See below for ideas on how sponsorship can work for you!

Matching Money

Benefit to nonprofits: Matching money enables an organization to leverage the sponsor’s money to get more gifts.

Sponsor-set criteria:
  • Matches can be done in a limited time (Match minute, Power Hour) or over the course of the 36-hour event.
  • The match pool of funds can be offered to one or more organizations (see below) with criteria set by the sponsor.
  • Matching can be used as a challenge to get new donors (first time to organization) or increased donations from steady donors ($25 last year but $35 this year), or for gifts at a particular level (gifts of $50 or more eligible for match).
  • We respectfully request that the sponsor agrees to make the contribution to the organization(s) whether or not it achieves its match goal.
Levels:
  • $1,000 or more can be awarded to ONE organization as a match challenge. The Foundation will assist the sponsor in making a connection directly with the single organization to discuss promotional opportunities. The Foundation cannot promote a single-organization match pool.
  • $5,000 or more allows the sponsor to choose a group of nonprofits to benefit from the challenge. This can be defined by: issue area (e.g. arts, basic needs, education, health, seniors); geography (e.g. Newhallville, Hamden, Hamden/North Haven, Valley); or can be a group selected by the sponsor from the participating organizations.
Benefit to sponsors at $5,000 or more:
  • The Foundation informs each eligible organization about the opportunity for matching money, and helps them with the messaging to their potential donors. Most organizations will use social media and email to push out the message, “Give today to help us meet our SPONSOR match challenge”, providing sponsor brand recognition to vast audiences. The Community Foundation will: include the sponsor logo in a rotating box on the home page of The Great Give; send out at least three social media blasts that reference the sponsored match; list the match pool on the Prize page of thegreatgive.org so there is visibility to all potential donors; and provide a photo opportunity with the benefitting nonprofits.

Prizes

Benefit to nonprofits:
  • Prize money also helps organizations to leverage more donor gifts. Even organizations that don’t win the prize still show an increase in the number of donors who help them try to come out in front.
Sponsor-set criteria:
  • Prizes can be done in a limited time (most gifts during a particular hour; gift closest to a particular time) or over the course of the 36-hour event (most money/donors/new donors).
  • Organizations eligible to compete for the prize can be defined by:
    • issue area (e.g. arts, basic needs, education, health, youth, seniors)
    • geography (e.g. Newhallville, Branford, Hamden/North Haven, Valley)
    • or can be a group selected by a sponsor from the participating organizations
Levels and benefits to sponsor:
  • The Foundation informs each eligible organization about the opportunity for the prize, and helps them with the messaging to their potential donors.
  • Most organizations will use social media and email to push out the message, “Help us win the SPONSOR prize”, again providing significant sponsor brand recognition.
  • Prizes of $500-$999 will be listed on the Prize page of thegreatgive.org and will be pushed out via social media by The Community Foundation at least once.
  • Prizes of $1,000-$5,000 will include: the sponsor logo in a rotating box on the home page of The Great Give; mention in at least three social media blasts; listing of the prize on the Prize page of thegreatgive.org so there is visibility to all potential donors; and a photo opportunity with the winning nonprofit.

Jackie Downing, Senior Director of Grantmaking and Nonprofit Support
The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven
By telephone at 203-777-7072 or email