When the Old Way Stops Working — and the New Way Isn’t Fully Visible Yet

Written by: Lori Zoss Kraska, MBA, CFRE

There’s a moment in every story where the old approach stops working — but the next chapter isn’t fully clear yet.

I see many associations and nonprofits sitting in that exact space right now. 

From a sponsorship standpoint:

• Traditional sponsorship tactics feel thin.

• Transactional outreach isn’t landing the way it used to.

• Doing more of the same no longer produces the momentum it once did.

This in-between moment can feel uncomfortable— but it’s essential to keep sponsorship conversations going even when you’re standing between what used to resonate and what’s unknown on the horizon.

Here are five ways purpose driven organizations can continue engaging and attracting sponsors while clarity about the future is still forming:

1. Shift from pitching to orienting

When certainty is low, stop trying to position your sponsorship as a solution.

Instead, orient sponsors to:

• what’s changing in your field/industry/community

• what pressures your stakeholders/members are facing

• what questions your leadership team is actively exploring

  
  

Sponsors are more likely to engage when they feel invited into thinking, not sold an outcome to sponsorship too early.

2. Communicate progress, not polish

You don’t need a finalized strategy to stay visible.

Share:

• what you’re learning

• what you’re testing

• what insights are emerging

  
  

This builds credibility because it signals leadership awareness — not confusion.

Clarity builds trust even before answers are complete.  Also, many corporations and other supporters can appreciate and relate to operating under ambiguity.

3. Identify partners for the next chapter — not the last one

Many sponsorship programs stall because organizations keep targeting partners aligned to where they were as opposed to where they are going.

Use this moment to ask:

• Who would benefit from where we’re headed?

• Which companies share the future we’re moving toward?

• Who values learning, adaptation, and long-term impact?

  
  

The right sponsors lean in during transition — not after everything is settled. They can also be a partner in resourcing your purpose driven organization with thought leadership and new avenues of thinking that could assist your own organization in a time of change.

4. Use updates to maintain relationship continuity

Silence during transition creates distance from sponsors.  Keep communication open even when you don’t have all the answers.

A simple quarterly update that says:

• “Here’s where we are”

• “Here’s what we’re seeing”

• “Here’s what we’re building toward”

  
  

This keeps relationships warm without forcing premature asks.

During the in between, consistency in communication matters more than certainty.

5. Let coherence lead before urgency

And this one is crucial...

When purpose driven organizations feel pressure, urgency tends to drive outreach.  Language and narrative to sponsors often becomes pressing instead of collaborative. This is a real turn off and losing credibility is an unintended consequence.

Sponsors don’t respond to urgency — they respond to coherence.

When your story makes sense — even if it’s unfinished — decision-makers listen.

Clarity precedes capital.

One Final Thought…

The purpose driven organizations that build strong sponsor relationships aren’t always the ones with the clearest answers.

They’re the ones willing to lead through transition — openly, thoughtfully, and with intention while at the same time engaging with sponsors even when they’re in between the old and the new.