We have put together this list of resources to assist you with skill building, research, and developing your networks. This is by no means an exhaustive list but should provide a strong base to get you started. Please note, we have not accepted any fees or special consideration from any of these organizations, nor are we responsible for their content. There are some cases where we are not familiar with an organization and have simply included their contact details.
We recommend several blogs to follow for a constant feed of inspiration and ideas.
Kim Skildum-Reid’s Sponsorship Blog
Partnership Activation Blog by Brian Gainor
Sponsorship Blog by Linda Antoniadis
The Business of Sports Blog by Russell Scibetti
Culture Scout Blog by Patricia Martin
Chris Reed on Partnership Marketing
Our best advice is to follow the hashtags #sponsorship, #sportsbiz, #eventprofs, and #fundraising. Within those, you will find some very astute content creators and curators to follow.
Search for the “Sponsorship Insights” group. Sponsorship Insights has a very good and substantial LinkedIn networking group that we highly recommend. The discussions are pertinent and lively, and it is refreshingly free of spam. For details, see www.linkedin.com.
This is a mix of sponsorship associations and some more general marketing, nonprofit, or sports business associations. Some of these more general organizations do currently offer sponsorship education and/or resources. If your country’s associations don’t, we have found most are open to suggestions from members with regard to topics and good resources. Ask for the support you need if you’re not getting it.
The IFEA is aimed at events and festival organizers, although it does have some good resources for sponsors of these types of events. There are chapters in 36 countries. For details, see www.ifea.com.
This Council was formed by the Canadian Association of Advertisers and supports primarily corporate sponsors, but has events open to all sponsorship professionals. For details, see www.sponsorshipmarketing.ca.
This large association has a wide variety of publications, conferences, workshops, and symposiums available across the United States, although sponsorship does not feature heavily in its education program at present. For more information, see the AMA website at www.marketingpower.com or contact the chapter in your area. A full list is available on the site.
This association provides a lot of resources, primarily for corporate sponsors. They also host a well-regarded industry conference and Canada’s premier sponsorship awards. For details, see www.acaweb.ca.
This association is well respected across Canada, with chapters and activities in major cities. Its quarterly publication, The Marketing Challenge, regularly covers sponsorship. Current and back issues are available free of charge to both members and nonmembers on this website. For details, see www.professionalmarketer.ca.
With more than 6,000 members in the United States, this association provides a wealth of information, training, and other resources to the sector. For more information, see www.snpo.org.
This is the only pan-European sponsorship association, with awards, a major conference, and a new diploma course. For details, contact www.sponsorship.org.
This very active sponsorship association has many great activities and resources, as well as holding the annual Scandinavian Sponsorship conference in Stockholm. For details, see www.sefs.se.
This is a big, active sponsorship association, hosting an annual sponsorship summit and awards, as well as providing other good resources to industry professionals. For more information, see www.faspo.de.
With many educational events and resources, this association is a big part of the sophisticated Scandinavian sponsorship industry. For more information, see www.sponsorforeningen.no.
The Chartered Institute of Marketing is the largest marketing association in the world, with branches across the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It holds events internationally, not just in the United Kingdom. Sponsorship resources are limited, but general marketing resources and networking opportunities are outstanding. For more information, see www.cim.co.uk.
This association holds numerous events around the country, as well as a star-studded annual conference. Members also get free access to the magazines Market Leader and Marketing Magazine. For details, see www.marketingsociety.org.uk.
The MII offers lots of marketing resources and networking. It also offers free subscriptions online to its biweekly marketing e-zine M@rketPlace to both members and nonmembers. For details, see www.mii.ie.
This is Hong Kong’s preeminent marketing organization, with a full complement of educational and networking activities. It also publishes Asian Marketing Review. For details, see www.hkim.org.hk.
The MIS is Singapore’s key marketing body, with a membership of around 4,500 professionals. For details, see www.mis.edu.sg.
The JMA has chapters in Kansai, Kyushu, and Hokkaido. For details, see www.jma2-jp.org.
For details, see www.imm.org.my.
For details, see www.ima.or.id.
For details, see www.immindia.com.
For details, see www.kma.re.kr.
For details, see www.marketingthai.or.th.
The AMI regularly holds sponsorship-oriented functions and workshops and is a good source of general marketing information. For details, see www.ami.org.au.
For details, see www.marketing.org.nz.
The IMM is a very active association, with many events and training sessions around South Africa. For details, see www.imm.co.za.
Brand Republic is not one industry mag but a whole collection of marketing and media publications from Europe and Asia, all rolled into one mega website. The articles are great and searchable, and they have a fantastic set of bloggers. For details, see www.brandrepublic.com.
This is Canada’s own sponsorship publication. They also host a major annual sponsorship conference. For details, see www.sponsorship.ca.
Brand marketing publication Brandweek has recently been folded into its sister publication, Adweek. You’ll still find a big emphasis on below-the-line marketing activities, including sponsorship. For details, see www.adweek.com.
This is a well-respected marketing publication with strong marketing information for both Canadians and others. For details, see www.marketingmag.ca.
This publication doesn’t touch on sponsorship every time, but over the course of a year, it does have some excellent articles on the subject. For details, see www.salesandmarketing.com.
AdAge is very advertising oriented but very complete in this regard. It has an excellent website with full articles available for free. For details, see www.adage.com.
This is probably the preeminent North American publication on the business of sports. The coverage of sponsorship news is plentiful, and it will point you in the right direction to get more in-depth information. It is available online at www.sportsbusinessdaily.com.
This is the magazine of the American Marketing Association. Content runs the gamut, but does include sponsorship. See www.marketingpower.com.
This is a very good resource with strong international coverage. For details, see www.sportbusiness.com.
This sponsorship publication is well respected for its depth of content. For details, see www.sponsoronline.nl.
This is one of the United Kingdom’s preeminent marketing publications. It comes out weekly and has a money-back guarantee. Its website is excellent and very complete. For details, see www.marketinguk.co.uk.
This is another top publication in the UK market. It is very comprehensive and covers sponsorship well. It has an excellent website. For details, see www.marketingweek.co.uk.
This monthly consists mainly of snippets of news from around the region. While you are unlikely to get any in-depth coverage of sponsorship issues, it is certainly a good resource to keep you on top of the Irish marketing industry. For details, see www.marketing.ie.
Somewhat more comprehensive than Ireland’s Marketing magazine, there seems to be more of a balance between coverage of above- and below-the-line activities. They have a great website. For details, see www.irishmarketingjournal.ie.
This is Asia’s only purely sponsorship publication. It is mostly about sponsorship news (not skills), but members get access to a deals and contacts database and they hold educational events. For details, see www.asiasponsorshipnews.com.
This is the top cross-Asia marketing publication. For details, see www.campaignbrief.co.nz.
This is Australia’s only sponsorship publication and a good source of industry news and events. For more information, see www.sponsorshipnews.com.au.
This is New Zealand’s top marketing magazine with an excellent website. For more information, see www.stoppress.co.nz.
AdNews is a bit of a misnomer because this Australian biweekly has a much broader and more comprehensive view on marketing. It also incorporates some excellent sponsorship-oriented features. For more information, see www.adnews.com.au.
B&T is a weekly, advertising-oriented publication, although it does cover marketing in a larger sense as well. For more information, see www.bandt.com.au.
This is the preeminent marketing and advertising periodical in New Zealand. For more information, see www.campaignbrief.com/nz.
Many of the above-listed resources have great websites, but there are a few other sites that we thought were worth a mention.
This site bills itself as “The No. 1 online information resource for the Irish marketing, advertising, and media business.” It delivers. See www.adworld.ie.
Brand Republic brings together the best of a variety of marketing and related publications and is a wealth of information and inspiration. Check them out on www.brandrepublic.com.
Headed by Kim Skildum-Reid (coauthor of this book), Power Sponsorship provides in-house training, public workshops, webinars, and workshops tailored for government and industry groups, and expert sponsorship coaching. For more information, see www.powersponsorship.com.
This website provides up-to-the-minute news releases from major U.S. corporations and events. It allows you to search all press releases, by company, for the last several years. (Our hint, add the word “sponsorship” to your search.) For more, see www.prnewswire.com.
Although most of these sites are specific to one country or another, don’t limit yourself geographically. Many of them feature good advice and links that will be useful to a wide range of cultural and nonprofit organizations.
This is a very complete site, with articles, links, books, and more for the cultural and broader nonprofit sector. For more, visit www.artsmanagement.net.
This is a very interesting and very complete site run by the Arts & Business Council. It includes a lot of information on programs, education, and policy and has some excellent links. For more, see www.artsmarketing.org.
Run by Americans for the Arts, this is an excellent resource for arts marketing information, as well as broader resources for the arts community. For more, visit www.artsusa.org.
This very comprehensive site offers great resources, educational events, and distance learning. For more, see www.causemarketingforum.com.
In the online version of a real-life magazine out of the United States, we found some interesting articles, a good online directory, and some very useful links. For more, see www.nptimes.com.
This is a site put up by the New York Foundation for the Arts. It is a service specifically for cultural institutions and includes Current, a good online publication, as well as terrific cultural links. For more, visit www.nyfa.org.
This extremely complete website is a goldmine of information for community groups trying to establish and grow their capabilities. For more, visit www.ourcommunity.com.au.
Although members of these associations are specifically specialized in sports or entertainment law, they will likely be well versed in sponsorship law and will be able to assist any sponsorship seeker that needs expert advice.
This site features a searchable list of members.
This is a great resource for finding profiles of companies and industries from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and many other countries. This is not a free service, but they do let you try it out before committing. See www.hoovers.com.
A subscription service with more than 1,000 U.S. and 300 Canadian corporate profiles that will assist nonprofit organizations in gaining sponsorship. Also provides biographies, major gift announcements, and special interest group articles. Ask for the online 10-minute tour. See www.rpbooks.com.