Parkes Shire Council is responsible for delivering a wide range of programs and services under the Local Government Act 1993 and other legislation. We also produce events and festivals which contribute to the vibrant cultural life of the Parkes Shire and are generally free to the public. By seeking and receiving sponsorship, we achieve additional resources with which to support specific activities or programs.
Through sponsorship, we can enhance, extend or reduce the cost of current activities or programs, or develop new ones. We can achieve this by providing benefits to private sector companies or other government agencies in exchange for money, goods or services to support their activities.
Council generally only accepts sponsorship for short-term activities and programs such as:
- Community awareness campaigns,
- Community development and cultural activities and programs of a limited time period,
- Community or industry awards,
- Education or recreation programs,
- Environmental projects,
- Events and festivals,
- Exhibitions, and
- Public conferences, seminars and workshops.
The primary benefit for sponsors is a competitively priced strategy for reaching a target audience or to meet corporate social responsibility goals.
Entitlements include, but are not limited to:
- Licence to use Parkes Shire Council's intellectual property for the event such as logos, content and imagery,
- Branding on event marketing communications including print, press, direct marketing, posters and other collateral,
- Exposure at events through signage, access to floor space for activation and integration into the official event program,
- Online promotion through banners, splashes and sponsored segments, and
- The ability to develop co-branded marketing initiatives.
Entitlements are determined by collaboration and agreement between Council and the sponsor, and are restricted by legislation and public policy. Such benefits should be commensurate with the level of sponsorship and significance of the sponsored asset.
Parkes Shire Council will not undertake sponsorships that:
- Require or imply Council's endorsement of commercial products, services, companies, political parties or individuals,
- Limit Council's ability to carry out our legislative functions fully and impartially,
- Restrict access to Council's sponsorship assets by the widest audiences possible,
- Are not consistent with Council's social justice principles of equity, participation, rights and accessibility for all groups in the community,
- Personally benefit individual Council Officials or their friends/family,
- Allow ownership and control of the sponsored sponsorship assets to be removed from Council,
- Pose a conflict with the broader policies and practices of Council, or
- Pose a conflict between the objectives and values of Council and those of the sponsor.
Parkes Shire Council will not accept sponsorship from organisations, entities or individuals who are under investigation or have been found guilty of any criminal or improper conduct by a Court, the Independent Commission Against Corruption or any other judicial, investigative or legal authority.
We will not accept sponsorship from organisations, entities or individuals that are involved in any current planning, regulatory or legal matter involving Council, or if it is reasonable known that such matters are likely to arise in the foreseeable future (e.g., developers with a Development Application before Council).
We will not accept sponsorship from organisations, entities or individuals whose products or services are considered to be injurious to health, or are seen to be in conflict with Council's policies and responsibilities to the community. This includes those organisations, entities or individuals who are involved in, or derive profit from, any of the following activities:
- Armaments and weapons manufacturing,
- Gambling products or services,
- Pornography,
- Sexual services, or
- Tobacco production, distribution or wholesaling.
We will not accept sponsorship from organisations, entities or individuals that discriminate by way of race, religion or sex in employment, marketing or advertising practices, or contribute to the inhibition of human rights generally.
We retain the discretion not to accept sponsorship from any organisation, entity or individual for any reason.
In order to ensure equitable opportunities for the business community and other interested parties to consider sponsorship of our sponsorship assets, Parkes Shire Council will promote sponsorship opportunity via a two-stage process:
- Expression of Interest advertisement: We will facilitate an annual Expressions of Interest process to ensure interested organisations, entities and individuals have the opportunity to participate in sponsorship opportunities.
- Pitching a sponsorship: We may identify potential sponsors for our sponsorship assets and may wish to initiate direct contact with the potential sponsor or via third parties that represent the potential sponsor such as advertising, media, public relations, experiential or event agencies. We may also decide to use an external agent to secure sponsorship.
Parkes Shire Council assesses all sponsorship proposals against the below predetermined criteria:
- The sponsoring organisation must be compatible with Council's values and strategic objectives,
- The sponsoring organisation must agree to the sponsorship benefits offered,
- The sponsoring organisation must not be involved in conflict or conflict of interest with Council,
- The sponsoring organisation must be seen to have the capacity to fulfill its sponsorship obligations,
- The sponsorship arrangement must benefit both parties, and
- The sponsorship arrangement must adhere to Council's Corporate Sponsorship Policy.