Sponsorship Case Study

The Challenge – Professional Association

Zzeem was engaged by a high-profile professional association with a need to double their sponsorship revenue over the next three years.

Their existing sponsorship program was ad hoc and time-consuming to manage.

The organization’s value proposition to sponsors was high but it was not clearly articulated and sponsor privileges were not well-defined.

We also discovered that the sponsorship director was spending a lot of time responding to one-off requests because the organization had no policies or guidelines around sponsor relationships and privileges.

The Deliverables –Turnkey for Sponsorship Attraction & Retention

Zzeem worked with the management team to create a sponsorship strategy, a sponsor opportunity package and a marketing execution system to sell their value proposition to a higher level of sponsor.

The Results – Double the Money in less than a year

The sponsor response was remarkable. Despite a difficult economic environment, existing sponsors increased their commitment and new sponsors were eager to sign-up.

• In the first month, the organization sold a sponsorship package that was twice the value of their previously highest level.
• In less than one year, they reached their 3-year target.

Outsourced Resources Case Study

The Challenge – Industry Association

Zzeem was engaged by a small but influential industry association whose president wanted to take the organization to the next level. But their business operations were holding them back.

Member services were inconsistently delivered, member dues payments were always in arrears and membership was shrinking. But busy board members had no time to improve their administration.

The Deliverables – Outsourced Back Office

Zzeem worked with the board to decide on their priorities. Then Zzeem built the business processes and the back-office to support them.

The Results – More and Better Member Services

• Member services have increased dramatically and are delivered like clockwork in a highly professional manner.
• Member information is complete, current and easily accessible to all board members via an online management system.
• The organization has a new, vibrant website that is updated at least monthly. The old website was rarely visited. The new one is an actively used resource for members.
• Ecommerce allows members to pay their dues online and register for events.

Professional Development Programs Case Study

The Challenge – Trade Organization

Zzeem was engaged by a trade organization that was facing declining attendance at its seminars and learning programs.

A diverse membership made it difficult to organize events and programs that would attract a large enough audience. Members had differing interests and many were located well outside of the city.

Often the attendance at events was dominated by service providers looking to sell their services to member firms.

The Deliverables – Professional Development Event Scorecard

Zzeem worked with the Executive Director and the Education Committee to evaluate the organization’s professional development program using Zzeem’s proprietary Professional Development Event Scorecard. Then we restructured the program to build on the most successful events.

The Results – Higher Turnout, More Sponsors

• The organization now has one large conference each year that covers a broad range of topics relevant to the membership. It includes an industry awards component which stimulates heated competition and focuses attention on the event.
• Niche topics are delivered via webinars and self-directed online learning. Individual industry sectors are served better than ever before, without the expense of a live venue.
• Quarterly luncheon events focus on hot topics that can be organized on short notice. This keeps interest high and attendance robust.
• Sponsor-related revenue has doubled. This is due partly to the higher turnout and also because events are now so well organized that sponsors are booked up to one year in advance.