If you need to recruit sponsors for your event or non-profit, you will first need a professional sponsorship proposal. Your sponsorship proposal, sometimes called a sponsorship package, normally consists of a sponsorship proposal letter and an accompanying document that offers sponsors several different sponsorship options. Both of these documents are vital. Your sponsorship proposal letter is where you will pitch the possibility of a sponsor relationship.
Sponsorship Proposal Cover Letter
Your sponsorship proposal letter is a critical part of your sponsorship package. This letter is your primary opportunity to capture the imagination of a prospective sponsor and to and help them envision how a relationship with your organization can be beneficial to them. If you fail to create a shared vision, your chances of being sponsored are poor.
Sponsorship proposals are ultimately sales pitches in which you show your prospective sponsors a vision of shared success that is both believable and backed up by data. It can be difficult for non-profits to think about their organizations as commercial advertising vehicles, but selling a sponsorship opportunity is exactly this.
Sponsorship Levels
Once your sponsorship proposal letter has piqued your prospective sponsor’s interest, they will need more information about exactly what benefits they can purchase from you and at what cost. Corporate sponsors need to get something, normally some combination of advertising, public accolade and VIP treatment, in exchange for their financial support. Sponsors who decide to commit will want to know what types of sponsorship are being offered and at what cost. This data will inform their decision-making and allow them to match their budget to your proposal in a way that makes sense for them.
The benefits you can offer in your sponsorship levels document must be calibrated to match your total funding needs you needs.
In Conclusion, creating a sponsorship proposal is something every organization that is serious about attracting sponsors must do well. Matching what you can offer with partners who can benefit in tangible ways from a relationship with you is the essence of what a sponsorship really is. Sponsors have limited budgets and must maximize the benefit of these dollars to their businesses. They must be selective.
A convincing, professional sponsorship proposal will give prospective sponsors a very clear idea of who you are and why they should fund your organization over others.
Your sponsorship proposal should give prospective corporate and private sponsors several sponsorship levels, so they can choose the level of sponsorship that best suits their budget and level of interest.
Event Sponsorship Packages
An event sponsorship package differs from a program sponsorship package because the emphasis is on the benefits that you will provide the sponsor on the day or days of the event. While there are some ongoing benefits to an event sponsor, the most tangible benefit will come from the positive publicity and exposure you can generate on event day. You can and should also offer sponsors a certain number of free or discounted admissions to your event, as well as preferred or VIP access to the event. Make it clear in your event sponsorship package that becoming a sponsor will generate good exposure and be fun at the same time.
Be creative about how you can package and present benefits to prospective sponsors in your sponsorship package. You may want to consider developing several mini events within your event that can be individually sponsored. For example, if you are putting on a golf event, you might select several special holes to offer for individual sponsorship with some sort of theme or twist. Your event will drive the details of how this looks, but the concept is the same.
Depending on the type and size of the event you are producing, you may want to consider making a “title” sponsorship available. Title sponsorship can be very beneficial to both your event and your title sponsor. However, be aware that title sponsorship is a tricky business and needs to be planned carefully. If you are going to build your brand around a title sponsor, you really want that sponsor to make more than a single year commitment to your event. Don’t take title sponsorship lightly and carefully consider the ramifications of taking on a title sponsor before you build your event sponsorship package. Make sure you price that tier in your sponsorship levels properly and make sure you indicate clearly that this level of sponsorship requires a multi-year commitment. And finally, assume that you won’t get a title sponsor during your planning. That way you can live without one but you’ll celebrate if you get one.
