Trying to get a sponsorship for your sports organization can take a lot of effort and diligent work. It requires your club to outline what types of sponsorships are available, how much money it needs to raise, and what types of businesses to target.
Once those details are set, the real work begins. You need to create a proposal letter and packet to outline who your organization is, why it’s seeking sponsors, what the money will go towards and the various types of sponsorship packages available.
After you create those materials, it’s time to present all of this information to potential sponsors. To make sure your club is getting the most out of its pitch, get tips on how to present your sponsorship opportunities.
Do Your Research
Before presenting your sponsorship opportunities, you need to know more about the businesses you are pitching. Using the list of companies you want to target, dig deeper into who the companies are, what their mission and values are, and what types of sponsorships they’ve awarded in the past.
According to BizBash.com, your organization should also determine what interests or causes the companies support and what their business goals are. Learn more about selecting opportunities here.
Find the Right Person to Reach Out to
When you reach out to companies, it’s important to find the right contact at each business. You want to make sure you are communicating with the decision-maker at each company. According to NPEngage.com, you want to look for individuals at each business who work in branding, marketing, sponsorships, business development or communications. These departments typically work with sponsorships.
Time Your Pitch Right
It’s important to present your sponsorship opportunities at the right time. You want to make sure you pitch the opportunities far enough in advance for businesses to be able to make a decision and get approval for the funding. If you wait until the last minute or don’t give companies enough time to consider the sponsorship, even if they’re interested in the opportunity they might have to decline the offer.
Reach Out Via Multiple Channels
When reaching out to potential sponsors it’s important to be persistent and creative when contacting decision-makers. According to NPEngage.com, it can take three or four attempts before you’re able to connect with an organization. Because of this, use different channels when reaching out to contacts, such as phone calls, emails, mail, and in-person visits. Additionally, tryouts may be an excellent opportunity to pitch in-person. Here are tips on how to turn your next tryout into a sponsorship opportunity.
Know What the Sponsor is Looking For
When you make contact with the potential sponsor, it’s important to learn more about the company before you present sponsorship opportunities and make an official pitch. Instead, during the initial phone call or interaction, use the opportunity to ask questions that will give you more information to add to your sponsorship proposal letter and packet. According to SponsorshipCollective.com, some questions to ask a potential sponsor can include:
- Who is your target audience?
- How do you work with sponsors?
- What are the most important elements of a sponsorship proposal?
Once you gather this information, you can tweak your proposal to customize it to what the potential sponsor is looking for. This allows you to address the specific company’s needs and interests to make your proposal more attractive.
Send the Proposal
After customizing the proposal for each individual sponsor, it’s time to send it off. Include your proposal letter and packet, and make sure it is addressed to the correct contact at each company.
Appearance counts on these materials, so make sure they look professional. The letter should be written on the club’s letterhead and the packet should be printed on nice paper and be bound professionally. Mail the package in an envelope that allows you to protect the materials so they arrive undamaged and address it directly to the contact at the business.
Follow Up
After sending over the proposal letter and packet, wait a few days after it’s scheduled to arrive and then follow up with the potential sponsor. This is your opportunity to ask if the contact has any questions about the proposal and clear up any confusion.
The follow-up conversation is also a chance to expand on the benefits to the sponsor. While your packet outlined the costs of the sponsorships and what’s included in it, you can use the conversation to address other benefits, such as brand awareness, product placement, growing their place in the community, and more.
Trying to land a sponsor for your sports club can take a lot of effort. However, the work put into creating the proposal letter and packet and making an effective pitch can be worth it when your organization is able to gather sponsorships and fund necessary programs and initiatives for your club.