How to Write a Sponsorship Proposal

Unclassified SET Marketing and Communications Sponsorship Proposal How to write a proposal and keeping sponsors happy You should prepare a sponsorship proposal for each area or activity of your event for which you require funding. 1 Prepare a brief outline about the event. Include:           History or background of event. Event aims and objectives. Who is organising the event. Statement about your organisation’s resources. When, where and time of the event. What activities will take place, who will participate? Outline the benefits and features the sponsor will receive. o State realistic benefits to sponsors, you have to be able to deliver what you promise. o State whether they are exclusive sponsors for that area/activity. List all financial responsibilities of the sponsor. Clearly state what you want from the sponsor. Sponsorship needs to be managed, therefore make sure you have the physical and material resources that you require to do this. 2 What can you offer a sponsor?        Naming rights – as a general rule if your event costs $20,000 to stage, then naming rights for the event should be worth $20,000. Networking – the opportunity to build business relationships with government and other corporate identities through invitations to special events. Audience exposure – your event audience is a potential asset to your sponsors. Media and publicity opportunities – business logos and names on promotional flyers, event program, posters and in the local newspaper. Product sampling – on site merchandising, give-aways, mailing lists etc. Promotion throughout event. Display their promotional material for their business at the event. 3 Negotiating your sponsorship deal.    Confirm that the sponsor is a viable and reputable prospect before entering into serious negotiation. Whenever possible, negotiate in person with the decision maker. Go into the negotiations knowing what you aim to achieve and with a strategy of how to achieve it. Be aware of your ‘bottom-line’ and don’t agree to anything less! Document: c258a937-84d5-46f6-9dcc-87ef1944c584.doc Author:Sara Warren Save Date: Sara Warren Page 1 of 3 School/Department/Area Version: 0.1 DocRef: TRIM Title of Report Unclassified      Be different, make your presentation memorable – slides, video etc, but remember you won’t have much time, so keep your presentation simple and to the point. Always focus written proposals and presentation on the benefits for the sponsor. Determine in advance what additional components you may be able to offer if required to clinch a sponsorship deal. Always have a clean understanding of the concessions that you cannot make, the events organising body may have decided that ‘Naming Right’ to the whole event is not acceptable. Remember when negotiating that the price always relates to the benefits. 4 The sponsorship agreement. A sponsorship agreement is a document, such as a letter, which confirms the details of the sponsored event or activity and stating the conditions agreed to by both parties. Remember to include:  Description of the event.  What is being sponsored.  Benefits to be gained by the sponsored organisation.  Benefits to be gained by the sponsor.  How the sponsorship agreement will be administrated.  Insurance if relevant.  The period of sponsorship.  Method of payment.  If you are negotiating large amounts of funding, it would be beneficial to seek legal advice regarding consequences of non-performance, resolving dispute and if necessary conditions for termination of the contract. 5 How to keep sponsors happy.        Always deliver what you promise. Once you have the money don’t forget about your sponsors, continue the communications with regular briefings. Provide them with complimentary tickets to the event. Present all event sponsors with publicity material, such as, programs, posters etc. These can be displayed, showing their support for the event. Provide certificates of appreciation. Send them a letter thanking them for their support and involvement. Send them a post-summary of the event and include press clippings etc. 6 Grants 6.1 When applying for grants remember:    Timing is crucial, most applications need to be planned and submitted up to six months in advance. Check closing dates. Make sure you have a clear understanding that the aims and objectives are compatible with the funding organisations. Document: c258a937-84d5-46f6-9dcc-87ef1944c584.doc Author:Sara Warren Save Date: Sara Warren Page 2 of 3 School/Department/Area Version: 0.1 DocRef: TRIM Title of Report Unclassified   Don’t be afraid to ask for help from the particular funding organisation in putting your application together. Propose a realistic event budget. 6.2 What will funding organisations want to know about your event?             How much will the event cost? How much funding do you already have? Is the event receiving other grants funding? They will also require a draft budget. Is the event being organised by an incorporated body? Are you a non-profit or charitable organisation, company or individual? A brief history of the event. When and where it is to be held. Who will co-ordinate the event, and event Manager or community committee or both? What are the events aims and objectives? Are they compliable with the grant guidelines? What will be the long term benefits of the event? How will the event be marketed and promoted? School/Department/Area Version: 0.1 DocRef: TRIM Document: c258a937-84d5-46f6-9dcc-87ef1944c584.doc Author:Sara Warren Save Date: Sara Warren Page 3 of 3