| These are the steps we recommend you take to add the local sponsors option to your website.
1. Understand what you are offering your sponsors.
Read through all the details of the extensive materials provided on this website concerning the Local Sponsors Option. We have provided a number of useful tools to help you inform and interact with potential local sponsors to make this as easy as possible. If you have any questions, please contact OurChurch.Com.
2. Decide on your sponsorship rates.
Local sponsorships are an agreement between the website owner and the local sponsor. Since OurChurch.Com is not involved in that agreement, you are free to ask for whatever contribution you like. At a minimum, you can use the local sponsor option to cover all your costs so that your website services cost you nothing. For example, if you have the Bronze hosting package ($80/year) and the ad-free option ($110/year) your cost for website services would be $190/year so you might opt for 4 quarter-banner sponsors at $47.50/year.
You might decide to use the Local Sponsors Option as a general fundraiser and request $250 or $1000 for each quarter-banner. You might also decide to use the Local Sponsors Option to reward contributors to a special cause. For example, a church youth group needs to raise $4000 for a missions trip, so they find 4 business owners in the church who each donate $1000. The youth group thanks those individuals by putting up their quarter-banners on the website for a year. The possibilities are as endless as your imagination. Don’t forget, if you are a non-profit organization, local sponsors may be able to take a tax deduction for the contribution.
3. Make a list of potential sponsors.
Write down the names and phone numbers of a dozen potential sponsors. Here are some businesses you’ll find in every community who would make good sponsors. Depending on the size of your organization, you'll probably have a number of members of your organization who own or work in these industries.
4. Call the potential sponsors.
We've provided some sample texts you can use for email or phone calls. Please choose Local Sponsors: Sample Text in the menu at left. When you speak with each potential sponsor, you can highlight the following benefits of becoming a sponsor:
5. Contact Sponsors.
When candidates have committed to sponsor your site, tell them to make their checks out to your organization and send them to you. Request an advertising graphic and the address of their website. Let your sponsors know that to be able to view the online statistical reporting for their ad(s), that they need to visit OurChurch.Com to register a username and then let you know the username. We’ve provided a sample text you can use for an email or phone call. Please choose Local Sponsors: Sample Text in the menu at left.
6. Order the Local Sponsors Option.
Once you have commitments from sponsors, go to your webmaster page, click the "Order & Renew Premium Options" link, and order the ad-free option and whichever hosting package suits your needs.
7. Create or acquire the graphics.
Some sponsors may want to create their own graphics. You might want to create all the graphics for your sponsors so they all look similar. If you don't have graphics software, you can create graphics for free at http://www.crecon.com/newbanners.html. If you or your sponsors want OCC to create more elaborate graphics, we can do that as well for a fee.
8. Set up local sponsors graphics.
Use the "Upload Graphics" option on your Webmaster page to get all the graphics to our server. As soon as your order form and payment have been received by OurChurch.Com, a "Manage Local Sponsors Graphics" option will appear on your Webmaster page. Click this and set up the graphics for each of your sponsors. There is an online Help Page to answer questions concerning managing sponsors' graphics.
For many organizations this option will be a home run. Most churches and schools should have no problem coming up with a dozen candidates off the top of their heads and then calling those candidates in an hour or two. You may very well have your entire website paid for and raise hundreds or thousands of dollars for your ministry by the end of the day. Some potential sponsors may want to think it over for a few days, but if you contact a dozen candidates as we suggest, they will have to act fast or risk missing out. Once you have commitments from your sponsors you can place your order to upgrade and the next business day after we receive your payment you'll be able to begin showing your sponsors' graphics.
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