1MC Playbook sponsors v7
Sponsors ORGANIZER PLAYBOOK
SPONSORS The 1 Million Cups (1MC) Playbook is designed to provide easy-to-follow instructions on how to successfully run and sustain the 1MC program in your community. This module will serve as your team’s guidebook for finding and working with the sponsors who supply your venue, coffee and other important resources that help make your events inviting and successful. The Playbook will be regularly refined by the Kauffman Foundation in collaboration with 1MC organizers. Great sponsors will help your 1MC program develop deeper community roots. Sponsors supply more than coffee, a venue or A/V equipment. They provide connections, word-of-mouth marketing and can become community cheerleaders or even mentors. So, it’s very important to develop great relationships with your sponsors and to treat them well. Make sure that they are always recognized for their contributions. Thank them during each event and post their logos on your website. Be careful not to wear out your welcome or over-burden a sponsor. Coffee sponsors in particular should be rotated on a regular basis. Check out the Sponsorship Template in the Resources tab. And, here are a few more tips for working with sponsors.
Secure a Venue It is important to choose a neutral location, avoiding spaces that are owned or operated by a group with a financial incentive to serve as the host. When you are considering locations: • Plan for growth • Consider parking ease and availability • Consider great venues like these: Coffee shops Neutral co-working spaces Libraries Accelerators/incubators Restored galleries Offices at economic development organizations that are entrepreneurially minded
Arrange for A/V Equipment You will need: • A projector/computer and a screen that can be seen from every seat • Free Wi-Fi • Microphones and speakers • Connecting dongles • The ability to record the presentations (optional but recommended)
Have more questions? Contact 1MC headquarters at [email protected]
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SPONSORS
Find a Local Coffee Sponsor Reach out to a local coffee shop to ask if they would like to sponsor your community. Or, ask a local entrepreneur or entrepreneurship-support organization if they would be willing to fund the cost of coffee for a few weeks or a month at a time. What constitutes a good coffee sponsor? Go local and support a smaller coffee shop. Typically, the coffee shop will find that there are benefits to supplying the coffee because it gives the shop an opportunity to heighten visibility and name recognition. Sponsors should be recognized with signage and/or a shout-out at each event and, always, on your 1MC community’s landing page. As an organizer, you can add this information on the dashboard.
FAQs About Sponsors Q: Can organizers be sponsors? A: Yes. However, we encourage the organizers to engage other individuals or groups in the community so there are more stakeholders in the program. Q: What if we lose or outgrow our venue? A: If you begin to outgrow your venue, immediately begin looking for a new one. You do not want to break fire codes by exceeding the maximum number of people allowed in a space Q: Can Kauffman provide sponsors with an official 501(c)(3) letter for tax purposes? A: The Kauffman Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization, but the Foundation does not organize local 1MC events – organizers do. The individual organizers are not 501(c)(3) organizations. Therefore, a 501(c)(3) certificate cannot be issued and sponsors would not be able to take a “charitable deduction.” However, sponsorships normally would be considered tax-deductible business expenses for the sponsors, provided that sponsors are identified as such to 1MC attendees.
Have more questions? Contact 1MC headquarters at [email protected]
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SPONSORS The 1 Million Cups (1MC) Playbook is designed to provide easy-to-follow instructions on how to successfully run and sustain the 1MC program in your community. This module will serve as your team’s guidebook for finding and working with the sponsors who supply your venue, coffee and other important resources that help make your events inviting and successful. The Playbook will be regularly refined by the Kauffman Foundation in collaboration with 1MC organizers. Great sponsors will help your 1MC program develop deeper community roots. Sponsors supply more than coffee, a venue or A/V equipment. They provide connections, word-of-mouth marketing and can become community cheerleaders or even mentors. So, it’s very important to develop great relationships with your sponsors and to treat them well. Make sure that they are always recognized for their contributions. Thank them during each event and post their logos on your website. Be careful not to wear out your welcome or over-burden a sponsor. Coffee sponsors in particular should be rotated on a regular basis. Check out the Sponsorship Template in the Resources tab. And, here are a few more tips for working with sponsors.
Secure a Venue It is important to choose a neutral location, avoiding spaces that are owned or operated by a group with a financial incentive to serve as the host. When you are considering locations: • Plan for growth • Consider parking ease and availability • Consider great venues like these: Coffee shops Neutral co-working spaces Libraries Accelerators/incubators Restored galleries Offices at economic development organizations that are entrepreneurially minded
Arrange for A/V Equipment You will need: • A projector/computer and a screen that can be seen from every seat • Free Wi-Fi • Microphones and speakers • Connecting dongles • The ability to record the presentations (optional but recommended)
Have more questions? Contact 1MC headquarters at [email protected]
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SPONSORS
Find a Local Coffee Sponsor Reach out to a local coffee shop to ask if they would like to sponsor your community. Or, ask a local entrepreneur or entrepreneurship-support organization if they would be willing to fund the cost of coffee for a few weeks or a month at a time. What constitutes a good coffee sponsor? Go local and support a smaller coffee shop. Typically, the coffee shop will find that there are benefits to supplying the coffee because it gives the shop an opportunity to heighten visibility and name recognition. Sponsors should be recognized with signage and/or a shout-out at each event and, always, on your 1MC community’s landing page. As an organizer, you can add this information on the dashboard.
FAQs About Sponsors Q: Can organizers be sponsors? A: Yes. However, we encourage the organizers to engage other individuals or groups in the community so there are more stakeholders in the program. Q: What if we lose or outgrow our venue? A: If you begin to outgrow your venue, immediately begin looking for a new one. You do not want to break fire codes by exceeding the maximum number of people allowed in a space Q: Can Kauffman provide sponsors with an official 501(c)(3) letter for tax purposes? A: The Kauffman Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization, but the Foundation does not organize local 1MC events – organizers do. The individual organizers are not 501(c)(3) organizations. Therefore, a 501(c)(3) certificate cannot be issued and sponsors would not be able to take a “charitable deduction.” However, sponsorships normally would be considered tax-deductible business expenses for the sponsors, provided that sponsors are identified as such to 1MC attendees.
Have more questions? Contact 1MC headquarters at [email protected]
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