5/7/14 12:30 AM Sponsorship Packages for Events and Non-Profits

Page 1 of 2 http://www.sparktemplates.com/events/sponsorship/sponsorship-packages
Sponsorship Packages For Events and Non-Profits
Sponsorship packages almost always consist of a sponsorship proposal letter and an
accompanying document describing the sponsorship levels that you are offering. Al-
though both of these documents are important, the sponsorship proposal letter is
where you will do most of your convincing. If you cannot quickly convince a
prospective sponsor that your organization deserves their money, the sponsorship
levels document will never come into play.
Sponsorship Proposal Letter
Because its the first thing your sponsors will see, your sponsorhip proposal letter is
the lynchpin of your pitch. If your sponsorship proposal letter cannot grab your
sponsor's attention immediately and convince them that you are worthy of considera-
tion for sponsorship, your sponsorship request is likely to be rejected in favor of oth-
ers.
Remember that prospective sponsors must wade through far more requests than
they can possibly fund, so they are unlikely to spend time on requests that do not
instantly stand out.
In many ways, looking for an event or organization sponsor is a lot like looking for a
job. And your sponsorship proposal letter is the functional equivalent of your re-
sume cover letter.
Sponsorship Levels Document
If you do manage to get the attention of a prospective sponsor with your sponsorship
proposal letter, they will eventually want to know more about what you are offering
in exchange for their money. Remember that sponsorship isn't the same as "free"
money. Sponsors always expect to get something, typically some combination of ad-
vertising, public accolade and VIP treatment, in exchange for their financial support.
Sponsors who decide that you deserve some of their funding will want to know what
levels of sponsorship are available and what they can expect to in return for their in-
vestment. This information will factor prominently into their decision about how
much of their overall budget to grant your organization or event.
Knowing what levels to include in your sponsorhip levels document may seem
5/7/14 12:30 AM Sponsorship Packages for Events and Non-Profits
Page 2 of 2 http://www.sparktemplates.com/events/sponsorship/sponsorship-packages
tricky at first, but ultimately, its a function of the entire body of benefits you can
offer and how much total funding you need to generate in order to meet your goals.
Conclusion
Creating a sponsorship package is an art that requires a clear vision of what your or-
ganization stands for as well as a keen sense of who is likely to be interested in be-
coming a sponsor. Sponsors have limited budgets and cannot fund every organiza-
tion that requests sponsorship, so they must be selective. A convincing, professional
sponsorship package will give prospective sponsors a very clear idea of who you are
and why they should fund your organization over others. Often the difference be-
tween securing a corporate or private sponsorship and being passed by in favor of
another organization is the effectiveness of your sponsorship package.
Your sponsorship package should give prospective corporate and private sponsors
several sponsorship levels, so they can choose the level of sponsorship that best suits
their budget and level of interest.