SMEs 'may not want to fund Olympics'

30/07/2010

Our Team 2012, a new fundraising programme aimed specifically at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has been launched to help meet the £25 million target for the London 2012 Olympics.

The idea is for SMEs to be offered a chance to support high-performance sports and raise money to equip British athletes with the best training and equipment to compete at the Games.

A total of 750 SMEs will pay up to £10,000 to take part in the scheme, which will see them receive certain perks, including opportunities for staff engagements and tickets to major sporting events and networking events across the UK.

However, Nick Winch, 2012 coordinator for the Federation of Small Businesses, said: "We would be sceptical as to whether many small businesses would want to participate in this. There might have been a higher take up if the availability of complementary tickets had been part of the deal."

He said larger sponsors who put in £10,000 are contributing only a small amount of money for them and they will receive "marketing rights and so on", yet, SMEs will have to put in a larger percentage of their income and they "don't seem to be getting the same kind of opportunities".

Posted by Sam Williams