Technorati Tags: Finding Pageant Sponsors
How do I raise money for a pageant? This is one of the most frequently asked questions I receive as a pageant coach. Having competed for years myself, I know the importance of having the money in the bank BEFORE you commit to doing a pageant. You will need a minimum of 2,000-3,000 dollars for your first pageant. The exact amount of money will vary depending on the level and pageant system you’re participating in; but with this seed money, you will be able to fully enjoy the process while reducing the financial stress that some contestants may experience.
It’s important to know what the titleholder’s obligations are to the pageant system you are considering. For example, some local and festival pageants have no further obligation to compete at a higher level; however, you may need to make appearances and you’ll need money to be able to do that for a year.
In the America and USA pageant systems, the state titleholders are required to compete at the national pageants. In some cases, the national pageant is only a month or two from the state pageant. I don’t think I need to elaborate on how much stress is created when a person has to come up with an additional 3,000-6,000 dollars in 60 days. Please keep in mind, you may not need $6,000; but potentially you may need a lot more.
Do your homework. Talk to the directors, read the pageant websites, and ask former contestants who competed in the pageant to gather information about the required expenses so you have a good idea of how much money you will need. That’s why it’s important to start a year ahead of time. I talk more about this in my free special report , 10 Insider Secrets to Winning.
WARNING: As you start totaling up the dollar amounts, you may feel a bit overwhelmed. This is normal and very much like paying your college fees, buying a car, or a house. There’s a base price. Then you sit down with the closing agent. Suddenly, all these additional fees and taxes start getting added on and before you know it, the final number is much different than what you had expected. So expect it to cost $6,000. If you only spend $3,000, you will experience a different feeling than if you thought it would cost $3,000 and you need to come up with $6,000 at the last minute.
Is the investment worth it? That’s up to you based on what you value and what your focus is for doing the pageant. If your intention is to just win a crown, trophy and sash that has a monetary value of about a $100; for me, the answer would be no.
But if you want to use your pageant experience as a vehicle to develop an understanding of who you are, what your life purpose is, create dynamic communication skills, learn time management and balance, strengthen your relationships, and establish a way of thinking that enables you to create the life you want to live, I’d say it’s an investment that exceeds the monetary value of $6,000. That’s what I did with my pageant experience and that’s the method I share with my clients.
So let’s use the $6,000 as an example for this article and talk about the ways to create it in a year. To meet this goal, you would need to raise $500 a month. So think 5 appearances at $100, or however you want to break it down. How I did this when I was Mrs. Ohio America 2005 was to make 3 lists.
List one is all about you.
Write down all the skills you have that you could market to service organizations and business people in exchange for their financial sponsorship support. For example, I’m a dancer, singer, public speaker, writer, MC, promotional model, runway model, print work model, musician, hostess, and actress.
Have two or three songs/dances/speeches already put together that you can perform in a variety of potential situations. Models have your portfolio together and practice your different walks so you can demonstrate your ability to “work it” in all types of clothing. A quick comment, make sure your skill level is worthy of being compensated :).
List two is all about your network.
Write down all the businesses that you give your money and business to. Put all salons, clothing stores, retail stores, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, banks, and direct sales people on the list.
Look at the service organizations in your surrounding community such as Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce, Departments of Tourism, church groups, school organization, and men’s and women’s organizations. Get the yellow pages, search on online, and talk to people to find out who the mover and shakers are in your community.
Start talking to people and build genuine friendships. Ask them what their needs are for their upcoming events. Get names, email addresses and phone numbers from the above people; and dates for when the organizations meet. If you go in with the mind set of offering something of value that benefits both of you, you will be excited to share this opportunity with people.
List three is all about events.
Start gathering information about upcoming events from different schools, churches, service organizations, business expos and festivals and put them on the list. Don’t limit yourself to just your hometown. If you are competing for a state title, the whole state is an opportunity. There is a seasonal cycle for events. Sports are year round. In spring and summer, you have a lot of festivals and outdoor celebrations. In fall, people start thinking of the holidays so they are looking for entertainment for their parties. Winter brings bridal and fashion shows. Look in trade newspapers, go online, and check out the tourism websites in your area to get an even longer list of events.
Once you have your lists created, see what skills you can offer to the different people at their events. It’s even more fun if you do this with organizations that are part of your platform or community service projects. People will want to support you if you are clear, confident, and professional when you approach them. You will be providing a service in exchange for their sponsorship. Also, come up with a way to recognize and advertise their sponsorship of you for the year by offering to put their business information on your ad page, website, blog, comp card or all of the above.
Don’t rule out bartering for sponsorship. Meaning if a dress store will let you have or discount the price on a dress in exchange for being a model at several events, celebrate. A penny saved is a penny earned. Be creative. Also, sell things you no longer use or need on eBay or Craigslist to get money. For a year, live on budget and buy what you need, not what you want. You’d be amazed at how quickly you can come up with the money.
During this whole process you will be learning management, planning, marketing, and networking skills, not to mention overcoming the fear of getting out of your comfort zone. Learning how to feel the fear and shift it to your advantage is a skill that will help you far beyond the pageant.
Have fun, be creative, and grow through the process. If you have questions, need clarification or want help, please contact me and we can discuss options if this is an opportunity you want to experience.
Beyond the Pageant:
Marketing ourselves and networking are two life skills everyone can benefit from. If you feel uncomfortable in these areas, take a deeper look at what thoughts they evoke. Remember, “thoughts lead to feelings, feelings lead to actions”. If you want to change the action, work backwards and change the thought.
By Rhonda Shappert
October 7, 2009 23:19
