The 5 Laws of Sponsorship Proposals
Ideally, if you are getting ready to send out a sponsorship proposal, then that means that you’ve made time to build rapport with a potential sponsor and discover what their goals are from sponsorship.
However, the reality is, in your time, budget and resource-limited organisation, that you may be thinking that in order to get your sponsorship ball rolling, the best use of your time is to create a proposal and send it out to a list of prospects.
Here are my 5 top tips to make sure your sponsorship proposal is the one that is read above all the others.
- SAVE YOUR PRECIOUS TIME – never send out a ‘cold’ proposal without first starting a conversation. You’ll save time, money and heartache if you pick up the phone first and ask questions to discover whether there is a ‘fit’ between your organisations and what this sponsor is looking for from a relationship.
- IT’S NOT ABOUT YOUR NEEDS. You know what you want. A potential sponsor knows what you want. You are both on the same page so far. Make your proposal about how they can become more successful by aligning with you. Tip: it’s not about logo overload. That is, asking for money so you can put their logo all over your website. sponsorship is about connection (not advertising)… but you will know this already because you’ve spoken with your potential sponsors and asked great questions!
- A PROPOSAL IS A ‘TASTER’ – a discussion starter. Not the final word on sponsorship with your event or organisation. Make sure you convey the message that you want to dive deeper in conversation once they’ve read your proposal. Consider including a ‘where to from here’ section that opens up the idea for a meeting or follow-up call.
- AVOID ‘LOGO OVERLOAD’. If all you can offer is logo placement, you have misunderstood the power of the sponsorship relationship. When you are approaching a big company, they don’t need brand awareness. You are a gatekeeper to a community of followers that is the ideal target market to the right brand. How can you offer a sponsor ways to connect with your community of followers more deeply?
- GET TO THE POINT. Don’t waffle. They’ve told you what they are looking for. Presumably, if you are now creating a proposal, you’ve decided that your organisation can deliver it. Your proposal is competing with untold numbers of other charities, associations, events looking for sponsors as well as other marketing opportunities brands might want to invest in to promote their products or services. You’ll want to stand out. The first priority is to make sure you are giving them what they want.
