As mentioned in the Tour de SixLinks email, bonus points will be given for additional information about the sponsor, or justifications on why they'd make a good one.
Gold stars (no really, rare, awesome gold star badges) awarded for all sponsor leads that actually end up sponsoring SixLinks! Reply to comment
I haven't any specifics yet, but a line of research I'll pursue runs as follows:
The website www.greenjobs.com is a repository for green job listings (duh). On their website you can find a significant number of organizations (public, private, and exhibitionist/uncomfortably public), all of which are interested in hiring individuals with knowledge of and experience in various Green enterprises.
This seems like a fantastic resource for SixLinks to procure sponsorship! These organizations would derive a clear benefit from having their names attached to a site like this in at least two distinct ways: 1. Legitimacy - they would benefit from the community-oriented 'aura' that SixLinks is bound to cultivate, making them seem more 'in-tune' with the community-side of the green movement. 2. Resource Access - given that these companies are listed on a job-search website, they're clearly looking to expand their operations. What better way to promote their name and goals within the relevant market-segment than by sponsoring a green community like SixLinks?
Here's an obvious one... it would've been really easy to get lots of $ at Cornell for this; I don't know if we've been booted from their cash flow, but it would probably be worth it to check. I don't know if other academic sponsorship is an option, but maybe University of Oregan, Reed, or Portland State?
I guess if those places don't want to give you any money, they'd still be good locations for advertising!
To search for grants -- http://www.ega.org/
I'm not coming up with any specific businesses, though. Reply to comment
I think I've mentioned it before, but I think it is an idea worth revisiting.
This is a website whose goals seem pretty aligned with SixLinks' goals, except it is on a more local level -- specifically NE Ohio. They provide information/news on environmental projects, ongoing in the area. They provide a resource for learning, as well as a resource for getting involved. However, their interface is much inferior to SixLinks.
From my understanding, they formed the website and attempted to find sponsorship similar to SixLinks' approach right now. They found their answer by becoming affiliated with The Natural History Museum in Cleveland. They are sponsored by the museum as a type of outreach, and accept donations from other sources.
Their menu structure is listed below with Energy being the currently selected option.
* Arts & Culture * Building * Economy * Education * Energy o Regional agenda o Climate change o Alternative fuels o Conservation and efficiency o Renewables * Food * Health * Land * Spirit * Transportation * Water
You could try to do a similar thing with a Natural History Museum, or some other similar institution that already has a committment to public teaching/awareness/outreach -- such are the goals of a museum.
If you are looking for a Portland locale: "The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry" seems like a good place to start applying. OMSI Attention: Human Resources 1945 SE Water Avenue Portland, OR 97214
If looking for an Ithaca, NY locale: Science Center -- BJ might be a good contact :)
If you are looking for a higher impact museum/ possibly more aligned with Six Links: Aim for the skies! "The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History" http://www.mnh.si.edu/education/
Contacts? That's gonna be a hard sell, but to whom is unknown. Reply to comment
If you are looking for corporate sponsors to sell ads to I would definitely look at the following:
Hardware/ Do it Yourself stores: (Use the these are people who will be buying stuff to fix stuff pitch. At least one of them is currently running improve energy efficiency ads currently, so you might be able to hook them with that) * Home Depot * Lowes * True Value * Agway * etc
Also how about Method? This seems like one of their target audiences. Also, you could probably offer them a personal testimonial :) .
Clif Bar. They're all about sustainability, and they sell a product that could easily be used as some sort of promo or reward for people completing tasks via the website (just an idea, but you get the picture).
Plus maybe Jeff and Steve could swing a few free boxes of bars and gels and stuff for themselves in exchange for promoting Clif on the site. Eat up, fatties. Reply to comment
A few other ideas: * Waste Management (seems to like running commercials about all the good stuff they do) * Amazon.com, (might be able to sell them ads, but might also be able to set up an affiliate store where you advertise products of your choice that they sell and get a percentage of the sales from people who come through your site) * Tesla (electric car of awesomeness, need I say more?) * Honda/Toyota/ hybrid automakers in general * GE (Turbines, CFls etc) Reply to comment
I think it's Home Depot, but they all sort of run together in my head.
It's the "Come down to this store, buy an energy efficient ____ and save money and the environment" type commercial if I remember correctly Reply to comment
These are probably really big stretches, but maybe if the site really takes off a few of these could possibly be interested:
*Google: Probably not feasible, but they do put a lot of money into research of alternative energy, so they could possibly be interested. *Discovery Channel: Their slogan is "The World is Just Awesome" after all *Animal Planet: They could very potentially want to support a site where wildlife conservation is one of the main issues *Any company that makes environmentally friendly home care products (i.e. Method, Earth Friendly Products, Seventh Generation, etc.) *Any company that makes Energy Star Products * http://www.pristineplanet.com/default.asp I just found this website and it looks pretty cool. It's basically a resource where people can compare and by from a variety of eco-friendly companies. I feel like this fits very nicely with what SixLinks is all about. Reply to comment
So, I've been thinking about this, and I'm not really sure what you want in a sponsorship, or what being a sponsor or having a sponsor really entails...
possible advertisers: www.worldofgood.com by eBay lifechangingbox.com by Sharp esurance - http://www.esurance.com/Welcome/home/aboutus/partners.aspx (they have a huge environmental section on their site - http://www.esurance.com/Welcome/Home/home/environment.aspx)
MSNBC has an advertising service called the Going Green Network: http://www.syndigonetworks.com/pvn/verticals/msnbc-going-green/
Maybe "strategic partnership" with Ecology Global Network?? http://www.ecology.com/community/partnersaffiliates.html -- if nothing else, they have interesting partners to look at (Harvard Med School, The Ocean Channel)
It looks like deadlines for 2009 grants from most government agencies (including the EPA) passed on December 18.
There are probably many companies looking to put on some really green veneer through sponsorships (like Esurance, who did that weird thing with Cloud Cult, which links to earthlab/The Alliance for Climate Protection). I'm thinking that those kinds of sponsorships might involve taking over the entire site (ie, an Esurance quote estimator on every page).
I feel like Coca-Cola might be interested in this; they have partnered with the WWF on a slew of projects, and just opened the world's largest plastic bottle recycling plant. Unfortunately, they are still Coca-Cola... but these days, Seventh Generation is supplying to Wal-Mart.
One more try: I have been in love with Tumbleweed Tiny Houses (http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/) for a long time. They are a building company specializing in quality houses from 65-400 square feet. They might be in for a good year; the rest of the housing market is a disaster, the houses are cheap to build and can cost less than $10 a month to heat during the winter, the company is having huge success with a new focus on DIY-ers, and they got lots of press in 2008. Don't think they have a lot of money yet, tho. Reply to comment
Sponsorship's not 100% nailed down at the moment (the mantra being "do what works"), but here's our rough thoughts:
Sponsors are probably businesses. Combinations and levels of the following are all on the table: - Recognition in the sponsor section - Blogs written by jeff or I, about their products (with no promises about those blogs) - Blogs written by their PR people - Ads - Updates into the Your Part feeds, like "SixLinks keeps running because of sponsors like _____"
I feel like I'm missing something too, maybe jeff can chime in w/ more details.
But yes, it's a mutually beneficial arrangement. We've got their target audience, they've got the money we need to pay our bills.
General vs. Sponsor a link - I personally lean toward the whole-site sponsor, but this is very undecided.
Geo-targeting ads - we're probably not going to do it ourselves, at least at first. It may get done via google ads though. Reply to comment
We are trying to keep most advertising within the Your Part section to avoid needing to compromise our content in the Big Picture, although there could be banner ads throughout the site.
We are also talking about having sponsors get pages, fixes, etc. (probably only 1 or 2 fixes that are their primary business), and blogs that update perhaps so that it shows up in your feed like news if you favorited the link it pertains to.
Another thing we have talked about is sponsors showing up in the updates feed periodically with links back to their pages. Something along the lines of "SixLinks supported by _______" (with link).
Let us know what you guys think about this and if you can think of any other good ways to show who our sponsors are without being too annoying to the user. Reply to comment
If you can do ads right they can actually add rather than subtract from the experience. I haven't actually seen this done effectively outside of niche markets/ publications but if you can pull it off it really makes it nice. An example of this is in publications such as Marine Technology Reporter and EE times the ads are for things that the reader's actually find interesting and useful.
I'm not sure quite how you would apply this, but targeting ads based off the page (and maybe the user) can help. For instance, if someone is constantly working on fixes in the saving energy section they might be interested in adds by companies that buy or sell related products, whereas someone working solely with creatures would find these totally useless and annoying. Not quite sure the best way to do this simply (maybe ask people in their profiles what type of adds they would like to see?).
Other things to avoid annoyance: * Make sure the ads don't obscure content. Especially true if the ads use any dynamic content since some of these will try to grow out of their given space. * Make sure the line between what is an ad and what is content is clear. * Reserve the right not to allow specific ads that are offensive/counter the sites mission Reply to comment
I don't think too many companies will go for just recognition in the sponsor section. Since you aren't set up as a nonprofit, they don't get tax breaks for sponsoring you, and I don't think the link on that page will be enough to get them to give you very much.
For any blogs you do for a company, make sure you only do them for products you have personal experience with. Unless you can say "I use this and it is awesome because..." the blog doesn't add much value to either the sponsor or the site.
That's why we are putting them in the updates feed, so they have more recognition. As far as blogs, I would see them more as detailed press reports that the company knows are getting to the people they want them to, rather than product reviews. Reply to comment
I can also see a really good place for blogs that just humanize a company - give you some insight into who they are, what they're doing, and why they're doing it.
That sort of stuff is really powerful in developing people's connection to a brand or company, and is something they'll pay good money for. Reply to comment
I think I was unclear. I was only referring to the "- Blogs written by jeff or I, about their products (with no promises about those blogs) " in that part Reply to comment
Oh, and no sound from the ads. When an add starts playing obnoxious stuff through my speakers it really annoys me. To the point of avoiding websites that do it. Reply to comment
Jeff and I will be talking to these companies on a regular basis, and in doing so, can actually provide a more human face.
I should have been more general: the blogs don't necessarily have to be about their products (though it's most likely that that's how they make their money), but also about the process of making them, why they're doing what they're doing, ideas they have, etc. Reply to comment
EPA Waste Management Portland Recycles US Army Corp of Engineers Bonneville Power Administration City of Portland Water Bureau Oregon State University Portland State University University of Portland Reed College Portland Community College Lewis & Clark College Marylhurst College Concordia University University of Oregon Western Oregon University Green Source Rebuilding Center EcoNW.com Oregon Environmental Council ReDirect Guide (specializing in Green/Eco businesses) Sustainable Business Network of Portland Office of Sustainable Development Sustainable Northwest Reply to comment
Not that this will come as a surprise to those who know me, but the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Citizen Science department could be a great sponsor/partner, since it's projects give community members hands-on ways to participate in environmental and conservation research and legislation efforts. =)
Not that this will come as a surprise to those who know me, but the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Citizen Science department could be a great sponsor/partner, since it's projects give community members hands-on ways to participate in environmental and conservation research and legislation efforts. =)
Ok, so I´m really late on this one, but I´m in Nicaragua and don´t have a lot of free time with access to internet... Hows that for an excuse?
What about magazines that cater to people looking to make ¨green¨ improvements in their lives, like Home Power, Real Simple, etc. I´m not sure what their advertising & sponsorship is like, but it seems like they would be interested in reaching this community... Other places with similar target audiences would be specialty shops like Real Goods, and maybe even places like REI and Whole Foods. Reply to comment
From their website: "Our definition of quality includes a mandate for building products and working with processes that cause the least harm to the environment. We evaluate raw materials, invest in innovative technologies, rigorously police our waste and use a portion of our sales to support groups working to make a real difference. We acknowledge that the wild world we love best is disappearing. That is why those of us who work here share a strong commitment to protecting undomesticated lands and waters. We believe in using business to inspire solutions to the environmental crisis."
They donate 1% of sales or 10% of pre-tax profits (whichever is greater) to grass-roots environmental efforts, including over $200,000 donated in the Social Activism category in 2008. "Environmental work is most effective when conducted with a dynamic group of peers", reads the first sentence on their site about the Conservation Alliance of businesses that they support -- this exactly echoes the philosophy of SixLinks.
(They also make some pretty amazing gear, often with recycled/organic materials, and have incredible customer service. When my two-year-old, discontinued jacket became discolored, I sent it back to them and they gave me a full refund for the purchase price. Definitely a group I would want to work with.) Reply to comment
We don't qualify for their grants, but this definitely sounds like a company we need to get advertising, because they would seem to support our mission.
This is my favorite Tour de Sixlinks so far, making my lists of potential sponsors so much larger. Reply to comment
If you don't have an account, you'll need one. We recognize that this is a pain, but we do it to keep spambots from flooding the site. If this really bothers, you, please let us know. We're listening!
Get the Facts
Do Your Part
Me
My Part
Following
Community
Talk
Even More
Login or Get an Account!
Support SixLinks
As mentioned in the Tour de SixLinks email, bonus points will be given for additional information about the sponsor, or justifications on why they'd make a good one.
Gold stars (no really, rare, awesome gold star badges) awarded for all sponsor leads that actually end up sponsoring SixLinks! Reply to comment
The website www.greenjobs.com is a repository for green job listings (duh). On their website you can find a significant number of organizations (public, private, and exhibitionist/uncomfortably public), all of which are interested in hiring individuals with knowledge of and experience in various Green enterprises.
This seems like a fantastic resource for SixLinks to procure sponsorship! These organizations would derive a clear benefit from having their names attached to a site like this in at least two distinct ways:
1. Legitimacy - they would benefit from the community-oriented 'aura' that SixLinks is bound to cultivate, making them seem more 'in-tune' with the community-side of the green movement.
2. Resource Access - given that these companies are listed on a job-search website, they're clearly looking to expand their operations. What better way to promote their name and goals within the relevant market-segment than by sponsoring a green community like SixLinks?
Reply to comment
Why yes, yes I do!
http://www.greenjobs.com/Public/GreenDirectory/green_directory.htm Reply to comment
I guess if those places don't want to give you any money, they'd still be good locations for advertising!
To search for grants -- http://www.ega.org/
I'm not coming up with any specific businesses, though. Reply to comment
http://www.gcbl.org/
I think I've mentioned it before, but I think it is an idea worth revisiting.
This is a website whose goals seem pretty aligned with SixLinks' goals, except it is on a more local level -- specifically NE Ohio. They provide information/news on environmental projects, ongoing in the area. They provide a resource for learning, as well as a resource for getting involved. However, their interface is much inferior to SixLinks.
From my understanding, they formed the website and attempted to find sponsorship similar to SixLinks' approach right now. They found their answer by becoming affiliated with The Natural History Museum in Cleveland. They are sponsored by the museum as a type of outreach, and accept donations from other sources.
Their menu structure is listed below with Energy being the currently selected option.
* Arts & Culture
* Building
* Economy
* Education
* Energy
o Regional agenda
o Climate change
o Alternative fuels
o Conservation and efficiency
o Renewables
* Food
* Health
* Land
* Spirit
* Transportation
* Water
You could try to do a similar thing with a Natural History Museum, or some other similar institution that already has a committment to public teaching/awareness/outreach -- such are the goals of a museum.
If you are looking for a Portland locale: "The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry" seems like a good place to start applying.
OMSI
Attention: Human Resources
1945 SE Water Avenue
Portland, OR 97214
Fax: 503.239.7818
Email: [email protected]
If looking for an Ithaca, NY locale: Science Center -- BJ might be a good contact :)
If you are looking for a higher impact museum/ possibly more aligned with Six Links: Aim for the skies! "The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History" http://www.mnh.si.edu/education/
Contacts? That's gonna be a hard sell, but to whom is unknown.
Reply to comment
Hardware/ Do it Yourself stores:
(Use the these are people who will be buying stuff to fix stuff pitch. At least one of them is currently running improve energy efficiency ads currently, so you might be able to hook them with that)
* Home Depot
* Lowes
* True Value
* Agway
* etc
Also how about Method? This seems like one of their target audiences. Also, you could probably offer them a personal testimonial :) .
Reply to comment
Clif Bar. They're all about sustainability, and they sell a product that could easily be used as some sort of promo or reward for people completing tasks via the website (just an idea, but you get the picture).
Plus maybe Jeff and Steve could swing a few free boxes of bars and gels and stuff for themselves in exchange for promoting Clif on the site. Eat up, fatties. Reply to comment
Sam, which of the stores you mentioned is currently running an energy efficiency ad campaign? Reply to comment
OOh, and if we could get peet's coffee and a beer company onboard, I'd have all my dietary inputs covered! Reply to comment
* Waste Management (seems to like running commercials about all the good stuff they do)
* Amazon.com, (might be able to sell them ads, but might also be able to set up an affiliate store where you advertise products of your choice that they sell and get a percentage of the sales from people who come through your site)
* Tesla (electric car of awesomeness, need I say more?)
* Honda/Toyota/ hybrid automakers in general
* GE (Turbines, CFls etc) Reply to comment
It's the "Come down to this store, buy an energy efficient ____ and save money and the environment" type commercial if I remember correctly Reply to comment
*Google: Probably not feasible, but they do put a lot of money into research of alternative energy, so they could possibly be interested.
*Discovery Channel: Their slogan is "The World is Just Awesome" after all
*Animal Planet: They could very potentially want to support a site where wildlife conservation is one of the main issues
*Any company that makes environmentally friendly home care products (i.e. Method, Earth Friendly Products, Seventh Generation, etc.)
*Any company that makes Energy Star Products
* http://www.pristineplanet.com/default.asp I just found this website and it looks pretty cool. It's basically a resource where people can compare and by from a variety of eco-friendly companies. I feel like this fits very nicely with what SixLinks is all about.
Reply to comment
possible advertisers:
www.worldofgood.com by eBay
lifechangingbox.com by Sharp
esurance - http://www.esurance.com/Welcome/home/aboutus/partners.aspx (they have a huge environmental section on their site - http://www.esurance.com/Welcome/Home/home/environment.aspx)
MSNBC has an advertising service called the Going Green Network: http://www.syndigonetworks.com/pvn/verticals/msnbc-going-green/
Maybe "strategic partnership" with Ecology Global Network?? http://www.ecology.com/community/partnersaffiliates.html -- if nothing else, they have interesting partners to look at (Harvard Med School, The Ocean Channel)
It looks like deadlines for 2009 grants from most government agencies (including the EPA) passed on December 18.
There are probably many companies looking to put on some really green veneer through sponsorships (like Esurance, who did that weird thing with Cloud Cult, which links to earthlab/The Alliance for Climate Protection). I'm thinking that those kinds of sponsorships might involve taking over the entire site (ie, an Esurance quote estimator on every page).
I feel like Coca-Cola might be interested in this; they have partnered with the WWF on a slew of projects, and just opened the world's largest plastic bottle recycling plant. Unfortunately, they are still Coca-Cola... but these days, Seventh Generation is supplying to Wal-Mart.
One more try: I have been in love with Tumbleweed Tiny Houses (http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/) for a long time. They are a building company specializing in quality houses from 65-400 square feet. They might be in for a good year; the rest of the housing market is a disaster, the houses are cheap to build and can cost less than $10 a month to heat during the winter, the company is having huge success with a new focus on DIY-ers, and they got lots of press in 2008. Don't think they have a lot of money yet, tho. Reply to comment
Right now Burger King has something on Facebook that gives you a coupon for a free burger if you defriend ten people. Reply to comment
Do you plan to do any localizing for ads (ie change what ads are seen based off of where people are located geographically?)
And just to check, you are trying to sell sponsorship as a mutually beneficial business arrangement not as a charity, right? Reply to comment
Sponsors are probably businesses. Combinations and levels of the following are all on the table:
- Recognition in the sponsor section
- Blogs written by jeff or I, about their products (with no promises about those blogs)
- Blogs written by their PR people
- Ads
- Updates into the Your Part feeds, like "SixLinks keeps running because of sponsors like _____"
I feel like I'm missing something too, maybe jeff can chime in w/ more details.
But yes, it's a mutually beneficial arrangement. We've got their target audience, they've got the money we need to pay our bills.
General vs. Sponsor a link - I personally lean toward the whole-site sponsor, but this is very undecided.
Geo-targeting ads - we're probably not going to do it ourselves, at least at first. It may get done via google ads though. Reply to comment
We are also talking about having sponsors get pages, fixes, etc. (probably only 1 or 2 fixes that are their primary business), and blogs that update perhaps so that it shows up in your feed like news if you favorited the link it pertains to.
Another thing we have talked about is sponsors showing up in the updates feed periodically with links back to their pages. Something along the lines of "SixLinks supported by _______" (with link).
Let us know what you guys think about this and if you can think of any other good ways to show who our sponsors are without being too annoying to the user. Reply to comment
I'm not sure quite how you would apply this, but targeting ads based off the page (and maybe the user) can help. For instance, if someone is constantly working on fixes in the saving energy section they might be interested in adds by companies that buy or sell related products, whereas someone working solely with creatures would find these totally useless and annoying. Not quite sure the best way to do this simply (maybe ask people in their profiles what type of adds they would like to see?).
Other things to avoid annoyance:
* Make sure the ads don't obscure content. Especially true if the ads use any dynamic content since some of these will try to grow out of their given space.
* Make sure the line between what is an ad and what is content is clear.
* Reserve the right not to allow specific ads that are offensive/counter the sites mission Reply to comment
For any blogs you do for a company, make sure you only do them for products you have personal experience with. Unless you can say "I use this and it is awesome because..." the blog doesn't add much value to either the sponsor or the site.
Reply to comment
That sort of stuff is really powerful in developing people's connection to a brand or company, and is something they'll pay good money for. Reply to comment
Jeff and I will be talking to these companies on a regular basis, and in doing so, can actually provide a more human face.
I should have been more general: the blogs don't necessarily have to be about their products (though it's most likely that that's how they make their money), but also about the process of making them, why they're doing what they're doing, ideas they have, etc. Reply to comment
EPA
Waste Management
Portland Recycles
US Army Corp of Engineers
Bonneville Power Administration
City of Portland Water Bureau
Oregon State University
Portland State University
University of Portland
Reed College
Portland Community College
Lewis & Clark College
Marylhurst College
Concordia University
University of Oregon
Western Oregon University
Green Source
Rebuilding Center
EcoNW.com
Oregon Environmental Council
ReDirect Guide (specializing in Green/Eco businesses)
Sustainable Business Network of Portland
Office of Sustainable Development
Sustainable Northwest
Reply to comment
(A day late, sure. A dollar short, always.) Reply to comment
(A day late, sure. A dollar short, always.) Reply to comment
What about magazines that cater to people looking to make ¨green¨ improvements in their lives, like Home Power, Real Simple, etc. I´m not sure what their advertising & sponsorship is like, but it seems like they would be interested in reaching this community... Other places with similar target audiences would be specialty shops like Real Goods, and maybe even places like REI and Whole Foods. Reply to comment
From their website: "Our definition of quality includes a mandate for building products and working with processes that cause the least harm to the environment. We evaluate raw materials, invest in innovative technologies, rigorously police our waste and use a portion of our sales to support groups working to make a real difference. We acknowledge that the wild world we love best is disappearing. That is why those of us who work here share a strong commitment to protecting undomesticated lands and waters. We believe in using business to inspire solutions to the environmental crisis."
They donate 1% of sales or 10% of pre-tax profits (whichever is greater) to grass-roots environmental efforts, including over $200,000 donated in the Social Activism category in 2008. "Environmental work is most effective when conducted with a dynamic group of peers", reads the first sentence on their site about the Conservation Alliance of businesses that they support -- this exactly echoes the philosophy of SixLinks.
(They also make some pretty amazing gear, often with recycled/organic materials, and have incredible customer service. When my two-year-old, discontinued jacket became discolored, I sent it back to them and they gave me a full refund for the purchase price. Definitely a group I would want to work with.) Reply to comment
http://www.seriousmaterials.com/
They sell green construction materials. They are also actively advertising (at least on the radio). Reply to comment
This is my favorite Tour de Sixlinks so far, making my lists of potential sponsors so much larger. Reply to comment
I will bring this up to BJ at the next hockey game. Reply to comment
If you don't have an account, you'll need one. We recognize that this is a pain, but we do it to keep spambots from flooding the site. If this really bothers, you, please let us know. We're listening!