Try your local hotels. We got two 2-night stays at local "luxury" hotels. With the incidentals included, the retail value of each was over $600. They have been sought after items each year.
And definitely work any connections you may have. We have a parent that does event planning. She has been extremely helpful in securing some donations.
Re: Sponsorwise status. My AirTran and Panera requests both show "submitted" on Sponsorwise as of this morning. However, I have never heard from AirTran (event on Friday) and Panera sent an email two weeks ago telling us we were approved.
I don't know how reliable the status field is... until I get an email from AirTran I've decided to stop checking status. My watched pot is not boiling ...
I received a response from the AirTran account manager this morning. Here is what he said:
"They are still evaluating requests however are very backed up so the review process is pretty delayed. I know that they are looking at all proposals with events taking place next month, so you should receive a response very shortly."
My event is May 7. Hope that helps some of you that are still waiting.