included]



Ayla of Duluth
06-12-2012, 06:55 PM
Gimme two minutes to rant like an excited 13 year old girl, I get like this when I'm on to something.

I recently applied for a second summer job because I felt like my first job alone wasn't bringing in enough money. I was scheduled 2 shifts at this job. Thats all. Ive been employed there for about 2 months now. The last thing that happened on my last shift was at debriefing, when my coworker told me in front of everyone [captain/manager included] that I'm not allowed to sit down at all through my entire shift, [understandable] that I knocked her till off by $200, [I had never used a till before but I gave everyone correct change] and that I had a negative attitude and even though its long hours, I need to stay perky. [news to me, I was joking around with all the little kids the entire time and not once did I complain about the agony my feet were expressing to me.] Then the captain tells me I have to learn everything by the beginning of the next month, [June] because that's when things get really busy. Well how am I supposed to do that when you've only scheduled me for 2 shifts and the beginning of June is in a few days?

Anyways, I havent been scheduled since then, my manager called me once to ask if I could come in to work one day, and I did, no one knew why I was there because I hadn't been scheduled. The manager who called me was nowhere to be seen, but I worked my shift that day anyways. Since then, I havent heard anything from them. I haven't been put on a schedule in weeks, I haven't been payed for my last shift, and when I messaged my manager about it, he simply replied "Forewarded to Mrs. Steinbach, I don't do payroll." That was a week ago and I still haven't gotten my money.

I feel like they're subliminally trying to tell me that they want me gone. Like "Hey, we wanna fire you, but we don't want to do it to your face, so just take the hint and leave." The same thing happened to me when I used to work at Culver's. I worked a week of shifts, I had my screw ups but did my best to correct them, after all I was new and couldn't be expected to be perfect, but after that week, I hadn't been scheduled for a month afterwards. Finally I gave up coming in to see if i had gotten a shift. Is this normal? Has it happened to any of you guys? How did you handle it?

NOW TO MY CURRENT SITUATION:
I'm basically back to square one with income, and I've been trying to sell etched glass to raise money for my tail, I'm sure you've heard that sob story before. But this morning I thought, "Hey, what if I got a sponsor?" I called my friend and asked him what sponsors do. He basically said that in my situation, a sponsor could give me money to help pay for my tail, and in return, I would advertise them at my events. They'd basically use me as advertising space. I'd give them 80% of my income from events to pay them back. Of course, I'd sign a contract so I couldn't get away with anything. Not that I'd want to. And I would continue to promote them through my events.

I've done some research online, and here is basically what I've learned:
-There is a sponsor out there for just about anything
-Having a professional logo really boosts your chances of getting sponsored
-There are many different kinds of sponsorships available in pertainance to partnerships with the sponsor
-Writing a sponsorship letter is a good way to get yourself out there and noticed
-Goldfish seems like it would be a good sponsor for many reasons. xD

My questions to you are, do any of you know anything about getting sponsored? In fact, are any of you sponsored?
I plan on hiring a professional to write a sponsorship letter for me because I have a hard time sounding professional and getting my thoughts organized. I also plan on getting a graphic designer to create a professional logo for me, I've had one in mind that I've tried creating on many occasions with no luck whatsoever.
Another question is, do I send my sponsorship letter to the company I want to sponsor me? A few of the websites I've read make it sound like I write a letter, put it in a "pot," where companies dig through it to find people that interest them.

Tl;dr
Sponsorships. Discuss.

Mermaid Lorelei
06-12-2012, 07:01 PM
Hmm. I don't actually know much of anything on this topic, but I've been tempted to look for a sponsor for myself from time to time.

Ayla of Duluth
06-12-2012, 07:08 PM
P.S.
My dad is sitting here telling me no one would ever sponsor me because I'm a gamble. Asking for 3k on a contract that I'd pay them back, especially when they're a multi million dollar company doesn't sound like much of a gamble to me. If anything, it sounds like an asset. Even if they don't get their money, they still got their name out to everyone that came to see me. And in a town like Duluth where the tourism depends on the water around us, a mermaid attraction would fit right in. Lots of people come here to see the thousand foot cargo ships that run through the canal, I have no shadow of a doubt that they'd stop by to see a mermaid in real life. :)

Bellasea
06-12-2012, 07:22 PM
I would not ask a mutli-mil company, keep it local. If you ask for sponsers try to do local businesses. You won't get 3K, but $500 or $250 is still $$. My friends race cars on fridays and they have sponsers. All of them are local bussinesses, the dentist office gave them about $200 each (two of them) and all the asked was to but an ad on tehir cars and to pass out toothbrushes between races. They also got a total of $2500 from the credit union for sponsership. Also, what you can promise id to do an event for them, as a way to promote. Like "Shop at 'this local business' and met a real Mermaid!" kind of event. If you don't find out more information, I will ask my friends how they got sponsers next week or so (I'm out of town right now).

I hope I helped! :D And Good Luck on finding sponsers!

AniaR
06-12-2012, 07:37 PM
I had someone sponsor me 1000$ toward my new tail :) there's lot of ways you can do it, kick starter is good!

Ayla of Duluth
06-12-2012, 07:53 PM
Bellasea, that's a great idea! I feel silly for not thinking of that sooner. I guess when I get an idea, I like to jump in with both feet. However, for some reason I feel more comfortable with the idea of going to a big company instead of a smaller one. I should feel more intimidated. Huh...

How would I approach a company about sponsoring me?

Also AniaR, what's kick starter?

Bellasea
06-12-2012, 07:59 PM
When I had to ask for donations for an Easter basket making thing with Girl Scouts I just opened the phone book looking for local, non-franchise, businesses and called. If you know anyone that works for a family run business, ask them.

You're probably more intimated by a local business because it is something you see everyday. You will probably meet them, in person, when with a bigger company would just send off a letter and probably only communicate by phone/e-mail/mail. The bigger compaines are impersonal, smaller ones are not. That's just my guess.

Ayla of Duluth
06-12-2012, 08:09 PM
But no one says no to the Girl Scouts xD
I'm kind of thinking of asking Wells Fargo, but they're a bank and for some reason it feels like they'd try to screw me out of my own thing. Also they're a big business too. Problem is, all of our small businesses around here are broke and barely surviving. Maybe I could ask the people I'm going to to make my logo. They aren't broke or rich, it's perfect. :) I'd be advertising them every time someone saw my logo.

Bellasea
06-12-2012, 08:21 PM
That would work! Also, I will ask my friends how they got sponsered by the Credit Union, cause that is a bank and I want to know in case I ever need sponsers.

To go with the broke thing, you could do a contract thing where instead of sponsering you for a tail, they provide a venue for you to work/performe. I don't know if you already have a tail, but if you do that could be a good way to get started, then that way if the company asks for entrace cost you can split some of the $$. I think if you just find some people to talk to, you will find people that would be willing to help you.

Ayla of Duluth
06-12-2012, 08:32 PM
Venues are always nice :)
I think tomorrow I'll ask my local credit union. I've been a member there ever since I was a wee little one, and I feel like they'd be willing to work with me. Now I just have to get some sort of presentation together worthy of convincing them that I'm a good investment. I don't have any history, but I have to start somewhere.

Bellasea
06-12-2012, 08:33 PM
Good Luck!

Ayla of Duluth
06-12-2012, 08:58 PM
I think that maybe I'm supposed to do some sort of presentation to make myself look more professional. Any ideas of what I should put in it?