Funtastic Events Inc - Event Sponsorship

The difference between a donation and a sponsorship is an important concept to understand in any school fund raising activity. A donation is perceived as a gift, without any expectation of a return. Event Sponsorship is an advertising expense, not a donation. Sponsors expect something in return, usually more sales or business, or community recognition.

I’ll be using a school carnival put on by as a PTA fund raiser as our example for event sponsorship, but other types of events can be easily adapted from this model.

School Event Sponsorship - 7 Steps

I first recommend you list all of the school fund raising activities involved in your school carnival. Typical examples would include carnival games, inflatables (such as Moonwalks and Giant Slides), contests, activities (such as face painting, cake walk, or pony rides), costumed characters, and entertainers (such as magicians, clowns or a DJ).

Next, develop ranking of event sponsorship levels with corresponding dollar amounts. These levels can even have interesting names, if your school carnival has a theme. Here are a few examples:

Sports Theme: $25. – Rookie; $50. – Designated Hitter; $100. – All-Star; $250. – Free Agent; $500. – Hall of Famer

Medieval Theme: $25. – True Friend; $50. – Salt of the Earth; $75. – Squire; $100. – Hero; $150 – Good Samaritan; $250. – Knight; $500 – Royalty

Standard Theme: $25. - Supporter; $50. - Bronze; $100. – Silver; $150. – Gold; $250. – Platinum; $500. – Title Sponsor

Although the amounts listed are arbitrary, many carnivals have followed these types of levels. Once the levels are designated, your group must decide how much each activity is worth to sponsor. Typically, most carnival games usually cost $50. to sponsor, and the large activities, or inflatables, such as a Moonwalk would cost more, say $250. Please remember, the cost a sponsor spends may not necessarily in cash. A media sponsor, like a local newspaper, will give you advertising in lieu of cash. An Event Sponsorship can be in the form of cash, products/coupons, services, or people resources.

There are two questions potential sponsors always ask: “How much?” and “What do I get for my sponsorship?” This leads us to the next part of the program to be developed – What do each of the sponsorship levels receive?

Benefits you can offer a sponsor: • Sponsor banner at event

• Sponsor name on all ads announcing the event in local and school radio and newspapers

• Sponsor name on all flyers

• Handout sponsor coupons/samples at event

• Sponsor may have picture taken with local celebrities at event

• Free tickets for sponsors to give away to clients/employees

• Audio announcement at event of sponsor's participation during event

• Sponsor name on program

• Sponsor name on sign for carnival games

• Sponsor may receive a free table or booth space for display

One example I’ve seen at a school carnival was a chiropractic practice setting up a booth with a video, and giving out coupons for free spinal exams. Yes, the booth did contain the obligatory plastic spine. The chiropractor had sponsored a Giant Slide inflatable for $500. Another example of an event sponsorship, was a local car dealership sponsoring an inflatable Moonwalk for $250. They opted to bring in a new car for display. Just remember, the more a sponsor spends, they more they expect in return. They want to receive good value for their sponsorship.

2) Putting Together a Presentation Kit

This kit should answer the questions “who?”, “what?”, “when?”, “how?”, and the all important “why?” I’ll tackle the “why” first. Sponsors want to know the reason for the event. Everybody wants to help out children and education, especially for a local cause. One elementary school we worked with was putting in a new playground. It’s been five years since, but I remember the carnival every time I drive by the school and see “our” playground. The kit does not have to be elaborate. A letter from the principal, identifying the event as a PTA fund raiser, is a good start. Pictures from previous events are also helpful. A chart listing all the Event Sponsorship Opportunities is necessary, and don’t forget to include the date, with a list of all of the activities taking place. Most of all, the list of benefits for each sponsorship level. Easier than you thought, huh?

3) Identifying Event Sponsorship Prospects

There are three major groups of prospects that are often overlooked for event sponsorship opportunities. The first group is school vendors. How much do you think your school spends on ice cream each month, maybe $5000? There is no reason why the dairy cannot be asked to help sponsor some carnival games. In fact, at one of the events we supplied a carnival game package, the local dairy was a $250. Gold Sponsor. At another school, the PTA fund raising committee tapped the construction company that had recently put on a new roof for a $500. sponsorship. I recently called up my local county school purchasing department and discovered they had over 5000 vendors listed. This list is an open public record. Somebody is supplying pencils, desks, computers, and food to your school. In the next step we’ll discuss how to solicit this particular market.

The second group of prospects is parents of students at the school who own their own businesses. One example at a school we worked with last year had a HVAC company sponsor a carnival game for $50. Another school had a parent who was a local attorney. They got him to sponsor the Disc Jockey for the elementary school carnival for $250. The list goes on and on. Even if parents don’t work for themselves, some of them may work for companies that have matching donation programs.

The third group of prospects is local companies that want to do business with the families of the children at the school. A perfect example of this is a Dentist or Orthodontist. One of my personal favorites is plumbers, having recently paid a plumbing bill of $800. It’s time for them to give back to the school community. You know those packages of coupons and newspaper inserts from local companies you get in the mail? Save ‘em. They’re excellent prospects, because they already spend money on advertising.

Here are some of the best categories of businesses I’ve found to support school carnivals: Chiropractors, Car and Truck Dealerships, Pediatricians, Grocery Stores, Veterinarians, Tax Preparers, Attorneys (they spend enough on advertising, don’t they?), Banks, Travel Agencies ( a good source for prize giveaways), Realtors, Insurance Agencies, Dentists, Restaurants, and Funeral Homes. Yes, Funeral Homes. I have a friend who manages a Funeral Home, and he told me he has $250. - $300. to spend every month on public relations, but it usually goes unspent, because nobody asks him.

Other business categories may be found in your local yellow pages. Let your fingers do the walking! Next time you’re at a local ball field, jot down the names of the companies spending money on banner ads. Don’t forget utility companies. Deregulation has helped competition, if not rates! A couple of years ago, I had two Gas Companies competing to be Gold Sponsors for an event I was doing. It became a bidding war. Our electric company has been a sponsor at quite a few events, bringing one of their electric vehicles to display.

Please don’t forget the obvious, large employers in your area. They probably employ quite a few of the parents of the students, and are often happy to support the community.

4) Soliciting Event Sponsorship Prospects

Once the event sponsorship prospect list is developed, it’s time to prioritize it and put your best prospects at the top of the list. It’s best to go after the big fish first, because a frequent question you’ll get from small businesses is “Who else is sponsoring?” A media sponsor, such as a local newspaper or radio station should also be your top priority.

The best way to get sponsors is to ask in person. It’s easy for someone to say “no” over the phone or to ignore a request that comes in the mail. Three years ago, two school fund raising committee members, got their list together and spent an afternoon just showing up and soliciting local businesses. They netted $800.in event sponsorships for their efforts! Like 87% of schools we work with, they had their entire school carnival paid for through event sponsorship. One committee member told me she didn’t care if it rained, because they already had made a profit (after expenses) of $4000. through sponsorship!

Local business associations and chamber groups are excellent prospects to solicit at their meetings. It’s best to call ahead, and get listed on the agenda. Also, it’s wise to use someone comfortable with public speaking for these groups. A few years ago I brought an elementary school PTA fund raising committee to our local business association meeting. They were allowed 10 minutes to present their cause. The committee walked out of that meeting with $400.in event sponsorships! Local branches of fraternal, charity, and veterans groups, such as Optimists, Moose, and American Legions are also very community–minded.

The best way to reach parents who own their own businesses is to call them directly or send home a flyer or notice in the school newsletter. Announcements at PTA meetings can also be profitable.

OK, I’ve saved the best group for last, school vendors. Here is the approach that seems to work well. Either make an appointment or call the top person you can get a hold of with the school vendor (it’s better to work down than up the organizational ladder). Some companies have departments or individuals designated for community relations or customer relations. It’s best to go in with a good knowledge of how much the school district is spending. Say something similar to “Our school is spending $55,000. A year on ice cream (my favorite food group!) with your company. We’d like your company to be one of our Gold Sponsors for our school carnival that raising money for…” Then let them ask “How much?”, and don’t say a word. This approach usually works. I know it seems heavy-handed, but it happens all the time. Companies should be expected to give something back to the communities in which they do business.

5) Implement the Sponsorship Program at Your Event

Make sure you do what you promised! I recommend the school fund raising committee provide a Sponsor Coordinator to take care of your sponsors. You’ll find that some sponsors will show up early, others right before the event starts. The Sponsor Coordinator will check that each sponsor has a table, access to electricity and anything else they need. This will insure repeat sponsorship for years to come.

You may want to encourage the sponsors to do giveaways at their booths. This enables them to collect names of prospects.

6) Prepare for Next Year’s Event Sponsorship Program

This is done while your event is taking place. Take plenty of pictures, hopefully of children smiling and laughing. Of course, take pictures of your sponsors’ booths and displays. These days, most folks have access to a camcorder. There’s nothing like video of last year’s event to help get them to continue in the event sponsorship program.

Also, collect a sample of all the flyers and posters used during the school carnival. This will also help in your presentations next year.

Something that cannot be stressed enough is to take detailed notes of the event, both the good and the bad. This will help in the planning process next year’s event sponsorship program.

7) Follow Up and Thank the Sponsors

Each of the sponsors should be called personally to make sure the sponsor enjoyed the event. Some school fund raising committees have a dinner thanking their sponsors (yes, the dinner is sponsored as well).

One thing that I recommend is have children send thank you’s to sponsors, handwritten with crayons. There’s nothing like receiving a stack of twenty thank you’s colored in crayon on construction paper.

For the larger sponsors a plaque of appreciation is suggested. People like to be appreciated, and it’s an easy to renew the sponsorship next year when you visit and point to the plaque on the wall. Lower dollar sponsors should receive a certificate of appreciation, as should your volunteers. This creates goodwill for next year.

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