By Brandi McGrath Kong, Director of Member Services & Conferences
Every organization is going to have a slightly different approach to building sponsorship packages. What works for one club – perhaps for even one event – may not necessarily work for another. That’s why it’s essential to look at each sponsorship opportunity separately. This may mean even looking at your sponsors individually.
Unlike many other phases of the event planning process, your club’s priority needs to be different here. You are going to want to put your sponsors first. When you do this, you are able to better speak their language and share why your event is a good investment for their business.
While there may not be a one-size-fits-all sponsorship program out there, GetSponsorships.co shares four basic guidelines you can follow when putting together your packages:
1.Share your club’s background. This is where you state who you are and what you want. It allows potential sponsors to get to know your event, your organization and how their company fits in with your vision.
2.Know why a company should become a sponsor. Sponsors are looking for strong ROI, so they need to understand what they will get out of lending their name to your event and giving financial support to your club. What makes it worth their resources? The more specific and detailed you can be, the better.
3.Make the benefits of sponsorship attractive and worthwhile. Sponsorships are often a marketing tool for businesses, so you must be creative in your offerings. Find ways to maximize promotional opportunities for the companies willing to invest in your club.
4.Be prepared to answer, “What’s next?” Include a clear Call to Action in your marketing materials so that your sponsors know what the process will look like once they commit. You will also want to make sure that they have your contact information.
Want to see examples of sponsorship packages put together by other organizations outside Sertoma? Check out these examples for inspiration:
This is an excerpt from our “Event Planning: Sponsorships” training session. You can view this and other related resources in our Event Planning Toolkit.