@apol, can you confirm these are KDE patrons?

Canonical, Google, SUSE, The Qt Company, Blue Systems, Haute Couture Enioka, Slimbook and PINE64

If so, these would be the first people to approach for joint promotional activities, right?

In T14752#261083, @paulb wrote:

@apol, can you confirm these are KDE patrons?

Canonical, Google, SUSE, The Qt Company, Blue Systems, Haute Couture Enioka, Slimbook and PINE64

Correct.

If so, these would be the first people to approach for joint promotional activities, right?

Sure

I have worked on a sample sponsorship proposal. If you think this is something that will interest our patrons, I can work on it further.

Sponsorship
KDE will provide sponsors with a unique, high profile platform to show their commitment to promote and distribute free desktop software, free exchange of knowledge and equality of opportunity in accessing software as well as education, science and research.
By providing access to KDE’s users from all over the world, KDE and its sponsors will be seen as supporters of FOSS, education, technology, science and research.
The sponsorship opportunities available are as follows. We can further discuss in detail the items and terms mentioned in the sponsorship proposal and then finalize an agreement of sponsorship.

Joint Event
Joint events with KDE either in-person, online or hybrid. 60 minutes customized session for the sponsor. The session will be co-curated by KDE and the sponsor. The event will be named after the sponsor. The sponsor will be allowed to brand the venue/online platform. The sponsor will be acknowledged on digital platforms and marketing collateral.

On-Screen Branding/Advertisement on Social Media
The sponsor can place their product ads on KDE’s social media platforms. Sponsor’s TVC or Corporate Video (up to 30 sec) to be played.

Competition
A sponsored competition in collaboration with KDE. Sponsors can provide products as gifts to the winners. All entries will use the sponsor’s hashtag and KDE’s hashtag. The activity will be promoted a month before the competition on our digital platforms.

To add to @aniqakhokhar's list:

Recruitment Drives
This would be beneficial for everybody, as KDE is rich source of talented people, many of which are looking for new or their first job opportunities within the tech industry.

We can think of more opportunities and then decide.

Workshops/Training
KDE collaborate with sponsors to provide workshops/training on mutually beneficial topics.

Focus Groups
KDE collaborate with sponsors to help them connect with the people who would like to help them test their products.

Sponsoring an application
We can collaborate with companies to sponsor an application. This can help us in generating funds for applications.

Social Media Shoutouts
We usually retweet or reshare our partners' posts. So we inform them that we will share interesting updates on our pages. This is something which we are already doing so we just take an advantage of it.

Cover Photos
We can show our sponsor's logos on Social Media's Cover Photos once a month. Also on Facebook, we have an option for Slideshows so we can share multiple images.

On-Screen Branding/Advertisement on Social Media
The sponsor can place their product ads on KDE’s social media platforms. Sponsor’s TVC or Corporate Video (up to 30 sec) to be play

I'm not sure about this one, @aniqakhokhar. I feel this would not go down well with our Community or followers. There are less confrontational ways of promoting their brands.

Social Media Shoutouts

Not sure about this one either. We already do it to some degree, but by setting it up as an obligation to sponsors, we risk turning our social media outlets into advertising outlets, instead of a source of useful information. I have seen what happens with channels that have gone down that route and it ain't pretty.

Cover Photos

Another hard "no" from me regarding this one. We do things that are beneficial for our sponsors, yes; for us (of course); but also for our followers and community. Intrusive stuff like this is definitely off the table.

The rest is good though!

Here is the thing, a true FLOSS project's priority, above all things, is to benefit the people, then itself, then its sponsors. So, when is it acceptable to include "advertising" on our channels? When it benefits the people reading them:

• Slimbook is offering a discount on their machines and have a discount code for our followers > ACCEPTABLE
• KDAB is offering a free course of Qt Programming for the first 100 applicants > ACCEPTABLE
• Company X wants us to tweet out about their new product that is not directly related to KDE and is also proprietary and costs money > UNACCEPTABLE
• Company Y wants to get their logo on Facebook and us to tweet about them just because they are a sponsor > UNACCEPTABLE, also annoying and probably also counterproductive: do that enough, and you will alienate our audience and it will have the opposite effect of what was intended, driving away people.

Sure. I have made this presentation{F9988369}, we can see which ideas are beneficial for the community too.

In T14752#261903, @aniqakhokhar wrote:

Sure. I have made this presentation{F9988369}, we can see which ideas are beneficial for the community too.

I'd have visual suggestions for the final version.

This looks good @aronkvh.