Sneaky ways to find sponsors

Okay, not really sneaky. But not the usual google-it-or-go-to-a-database method.

Whatever field you're in, you likely have competitors, folks who would love to have the money or clients you've got. Part of what you do to sell yourself is to explain why you are better than some other person or company who is in the same field. To know what they're doing, you have to keep track of them. So you read industry newsletters or websites, you read articles published by or about them, and periodically you spend a little time browsing their website to see what they're up to.

Sponsor research!

Yep, that's one way to add sponsors to your list of potentials. Remember we said that matching your needs to a sponsor's wants is how you match with a good prospect. If a sponsor has given funding to someone in your field, then that sponsor is also a possibility for you. At the very least, you should investigate more. If the competitor got the funding because the wife of the sponsor's president is best friends with the director of the competitor, then maybe you don't have the best shot. But if the sponsor is now funding in your field, funding projects similar to yours, then they just may fund you.

So make it a habit when you're reading industry news to jot down all the funding awards received by competitors, or anyone who shares characteristics of yours that might trigger funding. That can be a lot things other than the actual content or goal of your project. If an organization just gave funding to a local school, and the reason was because they want to improve the city without limiting it to primary or secondary education, then a social service agency or higher education entity or arts venue might also be successful with a funding request. At the very least, research the sponsor. Even if only one of applications you send out as a result is actually funded, the return per hour spent would probably be worth it.