How to create sponsorship plans (144)
Sponsorship is a major source of income for Sport events. Involvement in sponsorship should be planned.
Key tasks:
- Preparation of a sponsorship offer
- Compilation of a list of potential sponsors
- Building a team responsible for PR and sponsorship
- Signing sponsorship contracts
- Performance of contract (media, documents, press conference, etc. )
- Performing service to sponsors
- Writing a report and preparing documentation for each sponsor. Sustainability.
What does a sponsor expect for his/her money?
- Publicity, primarily in the leading media, which can be the local media
- Enhancement of its image
- Expanding the circle of its buyers
- Improvement of reputation and goodwill
- Demonstration of its goodwill
- Other needs (e.g., use of logo or name)
Tip: A strategic rationale is crucial when approaching a potential sponsor. Whereas most corporate sponsors are unwilling or limited to provide financial support, others are willing to give in-kind resources.
How to make an offer to a sponsor
- Brief introduction of the product, event or Sport event
- Historical overview from the past to the present
- Plan for implementation
- Plan for the media
- Possibilities to advertise sponsors and the costs involved
- A list of general services offered to the sponsors (telephone, fax, cafeteria, meeting room, etc. )
- Exclusive sponsors and extra services (main patron, suppliers, exclusivity, etc. )
- Possibilities for sponsorship, cash, services, products, etc. )
- Selection from press reviews, references
Useful Resources
- Sponsorship Proposal Examples. Click here
- 5 key steps (brand study, common target, differentiated plans, marketing & activation actions and measurement) for a successful sponsorship proposal. Click here
- Booklet Sport Sponsorship: securing and retaining commercial partners. Click here
- Structure of sponsorship proposals. Click here
- Course in Sport sponsorship. Click here
- Invitation letter sample. Click here
Other funding ideas (144)
Other income sources derived from Sport events
- Sell food and drinks
- Sell Sport apparel
- Merchandising: Amenities and memorabilia products related to the event
Membership fees (event or long-term memberships)
- An entry fee should cover costs and also leave a profit margin for the ISOs
- Prices should be consistent and competitive with other similar events
Fundraising platforms
- Collaborative funding through virtual platforms
- Highly effective when there is a social cause behind
- May require that the ISOs fulfil certain legal criteria and to hold a credit card
- Platforms that can fundraise:
Crowdfunding events
- Also known as charity events are also effective when collecting funds for specific causes, mainly for providing aid or social assistance
- A central goal in this type of event is the creation of networking opportunities that later on may evolve in the concretion of a particular form of support
- There are different formats that an ISO or club can raise funds: Sport event with a symbolic entry fee, hospitality events, meals, among others
- See examples below:
Other platforms (project-based):
Erasmus + for Europe-based ISOs and their NFs and Sport club
Best Practices:
- The Breakaway by Decathlon: The first eCycling team for prisoners. They will be riding and racing with people from the outside world on the virtual cycling platform Zwift. The initiative is part of Decathlon’s broader vision to make Sport accessible for all. Click here
- Rebuilding Glencoe Mountain resort. Click here
- Ola #RoadToGold, a nationwide crowdfunding campaign to identify promising talent from India’s heartlands. Click here
Tip: Be creative enough to see opportunities where anyone else can notice them.
