The Local Sponsors Option combines the ad-free option where members pay to have OCC ads removed from their site with the capability to use their own local sponsors' graphics on their website. The result is a win-win-win situation. Your organization wins by gaining a website that looks better, has no OCC ads, and is free or can even earn the organization money. The local sponsors win by gaining a year of inexpensive (and possibly tax deductible) publicity for their business. The visitors to the website gain because the website looks better and can help make them aware of fellow Christians in the community who perform services that they really need.

Fewer ads. All of OCC's ads are removed from your website, allowing you to fill just the area where the large banner is with sponsors' graphics. The net result is that your local sponsors' graphics cover only 1/3 of the space our advertisements did.

More Attractive. Since you manage your sponsors' graphics, you have complete control over how they look. Don't like flashing, animated ads? You can show only non-animated graphics. Want to prevent color clashes? You set the color themes for your sponsors' graphics. Want the ads to match the graphical theme of your website? Go for it. The net result is a better-looking website for your organization and your visitors.

Content Control. Since you select your own sponsors, you're guaranteed never to have a company or organization you aren't 100% happy to promote on your website.

Fundraising. Many organizations will use the Local Sponsors Option just to cover the costs of their website. Four sponsors at $50/year is all it takes to cover the cost of the Local Sponsors Option and the domain name as well. But each organization is free to set its own sponsorship rates. For most businesses and self-employed individuals, $50 for a little publicity is a drop in the hat. A charge of $250, $500 or even $1000 per year for each of 4 sponsorships would not be unreasonable depending on the number of people in your organization and the number of people visiting your website.

Publicity for Your Members. If you are a local church, school, or organization, you have people involved who are lawyers, doctors, mechanics, realtors, painters and more. They need to publicize their businesses to feed their families. Most members of your organization would much rather have a fellow member and trusted brother or sister in Christ perform those services than play roulette with the Yellow Pages. The local sponsors option provides an opportunity for networking in the church that both the sponsor and visitor will thank you for. Additionally, if your organization is a registered non-profit, contributions your sponsors make to you may be tax-deductible. Consult a tax advisor.

In the menu at left, select Local Sponsors Option: How-to and follow the eight steps outlined on the help page.

The ad-free option and Local Sponsors Option are the same as far as OurChurch.Com is concerned, because they both require the same option to have our ads removed from your site. Since you've already had the ads removed from your site, you can add sponsors' graphics at any time. We recommend that you follow the 8-step process outlined on the ocal Sponsors Option: How-to page (see link at left) and skip step 6, which is ordering the ad-free premium option.

The Local Sponsors Option system for setting up graphics and tracking displays and clicks is only available for sites created using Beacon. However, if you create your site using another web builder or have it custom designed, you are welcome to get sponsors and put their graphics on your site.

You'll find links to one or more working examples by visiting our home page and choosing the Local Sponsors Option link from the Hosting menu. Or you can go directly to the Local Sponsors Option page now.

Not at all. There are many advantages to having the Local Sponsors Option over a basic free site. Sponsors' graphics will only take up 1/3 of the space of regular OCC ads on a free site. You control which graphics go on your site and what they look like. Your sponsors pay for your domain name and raise additional funds if you like. This will also help facilitate Christians doing business with other Christians within your organization.

Have them make the check out to your organization and send or give the check to you.

No. Your sponsors contribute to your organization. You pay OurChurch.Com for the ad-free/local sponsors option.

If your organization is a registered non-profit, there is a very good chance the sponsorship is tax-deductible. We recommend they consult a tax expert to be sure.

No, that is your responsibility.

Ask yourself these two questions: Will my ministry use the contributions to further the kingdom of God? Will my sponsors benefit from having their graphics placed on my website? If you answered yes to these questions, then you are not taking money but rather giving people the opportunity to publicize their businesses and further the ministry of your organization. Your sponsors will thank you for giving them this opportunity.

Yes. We have some sample emails and phone texts you can customize and use to inform potential sponsors. See Local Sponsors: Sample Text in the menu at left. And of course, if you or your sponsors have any questions, we'd be happy to answer them for you.

Ultimately, it is your responsibility to make sure your sponsors' graphics are displayed. Your sponsor may want to supply you with a graphic or you may want to create the sponsors' graphics for them. That is up to you. If neither you nor your sponsor knows how to create a graphic, you can create one for free online at http://www.crecon.com/newbanners.html. Or you can have OCC create graphics at $40/hour. Just put in a request at our Help Desk.

All graphics must be .gif or .jpg format. The 468 pixels wide by 60 pixels high sponsorship area can be broken down into quarters. If you have 4 quarter-banner sponsors, quarter-banners are 117 px wide by 60 px high. If you have 2 half-banner sponsors, half-banner sponsors are 234 px wide by 60 px high. If you have a single full-banner sponsor, the graphic would be the standard 468 px wide by 60 px high. File size (i.e., as measured in bytes or kilobytes), animations, and color schemes are up to you.

Sponsors' graphics are set up with a link so that clicking the graphic takes visitors to each sponsor's website. If a sponsor doesn't have a website, encourage them to build a free one with OCC's website service. Or if you want to be nice, you could create a single-page site for them with our service.