Thank you to Beth Palm, executive director of the Streator Area United Way, for sharing with us today. She gave invaluable insight into working with sponsorships, including touching on how to professionally approach a business.

Among the tips she gave were to know your business/mission plan, be prepared to answer questions, be confident and passionate about that mission, do plenty of research on the businesses/organization you are approaching and always, always come through with whatever promise you make in return for those sponsorships, among several other tips. We were given insight into what the United Way is, and the many different ways it helps the community, learning the difference between a nonprofit vs. a for-profit organization. We also heard for the first time what an "elevator speech" is, something we'll be awfully familiar with by the end of the school year. We're eager to get back to work Friday and talk about the lessons she shared and how to incorporate them into projects.