Soon after being appointed marketing manager of a neighborhood bank, I realized the dimensions of the challenge I had somewhat naively accepted.

My principal competitor was the local office of the largest bank in the state — a bank which enjoyed a corporate marketing budget 50 times larger than mine, a continual television presence and a well-deserved reputation for high quality service.

Hand-to-hand combat was not going to win this war. We were totally outnumbered. We need a sniper strategy.

Large corporations may be formidable opponents, but their size creates Achilles heels. The vulnerability I exploited in this situation was the bank's inability to tailor marketing programs to individual community needs.

To capitalize on this deficiency I listed key community organizations that exert the greatest influence on residents. I aligned myself with organizations which ran most village events — police, churches and synagogues, schools and park districts. The strategy was to use these groups to help reach a larger universe of people that I could otherwise afford to reach.

I met with representatives of these organizations and expressed my bank's interest in helping them achieve their goals. A park district official was the first to take me up on the offer.

The district was trying to fund a new program for youngsters called "Kids Need Culture, Too" and asked us to fund the puppeteers, mimes and magicians that constituted the entertainment series. Unfortunately, sponsorship meant I would have to limit other projects so I suggested another approach.

We would agree to underwrite the project if we could structure it in such a way to make the series self-supporting. Once profitable we would still retain sponsorship rights and would continue to help promote the series through announcements in publications, advertising and internal communications. In other words, we didn't give much cash but other resources would help ensure success. The savings meant we were able to invest seed money in other projects. The Park District was delighted with the suggestion, and the arrangement represented the start of a long, mutually beneficial relationship.

These type of leveraged marketing investments helped Skokie Federal grow from $79 million to almost a billion in twelve years and, according to research, achieve the highest measure of awareness among all financial institutions in the community — including the major competitor.

There's more to this than a David and Goliath story. There's clues for developing partnerships with the private sector.

Forming partnerships with non-profit organizations can be a powerful marketing strategy. It's smart, effective and relatively inexpensive.

From a park district perspective, the private sector has more to offer than money. Look for in-kind contributions such as products, advice and publicity.

Conduct your own marketing audit before you approach the prospective partner. What do you have to offer? How many people will you reach? How can you help achieve the corporation's goals?

Treat your partners like customers. Encourage and strengthen relationships. Give them first crack at other projects. Recognize them publicly.

In summary, park districts hold a unique position in the community. Identifying and demonstrating the value of that position to the private sector is the key to successful corporate partnership programs. And remember, there are as many firms out there that need you as much as you need them. They just don't know it!

Kevin B. Tynan is President of Tynan Marketing, Inc., a Chicago marketing agency, and the author of "Multi-Channel Marketing" Probus Publishing. He recently presented the Illinois Association of Park Districts' workshop, "Marketing Strategies for Surviving the '90s."*

26 * Illinois Parks & Recreation * September/October 1994