Shelter knocks at fmcg doors for sponsorship

Shelter, the charity for the homeless, is seeking sponsorship from fmcg manufacturers and has created a dedicated business unit to develop a strategy to triple its income.

“We were without a strategy. We have never gone to marketing managers with ideas for their brands but that’s the direction we are going. We have to run after the business,” says Shelter director of fundraising John Trampleasure.

The drive is a departure for the charity. It previously concentrated corporate fundraising ef-forts on the construction industry but corporate fundraising only accounts for ú500,000 of the charity’s ú11m a year income.

Trampleasure admits that Shelter’s campaigning image has previously been seen as a barrier by some potential sponsors.

A recent Shelter/Gallup survey revealed increasing public concern about the problems caused by homelessness.

Prospective sponsorships include annual Shelter Week, the charity’s 30th birthday in 1996, the Piccadilly Advice Centre and its national network of 42 Housing Aid Centres.