If you’re looking for sponsorship, it’s helpful to think about what your organization needs. Do you need financial support or in-kind donations? Do you want to partner with another organization for a specific project? One good way of determining what kind of sponsorship works best for your organization is by creating different sponsorship levels—and thinking about what benefits those organizations would get from sponsoring at each level.
Communicate partnership needs.
What do you need You should clearly understand what your organization needs in terms of partnerships and sponsorships. Ask yourself:
- What are the goals and objectives of my organization?
- Do I need financial or in-kind support, or do I want to partner with another organization on a specific project?
- What do I need from a sponsorship relationship—and what am I willing to give up in exchange for this support?
Create sponsorship levels.
By creating different sponsorship level packages and benefits, you can encourage organizations to sponsor at higher levels by offering them more visibility and value.
When creating sponsorship levels, it’s important to define the benefits of each level and how it helps you achieve your goals.
Benefits of Sponsorship Levels – An Example of A Sponsorship Level
- Level 1: $1,000 (or less) – Your logo will appear in the sponsor section on our website and social media accounts. We will also display your logo on a banner at our event. Individual sponsors and organizations who are not government- can only purchase this package funded or non-profit organizations/non-governmental organizations/NGOs that have annual revenue under $50 million USD and/or assets under $25 million USD.
- Level 2: $5,000 – All benefits included with Level 1 plus acknowledgement during announcements before each speaker takes the stage; you’ll also receive a photo booth professional photograph taken with your team members and yourself at the event; printable posters advertising your business; one (1) table display at our event; access to exclusive sponsor section behind registration desk where we’ll give out snacks throughout the day! Individual sponsors or small businesses can only purchase this package with annual revenue between $50-$100 million USD & assets between $25-$50 million USD.
- Level 3: $10,000 – All benefits included with Levels 1 & 2 plus recognition as an official partner during all announcements before speakers take the stage; two (2) tables for food service set up during lunch break provided by sponsor company name displayed prominently on tablecloth along side food service provider name & logo placed above each table setting so attendees can see which organization they’re eating lunch from while enjoying their meal! Each person attending this event will receive a gift bag containing items such as water bottles donated by companies who have pledged support through sponsorship packages like yours!
Consider peer-to-peer fundraising.
If you’re looking for a way to increase sponsorships, you might find success by using peer-to-peer fundraising to raise money for your organization. Peer-to-peer fundraising is a way to solicit donations from your friends, family and acquaintances. The benefit of this is that you will receive a larger donation than you would if you were to ask for a donation from a stranger.
Use social media. More potential contacts. More brand awareness. More reach. What more could you want in a marketing tool? Try posting on Facebook and Twitter regularly to promote your organization’s mission and events, as well as post content from your sponsors. By sharing their posts, videos, or newsletters, you’ll not only help promote them—but you’ll also build trust and engagement with your audience.
Social media is a great way to promote your organization and build trust with your audience. Besides posting about your own events and mission, try sharing content from sponsors on Facebook and Twitter. When possible, use the hashtags of sponsors in relevant posts or tweets so that they can see how their brand has been represented by you.
Have the right goals in mind when soliciting sponsorship
You should have a clear idea of who you want to reach and what message you’re trying to convey. What’s the goal? How do they benefit from that? Is there an ROI, or other outcomes that can be measured?
How much is it going to cost? And how much will the sponsorship yield for your organization? You should consider these questions when seeking sponsorship opportunities.
Conclusion
We hope this guide has helped you understand how to get started with sponsorship in South Africa. If you’re looking for more information about raising funds and sponsorships, check out our other blog posts on fundraising and social media marketing.