My nanna was a big fan of referring to money always by its colour scheme. Well, at least after it went plastic. So, for Betty, I am letting you know what I’d do for a blue.
I’m not going to pretend that asking for sponsorship is easy.
(and here’s another song to play to yourself through this very long post 08 Let’s Dance to Joy Division)
In fact, I’d say it’s actually really really hard. It’s why there are professional people out there who do this for a living and those people are exceptionally resilient and good at hearing the word “no”. Kick-arse sponsorships types are blindly supportive and madly committed and unrelenting in the face of rejection. I am not, however, one of those people. I am crap at selling anything that I don’t really believe in/like/have one of my own. So let’s just set aside the strangeness of what’s about to occur and open our hearts for new experiences. Because I am hoping that you will support me to support someone else in an entirely new experience for me.
Because I would like to be a sponsor.
You may remember me discussing this earlier and highlighting the use of the word as a description of a person who will vouch for you, who will, on the basis of their esteem for you and your good character stake their name on your name. It is not about the money, or the free stuff, or your face on a bad calendar, it is about personal esteem and good character.
I would like to stake my name on Emma Best. See that, “Best”. Not Emma Mediocre, or Emma Nice Enough, but Emma Best.
This is Emma. See this – matching. Sweet.
You may remember Emma from the most exceptional Bicycle Queensland women’s ride, where she ably demonstrated the use of tyre changing without levers to the awestruck masses.
I would like to sponsor Emma, for she is going to the 2011 National Women’s Championships in Adelaide from 7th – 11th June.
Last week I saw my first ever women’s AFL game – and I did it in Queensland. As a Victorian, I have had to work extremely hard to avoid understanding this game, having a team for which to barrack, participating in footy tipping and/or being mired in the generalised complaints about why the traffic is so bad on Punt Road on the weekends. I have, for a number of years, relished the idea of hating footy with a passion so virulent it’s almost pathological. Like being a Collingwood supporter. My brother actually changed his name to avoid sharing the same name as Mark “Jacko” Jackson, so I hope that you understand that I am working from a low base when it comes to footy.
But then again, my family only ever told me that there were two truly stupid sports: Australian Rules Football and velodrome cycling.
And they were clearly wrong on the velodrome cycling.
So maybe they are wrong now.
In fact, no doubt they are. Consider for a moment this graph. Apologies for its hasty work construction; I’m squeezing this into my lunch hour.
Given, that my family have such a dud record on advice, I’m willing to out on a limb and say that I would like to sponsor Emma Best because she is, in my most limited experience, the most committed, passionate, enthusiastic, self-effacing and generous women’s AFL player that I know. I would be honoured to attach my good(ish) name to her good(betterbest) character and if you would support me in that endeavour that would be grand.
For those interested in the official story – please click here and read this rather dull sponsorship document (shame on you sponsorship fairy).
What I am hoping to do is to make the huge jump from backyard blogger to highscale, citylights, corporate sponsor. And I want to do this in 10 days. Can you assist?
Because if I can raise $330 I may receive “possible” badging on a travel shirt (which I believe I need to provide) and an invitation to a jumper presentation. I was once almost invited to the Brownlow and was completely devastated (devo – as it is described here) not to have “closed the deal” and I believe this could maybe soften the blow on a wound which has been festering ever since 2003 when I offered to wear a visible g-string and get a spray tan so that I could drink Crownies out of the bottle on television. No dice that time.
All that it would take is for me and about 30 of my “friends” to give me $10 and they could be a part of the ever so illustrious Helmets Are Hot alliterative attempts to send Emma Best, a nice cycling related person who is probably too shy to talk themselves up like this, to Adelaide for a football competition. (I’ll get back to you when I have a better acronym that HAHAATSEBANCRPWIPTSTTTULSTAFAFC)
SO WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?
So much more than you can ever image. Let’s just assume that you get the good cause, nice feeling, helping me, getting me off your back, only the value of three coffees, remember that you paid good money to see Prince of Persia at the cinema so it’s not like you don’t waste money and if I was being paid by the word surely this post alone is worth $10.
BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT I WILL DO FOR YOU – all optional, you can totally just give me money if you prefer.
1. I will commit to posting something wonderful, exciting, song filled, graph peppered and semi-entertaining for the next ten days. This is a hard ask, because I have a great friend coming to Brisbane to visit and I will be wanting to spend almost every minute hanging on her every word. Don’t think I’m not committed.I will get to know you (just a friendly bit, don’t be scared) – if I don’t already know you, and you are interested in this, I’d love to chat/email further and give you some more details. I don’t want you to just give you money to some weird stranger with a helmet problem. If I already know you, then I probably already love you, but I’ll buy the next round at Trippy Taco when I am next in Melbourne. You can come stay at my house in Brisbane.
2. I will duly credit your support here on the blog. The world’s most well-read helmet specific blog (actually, this may be true, but I wonder if that’s because I only have http://www.helmetsarehot.com to contend with). Your name will be up in electronic lights.
3.I will ask you to nominate your sponsorship of me in my sponsorship of Emma in the name of a person whose good name and good character you hold in esteem. They could be your best friend, your wife, your pilates teacher. Who would you give $10 to to say, “thanks for doing what you do, being in my life, generally having a crack, and possessing of jam tart (= heart)”? I’d like to know who your connections are. If you like, I can share your story here – would you like that? I keep forgetting to bring my cards with me, so I’m often struggling for content, it would totally help me out.
4. If you are in Brisbane, and you feel comfortable enough, then we can go for a ride together – I believe that cyclists are just friends I haven’t met yet, so maybe you’d feel comfortable enough to meet up with me one morning and go for a quick half hour ride before breakfast, I’d be up for that. No pressure – just putting it out there. I like riding, you like riding, let’s combine our talents. Wear your best helmet and we’ll paint this town rainbow.
5. When Emma does go to the football, I will pester her for a few updates/photos and such things. I will then put these through instagram, and my idiosyncratic view of the world and provide potentially pithy but potentially long-winded round ups of the championship. I am prepared to bust out the best sporting clichés I have on board. Consider it as good as my Tour de France coverage last year.
Tally’s already at $177, so please dig deep into your blue to support Emma.
Expect a follow up call. Once marshalled, I can be bloody persistent.
eleanor j jackson 