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5 Insider Tips On How to Attract Sponsors to Your Event

While we can’t stress enough how important annual events are for your non-profit organization or company, we do know that these events come with a big price tag. The good news is that you don’t have to foot the bill alone. You can increase event revenue by securing some really great sponsors.

Easy solution, right?

Not so fast—getting sponsors on board with your event and mission can be a lot of hard work. If you’re looking to attract sponsors to your next event, the following tips will help you start some lucrative new partnerships.

Do your homework

When you’re creating your prospective sponsor list ask yourself the following questions:

• Does this sponsor’s goals and mission align with my organization?
• What fresh spin can I put on my mission to further align it to theirs?
• Is there a particular item or area of expertise this sponsor is interested in that might nudge them closer to securing sponsorship?

Finding the answers to these questions will let you know if, A) the company is the right fit for the event, and B) what you can offer them in return for their sponsorship.

Work well in advance of the event date

It takes time to secure sponsors—especially if this is your first year running a sponsorship program. If you wait too long to approach them, you run the risk of finding out that they’ve already allocated their budget or there’s not enough time to request the funds.

If you do discover that you’re too late for this year, then now’s the time to get the conversation started for next year.

Send the right person to make “the ask”

You may already know someone at your organization who has some serious persuasion powers. This person could be your CEO, a board member, a committee member, a development or event director, or a staffer—or it could be a development/fundraising consultant. Selecting the right person to make “the ask” will only increase your chances of getting a “Yes.” Or you’ll want to choose a person with the closest relationship to the prospective sponsor—leveraging existing relationships is key.

We recently had a client whose committee member took a potential sponsors’ children on a tour of the Pentagon—this one-of-a-kind experience definitely helped secure the sponsorship for the event.

Listen to what they want

Get to know potential sponsors by asking questions and truly listening to the answers. Nine times out of ten a sponsor will tell you exactly what they’re looking for so you can create a sponsorship package that really meets their needs.

One sponsor we worked with wanted their people on the ground, interacting with guests throughout the event. Because we took the time to listen to what it was that they wanted and created the sponsorship package with their request in mind, they became a trusted sponsor for many years.

Put their needs first

It helps to think of a sponsorship as the start of a new relationship—because that’s exactly what it is. On the first meeting, you don’t want to make it all about you or about the money you want from them. Instead, make it a conversation, and find ways to make the relationship mutually beneficial for everyone involved.

Also, keep in mind that no matter how important your event or mission is, the other person or company is always thinking what is in it for them.
One thing that makes TaylorMade Experience special is that we’re not just an event management company—we also help our clients foster relationships with sponsors. We facilitate everything from attracting sponsors to building solid relationships with them over time. If you’re not getting the type of sponsors you need for your event, let us know.