Are you running a raffle event and need help with funding and/or getting your message across on a larger platform? Finding a sponsor for your event might be the answer for you! Sponsors have the ability to support your event in many different ways like funding, brand awareness/credibility, and shared messaging on a larger public scale. Does this all sound great? Well BUMP is here to help you understand the steps needed to find sponsors, create a partnership, and build a connection with sponsors to secure their support. Below we have outlined everything you need to know to start off your sponsorship journey.
Finding the Right Sponsor for your Event
Trying to find a sponsor for your event can feel extremely daunting. Who do you ask? What do you say? How do you even bring up the conversation? The moment you know you are going to be hosting an event you should be thinking about seeking and securing sponsorship.
Your first point of contact should be people who already donate and support your cause. Why would you want to contact these people? Well, since they have already donated to your cause they have a higher chance of agreeing to support/sponsorship. They connect to your mission/vision and want to see your cause thrive.
Next, leverage your points of contact. Connect with your colleagues and see if they have any contacts who would be interested in supporting your amazing event. This provides a great connection and conversation starter since you both have something in common with the friend/colleague.
Finally, look towards the local businesses in your community. There are many places that would provide sponsorships like banks, groceries stores, and more. But be careful, you don’t want to reach out to just anyone, a corporate sponsor should align with your organization’s mission. Do some research and see if they hold the same or similar values as you. This is extremely important as you want your sponsor to agree and align with your event mission, vision, and values. This will also ensure a higher chance of a successful partnership together.
Building a Connection and Telling your Story
When you find a potential sponsor, whose values align with yours it's time to reach out and start the conversation. Use the steps below to successfully reach out start and sponsorship journey.
- Connect: The best place to start is by reaching out to the marketing department. Use tools like LinkedIn, Hunter.io, zippia.com, and Zoominfo.com.
- Introduce yourself: Use the telephone or these other tools listed above to introduce yourself off on the right foot.
- Always follow up: If you don’t hear back from them in a few business days, give them a call or shoot them a message on LinkedIn to refresh their memory.
- Be brief, yet leave a mark: Share your charity's story and how your values align which would make a great sponsorship collaboration. Ask for what you want and are looking for in a sponsor. The first conversation should take about 15 minutes.
Once this is complete and you have reached out to a few contacts/potential sponsors it is time to then start building a connection with them. Express to them how your mission, vision, and values align very closely. This is the first and most important connection that is needed to ensure a strong relationship with a potential sponsor.
Sponsorship proposal
What does your sponsor get from supporting your event? Usually, a business or corporation will give money to support your event in exchange for publicity and goodwill. This publicity will get their name out with logos on event materials and signage which instills in the public that this sponsor is good hearted and supports communities close to home. With your proposal express the following:
- Good publicity with their name and logo
- Good brand recognition within a community
- Shows interest in supporting the community
- Social media posts thanking their support and showcasing their brand
It is extremely important to highlight these factors when they are considering why they should support your event and how it will benefit them. Think about how their sponsorship of your event will help them achieve their goals and instill more trust in the community.
Finding a sponsor does not have to be an extremely hard or scary task to take on. Start thinking about sponsorship well ahead of your event to allow for research and conversations between potential sponsors. Remember to start small and look at who already supports you or what connections you may already have by leveraging points of contact. Your event deserves to receive sponsorship and with the help of BUMP we can help you achieve those goals. Contact us today to help you with the next steps of securing sponsorship and creating strong bonds within your community.