GBCA Discussion Forum

It's very easy to go out and ask for money, but the first thing a sponsor is going to ask is, "What do I get in return?"
"Exposure" most people say. That works when you receive a lot of media coverage, but for small events like the local racing they want more than just local exposure among a few sailors. If you want the big bucks you have to give them something it's valuable to them.
If you ever had a business you know that a customer database it's a very important commodity, that is how you retain customers and how you gain new ones. By offering our sponsors a copy of our customer database we are certain to have a bargaining chip when it comes to asking for sponsorship.

I know we all get more emails than we want, but racing in Galveston Bay is not exactly growing, if you have been around for a while you know what I mean. We need younger sailors and better venues, and you don't get that without money. Ask yourself why ?J Fest? was so big last year with only a couple months of preparation. The answer is 3 things:
Money, Money, Money. You put them all together and you get prizes worth hundreds of dollars. But all those prizes and money came from the sponsors.

Absolutely positively NOT!  GBCA requested my personal information as a condtion of membership and participation.  There is a legal expectation of privacy and security attached to that.  Under no circumstances do I want any of my personal information, e-mail address or anything else, given to anyone outside of the administration of GBCA without my express individual consent.

If, when we joined, we accepted "Terms and Conditions" that permitted GBCA to pimp our our personal information to whatever vendor asked, then that would be a different matter.  But, I never clicked an "Accept" button that contained that sort of sell-out.  C'mon, there are dozens of local businesses and hundreds globally that would just love a targeted list of potential customers and many are willing to pay for those lists. 

I agree.  I do not wish to have any of my personal information available to any commercial establishment.

Yesterday I received 8 calls from the same organization trying to get me to buy into a short list of advantages for listing my company with their company.  Even though I expressly told them that we were not interested, they kept calling back. While I cannot stop them from calling my commercial number, I can at least try to keep them from getting my email.

I want to make it clear that the purpose of this poll is just find out how everyone feels about it, nothing more. Very often a sponsor will ask for my mailing list and they have the right to ask, after all I'm asking for their money.

We certainly need sponsors.  There is no denying that. 

In my own experience, when I work with sponsors - I try to get them exposure in every way I can.  You can let your members know about sponsors through logos on our website, links to THEIR website, sidebar ads and full page ads in the Cannon, multiple verbal mentions during the regatta, Logos on T-shirts, posters, banners, announcements on the race committee boat, honorary membership status, presenting awards, recognition at the Commodore's Ball, logo on the trophies, and really quite frankly -- just throwing a bad ass event.  I had two people ask to sponsor the Compass Bank Regatta after the trophy presentation last year just because it was so fun.

It's like any media ad - the more you mention them, the more people see them, the more your friends recommend them, the more you will use their product.  We don't have to hand out personal information to attract sponsors.  We have the brain power to come up with loads of ideas to pimp their products without alienating our membership.

During the several years that I have been on the Board, the issue whether to provide other organizations with our mailing list has come up several times and the Board has consistently declined to provide a list of the members' addresses. That continues to be the Board's position. The Board will consider any information that expresses the members' desires on this issue or any other, but absent a clear indication that an individual member agrees to dissemination of his/her address the Board's position is unlikely to change.

Jim Powers
Commodore 2011

The sponsor agreement should have clear definitions about what the sponsor is getting BEFORE they give their money.  I bet it was not stipulated that sponsors have access to GBCA email list. Period.

I completely agree with Sailchick--there are much better ways to get sponsors out in front of GBCA members, instead of hammering our inbox.

I do not support GBCA handing out CONFIDENTIAL email lists to sponsors--EVER.

J/Fest was successful on many levels for many reasons.  Put a J infront of anything--J/24 for example-- and it will have a very good chance of being successful.  There was money because LYC members know how to work with the city of Seabrook and secure 10K through economic development funds the city gets from hotel tax monies. Local sponsors realize the value of LYC, J/Boats, and J/Sailors.  LYC promoted the event to their members--J/Boats, Scott Spurlin, J/Boats Southwest, or North Sails, and the other sponsors did not get the LYC Membership roster to continue emailing promotions to.