If you have a business and have even the slightest reputation for being civic minded, you are probably hit up constantly for sponsorships and donations.

Supporting local organization and events is a good thing in and of itself. You build goodwill in the community and strengthen relationships. The laws of prosperity apply to businesses as well as individuals.

However there are marketing benefits to be had from donations in addition to the karmic rewards. Here are three ways to take advantage of those benefits.

Make Sure the Donee has Your Contact Information

This seems pretty basic doesn’t it? Well it is, but I can’t tell you how many times a charity event committee member has handed me a gift card or gift basket saying, “So-and-So donated this.” I have no idea who So-and-So is, what they do, how to contact them, or where to send a thank you.

At the very least, a business card with your name will do. Send a couple of business cards with your donation. One to go with the item and one for the organizer.

(If Mr. Handley with Handley Travel is reading this, thank you for the Houston rodeo tickets donated for the Picnic on the Park raffle. I Googled your name and couldn’t find a web site for your business. You need one. Call me).

Give Your Donation Pizazz!

This tip mainly applies to donations for raffles and silent auctions. Remember that presentation is everything.

You may be donating a $200 gift certificate for spa services, believe me people will get much more excited about it if you put it in a gift basket surrounded by $10 of product. People like pretty.

Also, keep in mind that you aren’t just exposing your business to the person that ends up winning it, but also to everyone that stops by to look at it. Along with the donation, send brochures or flyers with a holder to set beside it for attendees to take.

Take Full Advantage of Event Marketing Opportunities

In a previous post on the advantages of having a corporate marketing kit, I talked about opportunities that businesses miss out on because they don’t have marketing collateral ready to go. Again, I see this all the time.

If a sponsorship includes the listing of your name, logo, and a link to your web site, make sure you give it to them. If they let you hand out a promo or marketing piece, do it.

Don’t wait until a promotional opportunity is staring you in the face and then scramble to put something together.

You are in business.

You need to promote yourself.

Have the tools on hand to do so.

At the very least . . . and I mean the bare minimum . . . you need your logo and your business card in a digital format ready to email. The logo preferably be in a vector format, if not vector then a high resolution pdf or tif file.

Have print ads in a couple of sizes ready to go, as well as a couple of web banners.

Every business should have at least one general 468 x 60 banner ad. If you are only going to pick one other size, a 125 x 125 or 120 x 60 banner ad would work well in most sponsorship situations.

Freaking out on your new list of must-haves? Don’t worry, I do this all day. Call me!