How to Get Event Sponsors With Compelling Sponsorship Proposal

Are you seeking event sponsorship for your next project? Securing the necessary support can be difficult for many people, possibly even a little intimidating. After all, your entire project hinges on creating a great proposal – without one, there will be no event sponsorship, which could mean no event. 

The fact is that a meticulously prepared sponsorship proposal will win the interest of potential sponsors. However, I have seen many sponsorship proposals throughout my career, and I can attest to one simple truth: most sponsorship event proposals are flawed in some way. 

You can use that as leverage, though, by creating something special. But what elements contribute to ‘something special,’ exactly? Through this short blog post, I shall relay five of the most elemental, compelling, and decisive features of a solid event sponsorship proposal. 

Let’s get to it – how to attract sponsors for an event, made simple.

Tip One: Clearly Define Your Target Audience

Sponsors obviously want their investment to reach the right audience, so you should precisely identify the target audience and detail your strategies for engaging them. Be utterly transparent at this stage, and sponsors will see the potential for a worthwhile return on their investment. 

As potential sponsors evaluate your proposal, they are subliminally looking for assurance – qualifying an appropriate target audience forms part of that assurance, so make sure you truly highlight this stage of the proposal. But how do you do that, exactly?

It’s simple, really. Thorough research is your friend, starting with the demographics, interests, and habits of your target audience. Show the data, and clarify whom you’re aiming to attract and what drives their interest and participation. With a good understanding of your audience, think about the best channels for communication. Are social media, email campaigns, or direct engagement through events the most effective methods to engage them? If not, what is?

The more laser-focused and comprehensive your information about your target audience and your engagement strategy, the better your chances of appealing to potential sponsors. Be distinct in identifying your target audience and demonstrating your approach to connect with them. Do that, and you will improve your chances of obtaining event sponsorship.

Tip Two: Sell the Benefits – Not the Features

As you probably know, one of the golden rules in sales and marketing is to present the features and sell the benefits (of those features). Your focus should be less on selling the actual product and more on the actual outcome of that product. The same principle applies to event sponsorship. Ultimately, a proposal is just another sales pitch at its heart.

Clearly outline the advantages sponsors can gain by supporting your endeavor. These could include reaching their target audience, increasing brand awareness, or connecting with their values and mission. Above all, be precise about what you can offer to sponsors – but focus on selling the outcome of what it is you are offering.
Let’s imagine that during a previous event, a local coffee company was one of several sponsors. You created a booth for them to promote a new line of coffee beans, in which event guests would get one free coffee. The benefit of this feature is brand awareness, with a whole new pool of customers potentially buying their coffee going forward.

Tip Three: Be Visually Creative

Engineer your event sponsorship proposal with a keen focus on catchy, attention-grabbing visual elements to differentiate it from others. Be visually striking, and you will capture and maintain the interest of potential sponsors. You can do this by incorporating clear, relevant, high-quality images and graphics that reflect your event or project.

Using charts and creative infographics is a great way to convey data and the advantages of event sponsorship. The goal is to make your proposal both attractive and catchy while remaining easy to comprehend.

Tip Four: Present Different Sponsorship Levels

Providing a range of event sponsorship levels enables sponsors to select an investment tier that best suits their goals and budgets, so make sure you present broad, varied options that offer different levels of visibility and (crucially) budgets. Variety is one of the best ways to get sponsors for an event.

However, it is also important to clearly delineate the advantages and exposure that each tier offers. For example, premium-level event sponsorship might feature prominent logo placement and speaking opportunities at your event, whereas basic tiers could include logo displays on promotional materials or a booth at the event. Clearly articulating the specific benefits and exposure of each tier allows sponsors to make well-informed choices.

Offering multiple event sponsorship levels not only broadens your appeal across a diverse range of sponsors – from companies seeking substantial exposure to those desiring a more modest outlay – but also improves your fundraising potential. Provide varied attention levels and benefits, and you will increase the overall investment and widen your sponsorship pool. 

Tip Five: Highlight Past Successes and Testimonials

This is a big one, likely to form the heart of your proposal. The best way to get event sponsors lies in the art of showing and not telling. In other words, demonstrating a track record of successful events is fundamental to convincing potential sponsors of your reliability and effectiveness. 

You should include case studies or examples of past events where event sponsors achieved noticeable benefits from their involvement. Strengthen this approach by including testimonials from previous sponsors – that will add a layer of credibility and real-world proof of your capability.

If a past event significantly boosted a sponsor’s subscriber base, for example, detail this success and include a quote from the sponsor expressing their satisfaction, if you can. Essentially, you need to prove that you are able to deliver on promises, making your proposal more persuasive in the process.

Wrap Up

The best way to get event sponsors is to create a fully comprehensive proposal involving a range of critical elements, including target audience insights, clear benefits, creative presentation, diverse sponsorship tiers, and proven past success. 

However, if you want to increase your chances of securing event sponsorship, the most powerful weapon in your armory is probably something you don’t have. Something that is impossible to acquire immediately. I am referring to the essential notion of experience. 

The simple truth is that working with an experienced partner can make all the difference if you need to get event sponsors. At The Sponsorship Collective, we can assist with polishing your strategy with precision and expertise, helping you to find sponsors for events far more effectively. 
Do you need a little help in finding sponsors for events? Book a call today, and we can discuss how to attract sponsors for an event the right way. Let’s work together to ensure you get the event sponsors you deserve!