I really could not be more thrilled to announce that, not only did I land a full sponsorship for this year’s BlogHer Conference in New York City, but it happens to be with two companies that I absolutely adore.  So many people wonder how one goes about landing a private BlogHer Conference sponsorship, so I’ll explain my journey here.

When I set out to find a BlogHer sponsor, I knew that would be no easy task for a multitude of reasons.  One reason was that I simple had never tried to do this before, so I had to enlist the help of experienced bloggers to tell me how this all worked.  I’ve also never been all that comfortable marketing myself so that was a hurdle I’d have to overcome.  Another major reason I felt that landing a sponsor would be particularly challenging for me was that I have very high standards when it comes to brands I will attach my name to, and I couldn’t go after just any ol’ sponsor.

Whoever I partnered with had to be an organization that I truly believed in, with a product I have already recommended to my best friends.  This company had to produce only environmentally responsible goods, and not be in violation of any of my very strict standards regarding baby-friendly products and ethical marketing practices.  I have had companies with deep pockets try to advertise on my blog, but if I don’t like where those pockets have been, or what they stand for, I cannot compromise my blog’s integrity, no matter the dollar figure.  When I left my soulless corporate gig last year I made a promise to myself that I was going to be true to my passion and steadfast in my conviction to try to make this world a little better place, and this blog is the best way I can do that right now.

Thankfully, I didn’t have to search too far or too wide before I found the perfect partnership.  One night while on Twitter, I asked a past radio guest, lactation educator and Hygeia rep Kate Gulbransen, if she knew who I could talk to at Hygeia about a possible sponsorship.  Hygeia Breast Pumps are a product that I have talked about to my friends, and also placed on my pregnant friend’s baby registry when she asked me to create it for her.  I love Hygeia because their pumps are FDA certified for multiple users, meaning they are recyclable and green, unlike other popular breast pumps.  They also proactively promote the WHO code on the marketing of breastmilk substitutes, which is a very important and responsible international effort to help keep moms and babies healthy.  In a nutshell, Hygeia is a good egg.

So Kate, being The Awesome that she is, happily passed along an email address for a woman at Brilliant Baby Products, which works with many products that I love, including Hygeia and the cloth diaper company, FuzziBunz.  I sent an email telling the woman about my blog and asking her if FuzziBunz or Hygeia might be interested in working with me for BlogHer 2010.  I had only just begun my quest to find a BlogHer sponsor, so I wasn’t expecting for anything to work out right away.  Thankfully, though, the woman from Brilliant Baby Products wrote back almost immediately, thrilled that I wrote her, and told me that FuzziBunz might be interested in working with me.

The prospect of FuzziBunz sponsoring me was hugely exciting because I adore cloth diapering now, and I try to tell everyone I know about it.  Of course, cloth is environmentally responsible and very baby-friendly to boot.  I also think more parents are going to start to discover the benefits of cloth diapering after some recent scandals with a certain brand of disposable diaper causing chemical burns on baby’s skin.  FuzziBunz, unlike those disposable diapers, aren’t filled with chemicals yet still keep babies dry and rash free.  Besides being better for baby and better for the environment, they are all kinds of adorable – especially with their new colors for 2010.  I heart them.

Within a week or two, I got the official word that FuzziBunz wanted to sponsor me, along with Hygeia Baby.  The two brands decided to purchase and split my “Exclusive” BlogHer 10 package.  I sent the two companies a contract, and just 20 days after my initial email to Brilliant Baby Products, the contracts were signed.  I honestly could not be more thrilled with the two brands I get to represent at the conference.  I feel so lucky to have partnered with products that I’d help sell even without their sponsorship.  This truly could not have worked out any better.

I’m going to have some very exciting things to give away at the BlogHer conference, so if you’ll be there, make sure you find me and ask me about FuzziBunz and Hygeia breast pumps.  I’ll be happy to share samples or information about the two products.  And even if you won’t be at the conference, check out their websites because you know that if I love them, then they are truly love-worthy, baby-friendly, and eco-responsible.  That’s how I roll.

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Will you be at BlogHer ’10?  Did you land a sponsor?  Have any experience with using my two sponsors’ products?  Leave a comment and tell me all about it!  Or, just congratulate me on partnering with these two awesome brands.  I’m a lucky girl.