Know-How Exchange : Strategy

There are professional fundraisers in every area. I have a lot of nonprofit experience -- and to some corps they are a turn off.

You don't need business types calling on corporations. Personal contact works in situations like this. finding a champion in the corporation will tear away the speedbumps and get your donation more quickly.

Arrange a meeting and tap your board, and other members for their contacts. You all have jobs, neighbors with jobs, etc. Brainstorm and you'll find you have more contacts than you realize. Make a plan on who will contact who-- and go for it. Its not intimidating or scary. Businesses like to help local orgs.

If you need a facilitator to get you started, there are nonprofit trade orgs and I am sure your local has a chapter. The place where we bought our directors insurance required us to be a member of one-- they did a lot of seminars on raising donations. That is another place to get started.

Hope that helps, Carol
Sell Well and Prosper tm

Carol is right. For this you need 2 things:

1) A good info pack that gives demographics etc
2) Willing employees (of local companies)

If it's well done you simply encourage parents etc to take a packet to work and give it to the advertising/marketing dept.

Michael

Virtual Sales team has only one answer online:affiliate marketing.
All you need to do is set up a website(which I hope you already have) and setup an affiliate program. You'll have access to hundreds of online sales reps working for you on commission.
I think its the best option for you, considering you can't have an actual in-house sales team or even administrators to manage a field team of external agencies. With online affiliates, you'll only hear back from them when they have made a sale.
if you want I can help you set up an affiliate program, of course as a volunteer.