Searchby Vicki Whiting
Publishers often ask me how much to charge sponsors for underwriting Kid Scoop and literacy efforts. They are seeking to reach parents and other caregivers, such as grandparents, at home—in addition to teachers at school. Publishers see Kid Scoop as a fun way to get children engaged in all parts of the hometown newspaper using puzzles, word searches, math challenges, science and history news, plus reading and writing activities based on each week’s theme.
At the same time, I know publishers must cover the costs and add revenue.
Here’s how to do both:
Step One: Add up the hard costs of running the page: print, Kid Scoop license, newsprint, and staff time. Since Kid Scoop is designed for very quick insertion, staff time should be minimal.
Step Two: Build in the cost of supplying newspapers with the Kid Scoop page to schools and community organizations, such as libraries and after-school programs.
Step Three: Add an amount that brings in additional revenue to support your newspaper’s overall bottom line.
So, now you may be wondering how you will attract sponsors from your local community to join you in helping children grow their knowledge and skills with Kid Scoop.
Consider local businesses, service organizations, foundations, large corporations and utilities (which often have an educational non-profit foundation) that may be known for their support of education.
For example, one newspaper recently contacted the attorney serving the school district—he became a Kid Scoop sponsor. Another co-op electric company that had never advertised became a sponsor.
Yes, Kid Scoop does look like a lot of fun, and it is! But it is built on solid educational skills. Kid Scoop actually grew out of my classroom experiences with children when I was teaching in an elementary school. See my biography.
When I launched Kid Scoop in my local Sonoma, California, newspaper more than 25 years ago, I wanted to find out how difficult it would be for the newspaper’s advertising department to acquire Kid Scoop sponsors. To try it out, I went to a local bank that supported community events. I told the bank officer that their bank could be the exclusive sponsor of Kid Scoop for $10,000 a year and have the bank’s banner on the bottom of the Kid Scoop page all to itself.
The officer’s response was that $10,000 was more than his budget could manage, but he would do $2,500. But most importantly, he gave me the names of three other businesses in town to call on his recommendation and ask to join the bank in sponsorship. That Sonoma newspaper ended up with $12,000 in sponsorship money!
Step Four: Always ask for referrals! (You’ll avoid competitors that way, too.)
Part of the “ask” is to tell potential sponsors they will also be featured in a monthly Thank You, Kid Scoop Sponsors ad. These ads often include a photo of the sponsor with a quote from them on why they support Kid Scoop. The sponsor thank-you ads can include comments from children and teachers. They will write in!
Step Five: Since newspapers also love to send free newspapers with the Kid Scoop page to schools, they invite businesses and individuals to adopt classrooms at $300 per school year. List those sponsors in the monthly thank-you ad, too.
Finally, I recommend that you do not decide on the sponsorship based upon the size of a space where the sponsor’s ad appears. Instead, enroll partners who support bringing to children the magic of reading. After all, success in reading leads to success in life.
Simply follow the guidelines above, and I believe you will have many repeat Kid Scoop sponsors.
