I get $150 for a Business Card all day long. And I raise on average about $13,500 for each school doing my programs. I am not the second coming, but I do have a product unlike anyone else's. Keepsakes for the kids and the parents.
Please feel free to call or write;
Michael D. Alt, Owner
All Sports Sales & Marketing, Inc.
(352) 353-5139 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. E-mail anytime or call until 10pm any night.
Gaptadad ~ Michael Alt, Owner of All Sports Sales & Marketing, Inc.
The usual expectation for any type of return of a mail-out is 2%. If you get better than a 2% return on your mail-outs, you're a Professional Writer. I Own and Operate a company in Florida that makes a living just off the advertisers dollars. I create FULL color sports programs (game time programs) for High Schools, Junior Colleges and Little Leagues. I give a portion of the ad sales (upfront) back to the school/organization. Then, (for example) I will print 1,000 copies of this FULL color program that highlights seniors or upper classmen(women). It's done on glossy paper and all the covers are UV coated so they won't fade, run or warp. These are quality programs. It cost the school/organization absolutely nothing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There is nothing to put a deposit on, nothing to buy ahead of time and nothing to stock. All you do is make money.
plhepner;83179 wrote: I have read so many on the message board that solicit local business donations and get better responses than national. Well, I'm the other way around. With the exception of four donations from cafes, I have received absolutely zilch from local businesses after sending about 120 letters! Now, I'm no Antonio Banderas but I can write a great letter. Am I doing something wrong? Is there another strategy I'm not thinking of that would work? Phone calls to those businesses who didn't send anything go unreturned. Letters, obviously, go unanswered. I'm wasting my freakin' postage! Is it better to get a manager's name and send it directly to his or her attention? What do ya'll think?
It's best to speak to the Business and ask for person in charge of donations and talk to them on phone. Then I get an appt. to take donation letter to them with info they want and need. Or some just ask for a fax. You have to make personal contact either way or it is a joke. I promise you, if you make personal contact you will get results!! I contacted 10 businesses this week, speaking to the proper contacts and all 10 businesses are donating.
GAPTA DAD, would you post your letter here? Maybe we can help you rewrite it. I agree with others, short and to the point, but most importantly, face to face contact is key. Also, do you tell the business what YOU will do in turn, for them?? As PALS mentioned, sometimes it's sheer numbers.. these places get hit up ALL the time, and they just can't afford it. But, try another approach- when you go to a business and connect with an owner or manager, tell them you want to work " WITH" them to enhance their business- work together on a creative way to advertise this business to your group... Advertising costs are very high, so if they think you are giving them 500 business prospects in return for their $25.00 donation, that's a good return on their investment.
We do fairly well in getting donations locally by using people's contacts. One of the things we are going to try this year, is pointing out in a flyer that most people have a contact that they don't realize. For example: if you work for an accountant, doing taxes can be donated, if you work for a dentist, whitening of teeth, etc. Some of the people in the school have special skills such as quilting, knitting, scrapbooking, etc. which could be donated. Last year, when parents donated something, we put up a little card which said "Donated by a school parent". This provided recognition to the donor as well as motivation for other parents.
Judi D - I love the idea of bringing my kids along while I solicit. I think that's a winning idea. You are right, no one wants to lose face in front of school kids and it's also good for my kids to know exactly what I do to make their PTO successful. You have great resources in NYC. I assume you also go after tickets for TV show tapings. We usually get the John Stewart show and Regis and Kelly, ( I live in NJ). Please post if you manage to get a cruise donated. I would make the trip in if I though I would be successful.
Good luck.
