We have a successful system here of soliciting private donations and sponsorships for city sponsored programs and facilities. In fact, in 2008, the City of Eden Prairie was the recipient of over $570,000 in cash gifts and sponsorships in the Parks & Recreation sector of our operations alone. I won’t go into a long list of them, because I know I’d inadvertently leave one out, but I can tell you the list includes gifts as low as $2.50 to $190,000.

What I did not know, until this past Friday, was that Eden Prairie is viewed as a leader in this area by our peers. Enjoy the article below from the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.

Friday, February 26, 2010

City of Minnetonka seeks sponsorships

Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal – by kenny smith staff writer

Minnetonka introduced a new policy Thursday inviting businesses, organizations and individuals to sponsor all or part of city hosted events.

This comes following a September 2009 Minnetonka City Council approval of a policy which allows for the city to formally accept gifts, donations and sponsorships as long as they keep with the city’s mission.

“Budget pressures of the past few years inspired staff to begin thinking of new ways to fund events and programs offered by the city that directly benefit our residents, and which might at the same time inspire local businesses and organizations to become more involved in the community,” said Jacque Larson, community relations manager for the city of Minnetonka.

This is the first time the city of Minnetonka has actively pursued sponsorships and donations from the business community.

“In developing practices related to sponsorships, the city has looked to examples from other cities, including Eden Prairie and Blaine,” said Larson.

Some upcoming opportunities include Summer Festival, the Burwell House Ice Cream Social, Music in the Park and the Farmers’ Market, among other.

To gain an idea of what a sponsorship may look like, imagine the following, The Dairy Queen Burwell House Ice Cream Social or Swanns presents The Burwell House Ice Cream Social.

kjsmith@bizjournals.com | (612) 288-2109

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