🎯 The Complete Sponsorship Guide for Schools and Clubs.

Your Guide to Approaching, Winning and Keeping Sponsors

📋 Part 2: Getting Started - Sponsorship Strategy for Schools and Clubs

Sponsorship success doesn’t happen by luck. It’s the result of thoughtful planning, clear goals, and a bit of community savvy. In this part of the series, we’ll walk you through how to get organised from the outset, so you’re approaching the right people with the right offer at the right time.

✅ Step 1: Clarify Your Goals

Start with why? Ask your team:

• What do we need sponsorship for?

• Are we seeking cash, goods, services, or prizes?

• What’s our ideal outcome?

This might include:

• Offsetting event costs (e.g. rides, entertainment, insurance)

• Reducing out-of-pocket expenses (e.g. printing, signage, equipment hire)

• Adding wow-factor with better prizes

• Raising funds to reach a specific goal (new sports uniforms, STEM resources, musical instruments)

📌 TIP: Turn your goals into a simple, shareable “wish list” with price tags. This can help potential sponsors visualise exactly how they’re making a difference – and might encourage smaller sponsors to jump in.

🎁 Step 2: Know What You Can Offer

Sponsors want something in return. That doesn’t mean billboards – but it does mean visibility, connection, and value.

Some popular benefits to offer:

📌 Out-of-the-box idea: Offer “naming rights” to stalls (e.g. “Crazy Hair Stall - Sponsored by Glam Hair Studio”), or even portaloos (“Flush with Pride - Sponsored by ABC Plumbing”).

🪙 Step 3: Define Your Sponsorship Levels

Creating packages makes it easier for both you and the sponsor. Typical levels might be:

• Gold Sponsor - $1,000+ with naming rights and top-tier promotion

• Silver Sponsor - $500 with strong visibility

• Bronze Sponsor - $100-$250 with modest benefits

• In-kind Supporter - product or service exchange with tailored thanks

But there’s no need to stick to gold-silver-bronze. Try themed tiers (like “Superstar”, “Sidekick”, “Local Legend”) or creative packages based on what you can offer.

🧠 Use AI to Help!
You can ask Fundraising Whisperer AI to:

• Brainstorm fun names for sponsorship tiers

• Suggest sponsorship benefits matched to different donation levels

• Create custom packages tailored to your event goals

📝 Step 4: Choose Your Proposal Format

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, but here are some options:

🔹 One-Page Flyer
Great for smaller businesses or informal asks. Simple and to the point.

🔹 Multi-Page Proposal
Useful for larger sponsors or formal pitches. Include:

• Overview of your group and the event

• Why you need sponsorship

• What the sponsor will get in return

• Different sponsorship tiers

• Contact and payment details

• Call to action

🔹 Presentation Deck
Perfect for in-person meetings or email links. Use a tool like Canva or PowerPoint to keep it visual and engaging.

📌 Tech Tip: Canva.com has free templates that look professional and are easy to customise.

🧠 Ask Fundraising Whisperer AI to:

• Draft a one-page proposal

• Turn your wish list into a sponsorship ask

• Help you rewrite a formal pitch in a friendlier tone

🤝 Step 5: Get Your Team on Board

• Assign a Sponsorship Coordinator or form a mini-subcommittee

• Use a central spreadsheet or CRM (even a shared Google Sheet works) to track:

  • Who you’ve approached

  • Their response

  • What they agreed to

  • What you owe them in return

This avoids duplicates and ensures that no one is forgotten.

📌 Insider Tip: Keep your sponsorship contacts and outcomes documented in your handover notes - it’ll save next year’s committee hours.