If you are hoping someone will finance your event or other initiative, you should write a sponsorship letter. It must sell your idea well and clearly list the benefits the sponsor will reap. Writing a sponsorship letter correctly can make the difference between receiving an affirmative response and being ignored.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Preparing for the Request
Step 1. Determine your goals
Specifically, what do you hope to achieve with the sponsorship letter? What do you want the sponsor to do? What is the purpose of your contribution and why is it important? Before writing it, you should answer these questions.
- A sponsorship letter should be specific and targeted. If it's too vague, you don't know what you're looking for or why, it won't be very effective.
- Determine why you want to achieve these goals. Sponsorship requests are more successful if they are justified by a purpose or a passion. Convince the recipient why it is important to donate time or money to this cause, perhaps by telling a story about how your efforts have helped one person or the entire community in the past.
Step 2. Make a list of shops and businesses
Who could have the motivation to support your cause? Maybe an entrepreneur is willing to support you for a personal reason. Perhaps there is a non-profit association that has supported similar initiatives. In the past, who has contributed to events of this type? You have to do a targeted search.
- Be sure to consider businesses or people with whom you or your co-workers have a personal relationship. Never underestimate the power of knowledge.
- Don't underestimate small businesses or shops that don't have shop windows. They may also be willing to make a donation. Remember that you can leverage the sense of community. Businesses and shops often think it is beneficial to maintain a relationship with the members of your city.
- If you work in a team, assign each member a certain number of companies to contact, so that each collaborator can establish a dialogue with certain companies and shops.
Step 3. Determine what you are looking for
A sponsorship can take place in several ways. Before writing a letter, you need to decide what you want.
- Donations can be made in cash or in kind. The latter consist of offering materials or products that can be used during the event itself. Sometimes they come in the form of services rather than material goods.
- Maybe you are willing to accept volunteers rather than products. Either way, you need to be very clear and specific about what you are looking for.
Step 4. Determine what you offer
Sponsorship letters often allow you to choose between different types of financing. This allows you to make fair donations, in fact small businesses do not have the same financial resources as larger ones.
- Establish sponsorship levels. You should clearly list the benefits of the various degrees of funding. People who offer more should receive more.
- You could offer various benefits, such as a billboard, a public announcement about the business or sponsorship, and the promotion of the company logo through websites, materials or advertising programs.
Step 5. You need to know the exact name of the recipient
Never use a generic formula, such as "To whom of competence". It would seem too impersonal.
- Often the recipient should be the HR manager or CEO. You should phone the company itself or check the website to find out who is in charge of sponsorships. Don't guess. An effective letter must definitely be addressed to the right person. Write his name and title correctly.
- You should also understand if the organization has specific policies regarding charity, so as not to waste time and adapt your request to the regulation.
Part 2 of 3: Using the Right Format
Step 1. Examine similar letters
On the internet you can find different templates and letter samples that require sponsorship. Some are paid, but many are free. You should take a look at it to get an idea of the format and content.
- However, do not copy a sample letter exactly. You have to customize it for the association you will send it to, so that it is specific and not too stereotyped.
- For example, if you know that a CEO who has personal experiences in some way associated with your cause, you can write a targeted letter for this recipient. You should know the history of the people or companies to whom you will make this request. Furthermore, letters must be written in a way that conveys feelings of warmth and identification.
Step 2. Choose the right tone
This depends on the recipient. In any case, a sponsorship letter should always be professional, avoid using a too conversational tone.
- Use letterhead with your organization's logo and name. This will make the request seem more professional. If you want to request a sponsorship in a personal capacity, you can still use letterhead with your name written at the top with a nice typeface.
- If you have to write to a company or other organization, it is preferable to be more formal. If you are addressing a family member or friend, you can relax a little more, but the letter shouldn't be so informal that it leads to disrespect. Writing a crude email is unlikely to give you good results, under any circumstances.
Step 3. Use a standard business letter format
A classic sponsorship letter is based on the typical format of many business letters. You should employ the right structure, otherwise it won't look professional.
- Start writing the letter indicating the date, followed by the sponsor's name and address.
- Leave a blank line and say hello to the recipient. Write: "Dear (name),".
- Don't dwell on it. The sponsorship letter should not exceed one page. The recipient is unlikely to have time to read further. In most cases, about a minute is spent reading. So, in addition to writing no more than one page, make sure the language is concise and clear.
- Send it by post. Email inquiries convey a feeling of little care and interest.
Step 4. Show yourself grateful
When you finish the letter, you should thank the recipient for their attention. Make sure you leave a blank line between paragraphs. Also, leave some space to put a handwritten signature.
- Conclude with a respectful and professional greeting. Example: "Yours sincerely". Then, write your name and title. Hand signed.
- Include some other material. To make the event you organized or your company better known, you could send a flyer along with the letter. It will make you more credible and the recipient may feel more motivated to support you.
- Similarly, if the media has been talking about your organization, you may want to include an article as an example to demonstrate what you have done.
Part 3 of 3: Refine the Content
Step 1. Write a good introduction
In the opening paragraph, you should immediately present yourself or your business and your cause. Do it specifically. Don't go around it. The recipient must find all the necessary information immediately.
- Don't assume the recipient knows who you are or what your organization does. Explain it clearly. First, describe your business (if it's a business letter) or yourself (if it's for a personal sponsorship). Example: "X is a non-profit organization dedicated to the rehabilitation of …".
- Pointing out some successes of your organization right away will make it clear why it's not risky to contribute. Explain in detail how the money will be used.
- In the first paragraph or the second, you need to apply for sponsorship directly and explain why you do it.
Step 2. List the benefits
Before granting you a sponsorship, a company or a person must be convinced that this will allow them to earn something. So, in the middle paragraphs of the letter, it clearly illustrates the benefits it will derive from it. Of course, you need to talk about the benefit the recipient will get, not yours.
- For example, if sponsors will reap advertising benefits, explain how it will happen. You have to be very specific. Will the event be broadcast on television? How many people will participate? Will there be VIPs? If other major companies or their competitors are sponsoring it, you should declare it.
- Offer various options to sponsors. They will appreciate having different choices, so that they can adjust them to their own needs or economic resources.
Step 3. Convince the recipient using hard evidence
This means that you need to indicate some figures, such as the size of the audience or the demographics affected by the event.
- Also, don't forget to add an element that appeals to the recipient's emotionality. For example, the story of a person who will be helped through this sponsorship can be quite moving, but tell it concisely (one or two sentences).
- Explain how you will make sponsors visible. They may have a free booth at the event in exchange for a contribution.
- Communicate key details about the sponsorship agreement - they are needed to make a decision. Don't forget to include your contact details. You should also provide a postage-stamped, pre-printed envelope with your address so that it's easy to get back to you. Indicate the date you expect to receive news.
- Ask sponsors to tell you their preferences regarding the exposure they will get. For example, where do they want their name to appear? Do they wish to be recognized? Offer different possibilities, but never assume. Ask.
Step 4. Give information about the background of the event
In the letter you should provide concrete details to confirm the validity of your organization or initiative.
- For example, if you are writing a letter for a charity, you should tell its story: when it was founded, who runs it, what cause it is dedicated to, what awards or recognition it has received.
- Facts not words. You don't just have to say that your group or event is good or useful. Convince the recipient by demonstrating in detail why it is worth helping you. Generally, evidence is more persuasive than superlatives.
Step 5. Make yourself heard
Sending a letter to a business isn't the most effective way to build a relationship. Sure it serves to lay the groundwork, but then you deepen the relationship.
- If you don't get a response within 10 days, you could call or drop in personally. However, remember that many CEOs are quite busy and may be annoyed. Consequently, you may want to make an appointment or call before you go.
- Make sure you convey enthusiasm when talking about the project. Avoid being negative. You shouldn't give the impression that you are begging or trying to make the recipient feel guilty for encouraging them to donate.
- If the answer is "Maybe", don't give up and try to make yourself heard. The important thing is not to do it immediately or overdo it, otherwise you risk annoying the recipient.
- Never be presumptuous. Do not assume that an appointment will be made or you will be granted sponsorship. Just thank the recipient for their attention.
- If you get sponsorship, don't forget to send out a thank you card.
Step 6. Correct the letter
If you don't, you risk sabotaging your chances of getting a sponsorship. Letters full of spelling or grammatical errors do not make a good impression. Why should a company want its name to be associated with an event that is anything but professional?
- Check the punctuation. Many do not know how to use commas or apostrophes correctly. The details are important.
- Print a copy of the letter, set it aside and read it after a few hours. Sometimes the eye gets so used to the characters it reads on the computer screen that it risks neglecting typing errors.
- Make sure you put it in a professional, elegant envelope and post it correctly.
Step 7. Here is an example:
Header (if applicable) Date: _
Street address: _ _ _
Kind _, I was recently invited to participate in the preliminary selections of Miss Italia. During this competition I will have the opportunity to be chosen as a regional representative.
I would be grateful if you were willing to sponsor me, in order to increase my chances of winning. Another 20-50 girls will participate in the competition. This event will be broadcast regionally and is expected to have an audience of 200,000-300,000 viewers. All my sponsors will be nominated for the contest and on the future production website.
The amount of money a sponsor can pay is flexible. You can help me by choosing one of the following options.
_ euro - Sponsor name, description and logo
_ euro - Sponsor name and description
_ euro - Sponsor name and logo
_ euro - Name
If you are interested in sponsoring me, please contact me at _.
Thank you for your attention.
Yours sincerely, Signature
Name typed on the computer
Advice
- Make no claims. Ask politely.
- Try to contact the person concerned rather than a secretary or a third party.
- Unless you have beautiful handwriting, write the letter on the computer. It will look more professional.
- Businesses are often asked to sponsor events, so be sure to explain why a certain company should support yours.
- To get a good result, print the letter on good quality paper.
- After sending the letter, wait at least seven days before contacting the recipient.
- Include a sponsorship acceptance form that the company can fill out.
