Services
Our primary intention with Sustainable Sponsorships is to advance the work of brands and other organizations that exist to address climate change and other environmental and social issues that are challenging humanity.
We develop and activate sponsorship programs to advance education, health, democracy, economic development, and environmental matters.
We do this work on behalf of partner organizations in various sectors - corporate, nonprofits and NGOs, government and academic institutions - then help develop the partners needed to fund and activate programs including:
Naming rights
Sustainability initiatives
Political actions
Experiential
Special events
Media platforms
Integrated social cause
No matter the client, the objective is to establish mutually beneficial sustainable partnerships that drive social action. Successful projects and programs result in wins for all involved – our clients, their partners, and the community stakeholders that benefit from the investments made by all.
As heavy and real as these issues are, we seek to conduct our work in an innovative, creative and positive light. Our work is often accomplished through sports, entertainment and other cultural vehicles in order to effectively connect with people responsive to engaging with brands.
We work for both brand clients and sponsored “properties” – those organizations seeking new partnerships to advance their mission – as such, we break down our services along the dual tracks of Property Clients and Brands.
Property Clients
Sustainable Sponsorships supports organizational leaders seeking to attract sponsors in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
We have helped executive leaders advance major sponsorship initiatives in the following sectors, often in an effort to address environmental and other social cause issues:
- Not-for-profits and social cause organizations
- Universities and educational institutions
- Cultural and arts organizations
- Trade and industry associations
- Municipalities and government
- Start-ups seeking corporate funding
- Entertainment and sport properties
This work leads directly to new funds, material goods, promotional support and other forms of value provided by partners in exchange for access to audiences, venues, events and media platforms.
With new property client relationships, the first phase of work typically involves developing a new partnership/sponsorship program tailored to the client’s objectives and priorities. We then work to identify all of the ways that partners and sponsors might help the client address those needs.
We do this by engaging broadly with client leadership, getting into the nuances of potential partner value while understanding limits and setting boundaries. The result is a best of class partnership program that can be packaged and taken to market to compete with top producing sponsorship programs in your sector.
We develop sustainability and cause related partnerships that address shared social missions, leveraging corporate relationships to drive action. The results generate revenue to fund programs, venues, events and other initiatives.
Our projects are built upon a foundation of sustainability, community engagement, and social cause promotion. In short, our work creates meaningful, material and yes, Purpose-ful partnerships.
For more than two decades, our efforts have significantly advanced high-profile greening efforts in sports venues, major events and through corporate community engagement programs.
Once a program is developed, we excel at designing a range of sponsorship packages to offer brands in various sectors and for different property purposes. These packages are brought to life through a portfolio of materials: proposals, customizable presentation decks, benefit grids and more. We also support video production, social media campaigns and in-person events that will further support partner development.
We work with client leadership to establish a timely go-to-market strategy, engaging target brands with which we have relationships.
We can also play a key role in targeting particular brands and can take part in a variety of roles in the sponsorship sales continuum, helping to recruit partners that provide both the investment and relationship sought.
We leverage a network of contacts with sponsorship agencies, associations and other aggregator organizations to access contacts that may be interested in strategic partnership offerings and sponsorships.
Once a sponsorship offering is sold, the work has only begun; the weeks following closure of a new partnership are most critical in the long-term health and viability of the valued relationship. New sponsors are hard enough to attract and develop—successful sponsorship activation is critical to making these new partners happy and building long-term members of your organization’s ecosystem. Through this work, we bring new partnerships to life.
If you need support developing new sponsorship offerings or have any specific partnership marketing needs that require true expertise and specialized counsel, our customized Sponsorship Consulting services might be a viable option.
Designed to provide personalized expert support in sponsorship program development without requiring a significant investment in money or time, this service is available for organizations and individuals that need an injection of professional support or expertise to improve their position in generating new corporate, media, and other strategic partnerships.
Brand Clients
We help brand clients become a strategic sponsor by planning and negotiating sponsorship packages with property partners, then activating these packages to ensure comprehensive execution of all program details.
Our brand consulting services result in:
- Sustainability partnerships that produce new greening measures, education and outreach
- Community relations programs that help brands deepen ties and enhance reputations
- Naming rights and other lead sponsor roles that provide an extensive array of benefits and generate direct returns to offset costs
- Business development with product integration and direct sales including pass through rights for retail and other partners
- Alignment with elected officials and other valued community stakeholders
Our work leads to finding you the right partner for better, smarter, more effective partnerships with a ROI that includes social capital and deep community engagement.
We help brands of all sizes and in a wide range of industries plan partnership programs that support marketing initiatives and enhance brand visibility and engagement with target audiences—all while nurturing long-lasting relationships with relevant property partners.
Our brand programs are designed to position brands in an innovative, authentic and high-impact way that genuinely connects to valued communities.
Sustainability sponsorships partner brands with NGOs, government agencies, sports and entertainment properties and other brands to drive environmental awareness and action through commercial activities.
We have driven new solar installations, temporary green energy generation, alternative fuel use, integration of plant-based food offerings, and all sorts of environmental education through the creation of Sustainable Sponsorships.
This work is designed to align brands with green causes, but the same approach can be applied to other forms of social action—work that our team of specialists have been doing our entire careers.
Because every sustainable sponsorship program we develop is fully customized and strategically correct, we are most effective at managing activation of our plan.
Acting as our client’s fiduciary, we are careful and creative with sponsorship program development and negotiation as new platforms are brought to life, maximizing intended returns while controlling costs.
The result is a sophisticated program that serves the needs of our clients, their partners and a wide array of organization stakeholders.
In some cases, brand clients prefer a customized experiential program such as a major event, touring program, mission-aligned social cause or community engagement platform. Some custom events and platforms we have developed or consulted include:
- San Jose Grand Prix (co-developed and led partnerships)
- NetAid global concerts for Cisco (co-developed)
- Partnership development for the 75th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge (co-developed and led partnerships)
- Activations at Levi’s Stadium for Bud Light and Pepsi (led development and installation)
- San Francisco’s America’s Cup and Super Bowl 50 (sponsorship and sustainability consultant)
To develop new sponsorship offerings or for any specific partnership marketing needs that require true expertise and specialized counsel, our targeted Sponsorship Consulting services might be a viable option.
Designed to provide personalized expert support in sponsorship program development without requiring a significant investment in funds or time, this service is available for organizations and individuals that need an injection of professional support or expertise to improve their position in generating new corporate, media and other strategic partnerships.
Our sponsorship activation service might very well be the most important. After all, if one wants to be a successful, strategic sponsor, just having a good deal on paper isn’t going to cut it. Bringing that program to life, just the way it was designed, is essential.
Ensuring the effective fulfillment of the package purchased and activation of every last detail is vital to the success of partnership marketing.
This becomes even more important when dealing with subject matter like sustainability and community engagement given the need for authenticity and verifiable follow through on intentions.
Sponsorship activation is a more mechanical process than the creative front-end work and requires an attention to detail and a range of skills that get honed over many years of bringing new marketing partnerships to life.
We collaborate with the client team, including other agencies and related ecosystem partners, to ensure that the sponsorship program is effectively planned and executed, with every detail covered and every benefit fulfilled.
We also consult with our clients to help them understand how to best utilize the benefits of their partnership within their own audiences and communities to further extend value and returns. We learn how to best leverage the pre-existing assets, events and exposure to bring a program to an even bigger audience.