Help Finding Sponsorship

[markokang]

I own and operate an ambulance in BKK as well as teach volunteers, assist in rescue and relief efforts all over Thailand, repatriate the dead and many other things. I spend well over 15000 baht a month to "volunteer" for this. I love my work and will continue regardless, but if I had some sponsorship I could do ALOT more!

Problem is I'm not a marketing person and not sure where and how to start to ask for help... it has taken me 7 years now to think about posting here!

Anyway, does anyone have any ideas on how I could find a sponsor?

In return for sponsorship I can offer advertising on the side of the vehicle which is normally parked on sukhumvit/Ekamai during peak hours so gets good coverage!

Thanks for your help in advance

Marko

(PS: I'm out of the country until 16th May)

[lingling]

In return for sponsorship I can offer advertising on the side of the vehicle which is normally parked on sukhumvit/Ekamai during peak hours so gets good coverage!

Are you the tall guy that park next to Major Ekamai sometimes?

Anyway, don't these things usually get sponsored through donations to Paw Teck Tung and what-is-the-name-of-the-other-one? If not, have you tried approaching a nearby hospital (say Sukhumvit Hospital in your case) and ask if they can contribute with anything? (bandage, medicine, body bags, stretchers etc maybe...?) Or maybe Wat That Tong..?

[Ijustwannateach]

Sorry to ask, but I assume your work permit (for the volunteer work) and so forth is in good order? A proper sponsor would want to know.

[markokang]

Sorry to ask, but I assume your work permit (for the volunteer work) and so forth is in good order? A proper sponsor would want to know.

YES, I have a full year by year work permit (couldn't really stay here for 7 years without one)

Thanks

[torrenova]

What about the following companies:

Car insurance

Life assurance

Hospitals

Charities supporting the injured - Such as the Sawang Boribun in Pattaya

Any company which has a good public image - supporting good causes is usually in their annual budget

Newspapers

TV and radio stations

Medical wholesalers

Pharmacies

As daft as it might sound, businesses in an area often work together on advertising, security costs and many other things. They may even have an association. Perhaps they would consider doing something collectively. The collective approach could also be used if the individual companies refuse.

I don;t know you or where you are but I admire you completely and wish you all the best.

PS

Have you been able to work out a legal means of collecting on the street so to speak ?

[markokang]

In return for sponsorship I can offer advertising on the side of the vehicle which is normally parked on sukhumvit/Ekamai during peak hours so gets good coverage!

Are you the tall guy that park next to Major Ekamai sometimes?

Anyway, don't these things usually get sponsored through donations to Paw Teck Tung and what-is-the-name-of-the-other-one? If not, have you tried approaching a nearby hospital (say Sukhumvit Hospital in your case) and ask if they can contribute with anything? (bandage, medicine, body bags, stretchers etc maybe...?) Or maybe Wat That Tong..?

Some good points there Lingling, let me address them...

Yes I am the guy who parks opposite Major Ekamai sometimes. Poh-Tek-Tung is the opposition!555 I am with Ruamkatanyu.

These organisatoins have their own vehicles but only about 60 to cover all of BKK and suburbs (Obviously not enough) so the "volunteers" vehicles are needed to fill the gaps. There are approx. 60 vehicles owned and paid for by RKU but there are over 1000 vehicles that are run by volunteers such as myself and we receive NOTHING for that from RKU. Most are basic and only go out at the weekends, I go out alot more often as well as up country to teach and help volunteers up there with logistics and supply issues. I have just finished helping teach over 2000 volunteers basic EMT training organised by an external company who supplied doctors and nurses and technical people to teach an intensive 2 day 24 hour course(which no other organisation has ever done).

As I said before I spend more than 15000 baht a month on my work. I have no idea how the Thai volunteers do it!? Although I understand that their family and friends "pitch-in" to help.

Hospitals are a little difficult to deal with. The government hospitals are generally unfriendly and unhelpful, even when we ask for replacement bandages from a patient we have delivered they are sometimes reluctant to do so! We don't deal with the private hospitals so much as we generally deal with "low-end" users. And in certain ways we are in competition with their own ambulances, despite usually being on the scene first, IF they arrive in time we will hand over the "job" to them (If the patient has insurance enough for them).

Its a very complicated, political and confusing scenario.

I heard that Wat That Tong is associated with Poh-Tek-Tung!?

Anyway I would prefer Farang sponsorship since I am farang. We have 1 ambulance that is sponsored by the muslim community and run by muslims. So I thought I could apply the same principal to the farang community.

[markokang]

What about the following companies:

Car insurance

Life assurance

Hospitals

Charities supporting the injured - Such as the Sawang Boribun in Pattaya

Any company which has a good public image - supporting good causes is usually in their annual budget

Newspapers

TV and radio stations

Medical wholesalers

Pharmacies

As daft as it might sound, businesses in an area often work together on advertising, security costs and many other things. They may even have an association. Perhaps they would consider doing something collectively. The collective approach could also be used if the individual companies refuse.

I don;t know you or where you are but I admire you completely and wish you all the best.

PS

Have you been able to work out a legal means of collecting on the street so to speak ?

Thanks for some great ideas Torrenova I will try and follow them up:)

Our group NEVER collects from the street, only from our temples where people can donate too. Apparently we are not suppose to "ask" for donations, only receive!? :/

Sponsorship is a different story, its less intrusive I guess.

[torrenova]

But muslims are religion based, not business based. The westerners do not have that social connection or meet at a place of worship. Well, maybe the pub ? Would you accept sponsorship from bars ?

What about things like Rotary, Expats clubs, western companies looking to sell to the expat or western market etc.

We did a charity night in a mate's bar in Pattaya where local businesses gave prizes and people bought raffle tickets etc. We raised over Bt60,000 from a small evening plus some from the breweries and donations made it nearer to Bt100,000. Perhaps an accommodating venue could do something, expats and board members could attend and this and other forums could promote and advertise it.

Edited May 7, 2007 by torrenova

[markokang]

But muslims are religion based, not business based. The westerners do not have that social connection or meet at a place of worship. Well, maybe the pub ? Would you accept sponsorship from bars ?

What about things like Rotary, Expats clubs, western companies looking to sell to the expat or western market etc.

We did a charity night in a mate's bar in Pattaya where local businesses gave prizes and people bought raffle tickets etc. We raised over Bt60,000 from a small evening plus some from the breweries and donations made it nearer to Bt100,000. Perhaps an accommodating venue could do something, expats and board members could attend and this and other forums could promote and advertise it.

Torrenova you are full of great ideas, you are offically my marketing manager!555

Thank you for some great ideas.

About the bars.... sure why not, maybe the bar can advocate catching a taxi rather than driving while drunk, good sales pitch for them...

I am in touch with a guy from Rotary but its slow going so far. Hard to get in to places like that. But he does seem interested...

Thanks again

Marko:)

[November Rain]

I saw an article about you in the BKK Post once. Have you tried contacting them (probably "Outlook" section would be best) asking them to run another small follow-up article & you can include a request for sponsorship? Who knows, the right person may read it & come knocking at your door. Also, try internationally too. You'll often find that the right "overseas market" can afford to be a lot more generous than those based in Thailand. With businesses (& in some cases individuals) charitable donations can be written off as tax deductible. Which country do you come from? Try emailing their newspapers with your "human interest" story of what you do. If they run a story, you might get some sponsorship offers from that. Good luck.

[bendix]

There is a group calling themself International Support Group Foundation (ISGF). It is run largely by expat wives on a voluntary basis. They run and finance a lot of similar projects like this. You might want to try them. I can't find the website offhand, but if you google it you should be able to track them down. Good luck.

[markokang]

I saw an article about you in the BKK Post once. Have you tried contacting them (probably "Outlook" section would be best) asking them to run another small follow-up article & you can include a request for sponsorship? Who knows, the right person may read it & come knocking at your door. Also, try internationally too. You'll often find that the right "overseas market" can afford to be a lot more generous than those based in Thailand. With businesses (& in some cases individuals) charitable donations can be written off as tax deductible. Which country do you come from? Try emailing their newspapers with your "human interest" story of what you do. If they run a story, you might get some sponsorship offers from that. Good luck.

Thanks "November Rain" some more good ideas. I was born in UK but live in NZ dual citizenship, I guess that gives me a double chance! 555

Regards,

Marko

[markokang]

There is a group calling themself International Support Group Foundation (ISGF). It is run largely by expat wives on a voluntary basis. They run and finance a lot of similar projects like this. You might want to try them. I can't find the website offhand, but if you google it you should be able to track them down. Good luck.

Thank you Bendix, I found their site and will check into it,

Regards,

Marko

[ColPyat]

I own and operate an ambulance in BKK as well as teach volunteers, assist in rescue and relief efforts all over Thailand, repatriate the dead and many other things. I spend well over 15000 baht a month to "volunteer" for this. I love my work and will continue regardless, but if I had some sponsorship I could do ALOT more!

I have several times tried to find sponsors for my friends from the Por Teck Tueng, but to no avail. I have approached several big companies, but sponsorship was not granted mostly because the Thai employees of their PR departments feared bad PR because of the mostly unjustified bad reputation these organizations have.

My advice would be to first ask in your embassy. Many embassies have funds for charitable purposes, and often don't know even how to spend them, because very few people know of those funds. It's a question of asking, and then, if funds are available, to make a proper application. I have gotten once funds from my embassy for buffaloes and a water pump for our farm from such a fund for micro projects.

The next idea would be to find out if your country has a chamber of commerce here in Thailand, and try to approach them, if they have ideas which companies to approach who might have funds for charitable purposes.

What makes it easier in your case is that you are asking for funds for yourself and your own charitable activities for Thais, and it often might help to persuade fellow country men, embassies and companies to part with cash.

[markokang]

I own and operate an ambulance in BKK as well as teach volunteers, assist in rescue and relief efforts all over Thailand, repatriate the dead and many other things. I spend well over 15000 baht a month to "volunteer" for this. I love my work and will continue regardless, but if I had some sponsorship I could do ALOT more!

I have several times tried to find sponsors for my friends from the Por Teck Tueng, but to no avail. I have approached several big companies, but sponsorship was not granted mostly because the Thai employees of their PR departments feared bad PR because of the mostly unjustified bad reputation these organizations have.

My advice would be to first ask in your embassy. Many embassies have funds for charitable purposes, and often don't know even how to spend them, because very few people know of those funds. It's a question of asking, and then, if funds are available, to make a proper application. I have gotten once funds from my embassy for buffaloes and a water pump for our farm from such a fund for micro projects.

The next idea would be to find out if your country has a chamber of commerce here in Thailand, and try to approach them, if they have ideas which companies to approach who might have funds for charitable purposes.

What makes it easier in your case is that you are asking for funds for yourself and your own charitable activities for Thais, and it often might help to persuade fellow country men, embassies and companies to part with cash.

Colpyat: thanks for the info... interesting, I think these guys get a bit of a bad rap since ultimately they are front line EMS people who volunteer for these positions and spend alot of money to do so with little or no return, picking up bodies and parts is a job not many people would do! Unfortunately the past has stuck with them and Thais seem pretty unforgiving in this regard. PTT and RKU have cleaned up their acts considerably and only recently on TV there was a problem with 2 groups but they were not either of these 2 groups. One was a small splinter group and the other was a hospital. But again it rubbed off onto all rescue volunteers.

Thats life I guess (media controlled life!)

I think also PTT and RKU are "mei-geng" about promoting themselves and their new good look image. Even in the last 7 years the improvements I have seen myself have been dramatic! Its a shame thier PR people don't do more to educate the public about these changes. When I speak to Thais, they generally have no real idea what these groups actually do, only "Gep-Sop". But in actual fact the build schools and dozens of time a year go up country with supplies for poor villages etc.. seems to me that people should know about this, but then I'm looking from the outside in, maybe theres more to it:/

Anyway thank you for your input, again, some great ideas that I will follow up.

Kind regards,

Marko

[kiakaha]

I saw an article about you in the BKK Post once. Have you tried contacting them (probably "Outlook" section would be best) asking them to run another small follow-up article & you can include a request for sponsorship? Who knows, the right person may read it & come knocking at your door. Also, try internationally too. You'll often find that the right "overseas market" can afford to be a lot more generous than those based in Thailand. With businesses (& in some cases individuals) charitable donations can be written off as tax deductible. Which country do you come from? Try emailing their newspapers with your "human interest" story of what you do. If they run a story, you might get some sponsorship offers from that. Good luck.

Thanks "November Rain" some more good ideas. I was born in UK but live in NZ dual citizenship, I guess that gives me a double chance! 555

Regards,

Marko

Just curious, What is your paramedic/medical background ? Are/were you with St Johns in NZL ?

[listenup]

A charitable event with falang companies chipping in prizes for a raffle prize draw is worth pursuing until you find a full time sponsor.

Any TV members got a venue?

I'll donate some web/graphic design services from my company if you decide to go this route.

Good luck!

[markokang]

I saw an article about you in the BKK Post once. Have you tried contacting them (probably "Outlook" section would be best) asking them to run another small follow-up article & you can include a request for sponsorship? Who knows, the right person may read it & come knocking at your door. Also, try internationally too. You'll often find that the right "overseas market" can afford to be a lot more generous than those based in Thailand. With businesses (& in some cases individuals) charitable donations can be written off as tax deductible. Which country do you come from? Try emailing their newspapers with your "human interest" story of what you do. If they run a story, you might get some sponsorship offers from that. Good luck.

Thanks "November Rain" some more good ideas. I was born in UK but live in NZ dual citizenship, I guess that gives me a double chance! 555

Regards,

Marko

Just curious, What is your paramedic/medical background ? Are/were you with St Johns in NZL ?

I studied the same as the Whitieria Polytechnic Paramedic Students (who are affiliated with the Wellington Free Ambulance, who have donated ALOT of equipment to me!) but I did all my study and practical here in Thailand. I have 2 ER doctors here who are my mentors and teachers, one is Thai and one is farang, both with amazing ER experience and knowledge.

I cannot graduate until I go back to NZ(which I have no plan or need to do at present), so in Thailand I am only considered an EMT officer. But my group recognizes my skill and knowledge and I am a training officer (one of about 20) for our group. But in actual fact I want to train others too, which is why I want sponsorship so I can afford to travel up country and teach to other splinter groups who have little or NO training in basic EMS. And in the countryside the accidents are usually critical so its really where good EMS training is needed.

I have written to St. Johns for advice and support but they have never replied.

Are you a kiwi? In Thailand? Nice to know you anyway,

Marko:)

[markokang]

A charitable event with falang companies chipping in prizes for a raffle prize draw is worth pursuing until you find a full time sponsor.

Any TV members got a venue?

I'll donate some web/graphic design services from my company if you decide to go this route.

Good luck!

Very kind of you to offer that and actually I am interested in doing something with my website to regularly update what I am doing.

Could you email me and we can keep in contact from there,

[email protected]

thanks for the info too

Marko:)

[lingling]

Hospitals are a little difficult to deal with. The government hospitals are generally unfriendly and unhelpful, even when we ask for replacement bandages from a patient we have delivered they are sometimes reluctant to do so! We don't deal with the private hospitals so much as we generally deal with "low-end" users. And in certain ways we are in competition with their own ambulances, despite usually being on the scene first, IF they arrive in time we will hand over the "job" to them (If the patient has insurance enough for them).

Its a very complicated, political and confusing scenario.

But still, private hospitals sometimes have a charity fund, and if they get to put their sticker on your car in return for some supplies (that they can buy at a much lower cost than you because of volume discounts etc) then they may be interested...?

I heard that Wat That Tong is associated with Poh-Tek-Tung!?

No idea if they have any existing affiliations. I just figured they are [probably] the richest temple in the neighborhood, they do have some kind of health clinic for the poor, and the chief monk is a friendly guy so it may be worth approaching them to see if they can assist in some way.