Made Possible By: Succeeding with Sponsorship is a 138-page workbook intended to instruct nonprofits of any size on how to develop sponsorship opportunities into long-lasting sources of income instead of one-time funding sources for special events and projects.

This manual provides detailed instructions, tools and examples drawn from the author's experience as a consultant who specializes in forging sponsorship alliances between nonprofits and businesses. Martin also lectures on this topic at the University of Chicago and Lake Forest School of Management and at seminars and workshops for executives across the U.S.

Her main premise is that "sponsorship is a commercial rather than a philanthropic endeavor...[it] is an exchange of fees for marketing assets, not a fundraising tool to pay the cost of a project or answer a budget shortfall" —— a common perception among nonprofits, according to Martin. She further stresses that all nonprofits should have sponsors because the fees can be a source of unrestricted funds to cover general operating and other expenses that usually do not qualify for grant funding.

Thus, her book is divided into two parts: preparation and execution. Part One prepares nonprofits by describing what different types of businesses expect when they enter sponsorship agreements. It then provides step-by-step instructions and worksheets for identifying, assessing and evaluating a nonprofit's marketing assets, which include formulas for calculating actual dollar values.

Part Two covers the practical aspects: writing the proposal, gaining access to potential sponsors, negotiating and closing the deal, executing the agreement, and measuring results. This section also includes worksheets, checklists, sample documents and examples of what to say at various points during the negotiation process. Also helpful are tips on avoiding common pitfalls. Moreover, Martin addresses relevant legal and tax issues, particularly unrelated business income tax (UBIT), using examples of logos, slogans and other sponsor benefits that do or do not fall within safe harbor.

Martin's advice is direct, succinct and illustrated with concrete examples. All of the worksheets and sample documents seem readily applicable and adaptable to most situations. However, the tools for calculating values for intangible assets assume that the user has a good sense of the going rate for marketing items such as purchased media and database lists. For novices, her suggested resources to find this information may not be specific enough.

For citations to additional materials on this topic, refer to Literature of the Nonprofit Sector Online, using the subject heading "Corporate sponsorship."