Are you struggling to understand how you should approach and talk to sponsors? Is seeking sponsorship a task you dread or maybe have even given up on? We’ve got an awesome episode for you today that is going to boost your confidence and reset your entire thinking around sponsorship. It’s going to help you understand what sponsorship truly is about, what sponsors really look to get out of it, and how, through some simple, disciplined steps and a change of mindset, you can transform your chances of securing sponsors for your event. My guest in today’s episode is an industry leader I’ve personally followed for years. To call Kim Skildum-Reid a sponsorship expert would be something of an understatement. Through her Power Sponsorship consultancy Kim has helped countless blue-chip rightsholders and sponsors plan and execute effective sponsorship strategies, and through her best-selling books and online courses she’s probably done more than anyone to educate sponsorship practitioners on the fundamentals of sponsorship.  So it is super-exciting to have Kim on the podcast today sharing her insights into the fundamentals of sponsorship, and the mindset you, as a sponsorship seeker, need to adopt to succeed in this challenging arena. In this episode: Leveraging your audience year-roundFraming your audience reach to sponsorsHelping sponsors "get" your vision through your sponsorship proposalThe importance of understanding the sponsor's point of viewPutting a value on in-kind sponsorshipWriting a winning sponsorship proposal that "sells" your deal internally in the sponsor organizationInventory audits: putting together a list of all the benefits you could offer to sponsorsDealing with sponsors as peersOverdelivering for sponsors (and getting recognized for it)Sharing sponsorship reports with sponsorsFiring your sponsors when they're underperforming Why you should stop using gold, silver bronze sponsorship packagesFurther reading: Kim's list of must-read follow-up materials: https://bit.ly/3AFMTx2Offers: Get 30% OFF Kim's "Getting To Yes" online sponsorship course - click here and use code RDHQ30 (offer expires August 10)Many thanks to our podcast sponsors, RunSignup and Racecheck, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community: RunSignup are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 26,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at https://runsignup.com/. Racecheck can help you collect and showcase your participant reviews on your race website, helping you more easily convert website visitors into paying participants, with the help of their Racecheck Review Box. Download yours for free today at https://organisers.racecheck.com/. You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com. You can also share your questions about sponsorship or anything else in our Facebook group, Race Directors Hub.