First of all, start early, even a year in advance of your event, to give potential sponsors time to budget for your request.
After you consider a company’s philanthropic priorities (interest), how business has been (ability to give), and their connection to your organization (linkage; probably through a relationship with someone in your organization), you will have a feel for an appropriate sponsorship level to solicit. Here are suggested gift ranges:
- Ask your contacts at companies with over 50 employees to sponsor, for example, the food at $20,000 with your event budget to validate the request
- Ask companies with 12- 49 employees to sponsor in the single-digit thousands
- Ask mom and pop shops for amounts in the hundreds
Choose the amount to request based upon your personal knowledge, experience, and these recommendations.
Because your contact may need to persuade their board of directors, partners, or CEO to agree to the sponsorship, include the following with your request. Because some contacts will not want to meet, include everything you want to discuss with them in your introductory document such as:
- A description of the event
- Event budget
- The specific amount, or narrow range, of sponsorship you hope to receive
- Timeline
- include the return on investment (ROI) you are offering the potential sponsor
Here are some sample returns on investment:
- For a major sponsor, you consider offering naming rights.
- Introducing the speaker, or speaking at the event
- Provide up to three minutes to promote the sponsor’s business (good for them) and to explain why they chose to partner with your nonprofit (good for you)
- A link to their website homepage on yours
- Sponsorship acknowledgment on your website
- Their logo on all event promotional materials
- A thank you note published on social media and in local newspapers after the event that lists all event sponsors, largest sponsorships first
- Their logo on your website
- Mentioning their company on any public service announcements and/or radio advertisements
- Their logo on billboard promotions
- Display and distribute sponsor’s promotional materials
- Their logo on event name tags, table tents, overhead projection during the event, etc.
Know your local economy and adjust the ROI you offer to fit your situation.
Lastly, beyond corporate sponsors:
- Apply to local community foundations and service clubs
- As your organization searches for grant funding, build a list of foundations that offer event sponsorships, too
As always, I am hoping for your every success!