How to find corporate sponsors for your next nonprofit event
Updated August 2023
In the nonprofit world, finding corporate sponsors is always on the to-do list. As more and more events moved to a virtual platform in recent years and in-person events are still not guaranteed, corporate sponsorships have become a bit trickier to navigate.
The demand for nonprofit funding from corporate sponsorships is evident in the number of nonprofits searching for the magic sauce on how to get companies to say yes. Readers have viewed my original blog post on this topic over 25,000 times, and my corporate sponsorship template is a top-seller, even a full two years after launching.
Nonprofits are desperate for new ways to bring life to the corporate sponsorship model, and quite frankly, companies are ready for you to take a different approach as well. The days of asking the same companies repeatedly to sponsor your 5K are no longer working. Companies seek more meaningful connections with the nonprofits they support and are eager to receive data supporting their investment decisions.
So how can you find corporate sponsors for your next event? Let's look at three ways to think creatively around this idea.
Start internally
Start with an internal conversation instead of looking around your community and going after the company with "deep pockets" that says yes to everyone. Ask your team members (paid or volunteer) which local businesses they support regularly. Then, brainstorm ways to approach those businesses from a customer perspective, not a nonprofit one.
When developing your pitch, talk to the company's owner or manager as a customer, explain why you (or your team member) love the business, and use the conversation to explore ways you can partner with them.
When you start the discussion from the customer's angle instead of the solicitor, the entire tone changes.
This strategy is a great way to involve your board members, as well. Incorporate the sponsorship topic into every third or fourth board meeting and ask for new ideas from businesses they support or know through connections. If possible, arrange to take a board member with you to the initial sponsorship request meeting and let them do the talking. The potential sponsor will have no choice but to see how you're working with local community members and fellow business owners to make your community better - a winning strategy for everyone.
Be strategic about pairing companies with events
While any company can potentially sponsor your event, it's much more effective to ask a company to sponsor an event that ties to their industry or niche.
For example, if you're hosting a 5K and your community has a running store, this is a natural choice for sponsorship. You can assure the store that your ideal audience (those willing to lace up their running shoes for a cause) is likely to spend more money at their store after seeing your promotions and support of their event.
Or, if you're hosting an education health-focused event and have a company like CapPlus Technology in your community that specializes in serving that industry, a pitch for sponsorship of your event will have a much higher chance of success.
Not every event sponsor has to be a perfect match, but this is a great approach to take when looking for your lead or primary sponsor.
Don't impose strict sponsorship levels or limits
There's an easy temptation for nonprofits to throw together a Gold, Silver, and Bronze sponsorship package and force companies to fit into one of the levels. But, unfortunately, this straightforward approach won't be the most effective.
First, identify your primary sponsor target -- the one company you're dying to partner with, and that can provide a significant boost to your event budget. Then, start a conversation with them before you craft the proposal or send them a cookie-cutter sponsorship form.
If you immediately go into asking for a $10,000 gift and promising all manner of recognition that isn't even important to them, your chances of walking away with a check are pretty slim. Instead, start a dialogue with the marketing director or contact you have. Find out what new initiatives they have coming up or which new services they are working to promote.
Ask questions about their staff volunteer habits and float the idea of incorporating both a monetary gift and the gift of volunteer labor before and after the event. Most of all, find out what type of recognition is most valuable to the organization and see if you can work within their parameters. For example, I love when nonprofits use a portion of their event budgets to place thank you ads in local publications or get creative in how they say thank you.
The bottom line here is to make the pitch a partnership and not a box the company has to fit neatly inside. The more flexible you can be with your sponsors, the better partnerships you'll create.
Virtual events are trickier to navigate, but sponsorships are still relevant opportunities for nonprofits to cover event costs and help companies advertise creatively. If you need help crafting a sponsorship request, be sure to check out the sponsorship proposal template in the Nonprofit Template shop, that also includes scripts to follow and a post-event impact report template!
One Nine Design is a digital marketing company helping small businesses and nonprofits learn how to use the right digital marketing tools to grow your reach and make a bigger impact!
Related Reading and Resources
How to ask for a corporate sponsorship and get a yes (even if your event is virtual in 2021)