Establishing Corporate Connections...

Having worked in Advancement over the past three decades, I’ve enjoyed making corporate connections with C-level executives for non-profit organizations in a half-dozen cities east of the Mississippi (Detroit, St. Louis, Palm Beach, Orlando, Raleigh/Durham, Charlotte). Now, after serving for nearly a decade as Vice President of Development for one of the top 10 performing arts centers in the nation, I am committed to utilizing my talents to benefit the greater Charlotte community – on a larger scale. As most of the same donors give to the same local organizations – it is time to expand the base of support for Charlotte with a regional and national focus. With a background in marketing and a penchant for creating the “unusual” partnership, I look forward to representing a variety of non-profits as I forge into creating new partnerships for organizations – bringing new money into Charlotte.


Donna Meindt Mitchell, President

SponsorLink

 When recruiting a corporate executive as a volunteer solicitor for an organization and/or soliciting him/her for a major gift sponsorship -- the basis is forming a meaningful relationship through actively listening to truly understand the executive’s personal and corporate business and marketing objectives.  The magic begins when a corporation’s stated needs, can be creatively paired with an appropriate brand to advance their marketing objectives. Through crafting a named gift sponsorship with a non-profit that meets a company's corporate objectives, the growing synergy between the two entities forms a long-term win/win partnership – as it is not based on a transactional approach.  

Attributes of this SponsorLink model include:

  •  Based on the company’s interests, research and propose slate of appealing sponsorship opportunities.
  • Act as the advocate for the company internally within the non-profit to champion the company’s interests and explore opportunities for engagement.  
  • Maintain transparency in relations both with the company/sponsor and the organization, forming a trusted relationship for both parties. 
  •  Negotiate sponsorship benefits to meet company’s marketing and business objectives.  

Often in Development, the institution’s immediate needs and limited staffing place a demand that does not allow for adequate major gifts development. Not to mention, that there are not funds available to add the necessary funding to maximize all funding opportunities.    Having been “in their shoes”, I seek to partner with the organization’s Executive team as an advocate for their Director of Development, to act as a major gift officer for corporate development with a focus on corporate executive volunteer recruitment, corporate membership/campaign development; and sponsorship design and acquisition.   

Attributes of this SponsorLink model include: 

  • Based on the company’s interests, research and propose slate of appealing sponsorship opportunities. 
  • Act as the advocate for the company internally within the non-profit to champion the company’s interests and explore opportunities for engagement.  
  • Maintain transparency in relations both with the company/sponsor and the organization, forming a trusted relationship for both parties. 
  • Negotiate sponsorship benefits to meet company’s marketing and business objectives.  

For more information, contact

Donna Meindt Mitchell, SponsorLink President

Donna.Mitchell@SponsorLinkLLC.com