Solidly involved
The family of dairy products, known under its French brand name in Quebec as the Famille du lait, has always had a special place in the fridge and in Quebecers’ hearts. Through its sponsorships, Les Producteurs de lait du Québec (PLQ) actively gives back to communities in the province’s regions by supporting initiatives that bring people together, encourage healthy habits and showcase Quebec’s cuisine and culture.
Producers are involved in projects that reflect their values and growth priorities, but also events with the potential to create benefits for the economy, society and the environment. They are also committed to supporting their partners and future producers and promoting the dairy producer profession through a sector-based policy management process. Organizations related to the agri-food sector that have similar visions to the PLQ’s vision may also request sponsorships to support their shared missions. Every year, around 350 events are supported by one of the Famille du lait brands: Lait, Lait au chocolat, Lait bio, Crème glacée, Crème, Fromages d’ici, Beurre, Yogourt, Recettes d’ici and the PLQ (milk, chocolate milk, organic milk, ice cream, cream, our cheeses, butter, yogurt, our recipes and the PLQ).
This document was designed to explain the PLQ’s sponsorship award process. If you would like to receive support under the PLQ’s sponsorship program:
- 1. First, read this policy;
- 2. Fill out the appropriate form.
1. Niches and Exclusions
PLQ-sponsored organizations must be in harmony with the following five values that it espouses: equity, solidarity, transparency, responsibility and democracy.
In addition, they must encourage the following principles: leadership innovation, entrepreneurship, sustainable development, buying local and quality-pride-passion.
More specifically, the niches where the PLQ prioritizes action are:
- local agriculture and food
- sports and recreation, outdoors
- health and nutrition
- local culture and artists
- regional development and buying local
- environment and sustainable development
- education and the next generation (day camps)
Please note that the PLQ’s program does not support:
- activities that take place outside Quebec or are put on by an organization based outside Quebec;
- religious groups;
- political parties and candidates;
- lobbies or pressure groups;
- individuals or private events;
- cultural and humanitarian trips;
- proms, graduation balls and albums.
2. Donation and Sponsorship Request Management Process
The PLQ uses an evaluation grid to evaluate the relevance of each sponsorship according to the organization’s strategic goals. The selection criteria are specifically aligned with the target audience and the central theme of the PLQ’s communication with it, in addition to the return on investment (amount requested versus visibility granted), for each of our various brands.
- Milk: Parents-Family / 65+ / Nutrition
- Organic milk: Environment / Wellness
- Our recipes: 18-35 / Food fun
- Our cheeses: 18-44 / Pride in local products
- Chocolate milk: Sports / Meaningful enjoyment
- Yogurt: Energy / Satisfying and healthy snacks
- Butter / Cream: Flavour enhancer / Natural
- Ice cream: Gourmet treat
- PLQ: Belonging / Community
3. Key Factors in Evaluating a Sponsorship Request:
- Viewing audience (number of participants and spectators);
- Client profile (gender, age groups, education level, household income, origin);
- Economic benefits;
- Survey statistics;
- List of current partners and sponsorship levels + sector exclusivity;
- Media plan, visibility plan and/or proposed forms of participation;
- Privileges granted (complimentary tickets, VIP…);
- Sustainable development plan;
- Past event photos;
- Sponsorship amount…
* For local events, contact the regional office of Les Producteurs de lait nearest you directly to receive a personalized questionnaire.
4. Other Principles Considered:
- One single financial contribution is granted to an organization annually;
- The sponsorship is not automatically renewed every year and each new request must be submitted for evaluation;
- Even if an organization fulfills all of the previously mentioned criteria, it is not automatically guaranteed to receive a sponsorship from the PLQ;
- Due to the very high volume of requests, only selected projects will receive an answer within 30 days;
- For provincial events, marketing budgets are submitted for a vote by the Board of Directors every fall to confirm the opportunities that will be taken in the following year. Barring exceptional circumstances, proposals must be received by August 30 for partnerships in the following year, starting in January.
* For regional and local events, a minimum of 30 days is required to evaluate requests.