Representatives from 47 organisations including junior sporting clubs, elite sporting teams, art institutions, charities, community groups, festivals and industry associations travelled from Young, Queanbeyan, Yass, Bungendore and Canberra to take up the development opportunity at ActewAGL House.

ActewAGL Director of Marketing and Corporate Affairs Paul Walshe said he hopes the workshop has provided the groups with the additional tools and resources necessary to secure new sponsorships and retain current partnerships.

“We have a lot in common with these organisations because we’re all focused on supporting the local community,” Paul said.

“Seeking sponsorship can be a challenging and competitive activity and we want to give them the best chance to secure it.”

Young Show Society Secretary/treasurer Sam Reynolds travelled to the workshop and commented on why an event like this is important for her organisation. 

“It helps smaller organisations like ours to understand the best approach to take,” Sam said.

“It has given us the tools we need when approaching people for sponsorship so I have found it really valuable.”

Canberra Rugby League Referees Association Executive Officer Chris Nightingale commented on his experience at the workshop.

“Today has been very interesting; it’s kind of opened my eyes. You tend to become a little stale after doing the same things year after year so today has been good to reinvigorate our approach,” he said.

“Sponsorships are very important to our organisation,” Pegasus Riding for the Disabled CEO Jane Thomson said when asked about the value of sponsorship to their organisation.  

“We have a lot of events and we’re always trying to run things on a shoelace so that sponsorship dollar gives us the funds to run those events and hopefully the event can make money as well.”

All attendees walked away with a tool kit and had the opportunity to network with other sponsored organisations from the local region.

“There are a lot of great local organisations with really passionate people who make sure our kids can play junior sport, our community can enjoy fantastic events, and those who need a helping hand get the support they need,” Paul said.

“We’ll always get behind these organisations to support the important role they play in our community and it’s great to hear that the workshop has given them some useful tools to secure future sponsorships.”