The work of availing a sponsorship can be made easier by preparing a smart proposal. The article presents the readers with a sponsorship proposal template and necessary information on how to go about preparing it.
Sponsorship proposals are the means to raise money for an organization/individual event, campaigns, marketing programs, etc. Sponsorships also benefit the sponsor in a way that his brand is publicized and gets due recognition. The companies/benefactors who avail sponsorships may range from charity organizations, regular/normal business organizations, artists to sports persons. In short, anyone in need of funds is termed as a benefactor.
Writing a Sponsorship Proposal
It is advised to perform an exhaustive research on the history, domain area and related information of the sponsor before you approach him. Newspapers, the company website, magazines, etc., should provide you with enough information about the sponsor. Only after knowing your potential sponsor well, that you can think of preparing a winning proposal. Here are few important factors to consider while preparing a proposal.
• The sponsorship proposal template should incorporate basic information about your organization. Reaching the target audience to communicate the message that can successfully market the sponsor’s services/products is the main responsibility of the benefactor. Therefore, providing enough information about the target audience and the way you would make them reach the potential sponsor will raise his interest in your proposal.
• Image association is an important point to be considered while preparing a sponsorship template; it is the bonding between the sponsor’s brands or company name with that of the image of event or program that is of importance. The sponsor should feel assured that his products or services will firmly be associated with the benefactor or his program and thereby reach the target audience. This kind of association provides credibility to the products/services of the sponsor, which is exactly what he would want or expect.
• Setting up of objectives which can help provide tangible benefits to the sponsor is of utmost importance. This way, the sponsor gets a clear idea as to how is he going to benefit by sponsoring your program. Writing an introduction to your proposal, as presented below, should raise the chances of your proposal getting approved.
[Recipient’s Name]
[Address]
Dear [Name of Sponsor],
Our firm, [Name of Your Firm] will be organizing its annual event, [Name of Event] on [DD/MM/YYYY] at [Venue]. We are in search of sponsors for this event. The event will be organized for [Names of Beneficiaries]. [Name of Your Firm] has a long presence in [Area of Expertise] and has served for [No. of Years] years. Your support in the form of sponsorship should be of great help for successfully organizing this event. We look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
[Sender’s Name]
[Contact Information]
- Executive Summary: It is the first point that needs to be addressed in a sponsorship proposal. The executive summary presents before the sponsor, precise points/reasons as to why should they support your organization.
- Information about Company Background: This section needs to be made interesting to read. It should present strong points about the benefactor’s company. Mission statement of the company, its goals, objectives, etc., can be included in the section. Presenting information pertaining to accomplishments, expertise, experience, etc., helps you gain the trust of the sponsor. The total content presented in this section should not go beyond one page. In short, the information should present precisely the reason why the sponsor should trust you.
- Project Information: This section is crucial from the point of advertising the project/sponsorship program. In this section, the sponsor’s point of view is given importance; the benefits that can be availed by the sponsor are included in the section.
- Market Information: Detailed information about the market that is collected by the benefactor, should be presented in this part of the document. It gives the sponsor an idea of the target audience he/she could reach through the event/program. Therefore, it becomes necessary to provide information about the target audience in a detailed manner. The information should incorporate details about income levels of the audience, their addresses, educational details, etc.
- Pitch: It is an important section of the proposal from the point of fixing the deal with the sponsor; therefore, it should include the price of sponsorship. Financial needs of the benefactor should also be clearly presented in the section. Other details to be included are the period of project, due dates of payment, and details pertaining to sponsorship hierarchy.
- List of Benefits: A detailed account of all the benefits that a sponsor avails from the deal are provided in this section. Information about the different offers and sponsorship money associated with them are also enlisted in the section. One should keep in mind that benefits/offers made in section are subject to change. Follow-up document is the place where these modifications are reflected.
- Plan for Marketing: Measures undertaken by the benefactor to promote the program/project are enlisted in this part of the document.
- Summary: It is the last and most important part of the sponsorship proposal. The information in this section includes the list of board of directors, current sponsors of the company, media clippings, etc.
To create a winning sponsorship proposal, it is necessary to conduct exhaustive research and present the information in a manner that is appealing. The sponsorship proposal template presented above provides you with necessary details for preparing a good proposal.