Getting Businesses to Sponsor Your Team

[kman1234t]

I was thinking about funds for next year, and how to cut down on the amount people have to offer up and I was wondering, how can I get businesses to sponsor our team?

[Rossyspsce]

I was thinking about funds for next year, and how to cut down on the amount people have to offer up and I was wondering, how can I get businesses to sponsor our team?

go to them in person, or email them to set up a time to meet in person, and explain what you are doing (scioly), what the funds would go towards(i.e. travel costs, etc), and what is in it for them (i.e.logo on shirt)

[PioBoy]

I was thinking about funds for next year, and how to cut down on the amount people have to offer up and I was wondering, how can I get businesses to sponsor our team?

go to them in person, or email them to set up a time to meet in person, and explain what you are doing (scioly), what the funds would go towards(i.e. travel costs, etc), and what is in it for them (i.e.logo on shirt)

I agree with Rossyspace-I’ve found that asking for a certain amount of money to get their companies logo on my teams shirt works like a charm. Most businesses will donate that much money. (My team did $100 to get on our shirt and most businesses paid the amount)Also, contacting businesses who you know personally(like parents workplaces, ur dentist, etc....) works pretty well.

[gz839918]

This is really long, but I've noticed that quite a number of teams suffer from parched funding, so here I go

So, first comes the understanding that you don't have to get a sponsorship from the first few businesses you talk to. Many times, a potential sponsor has left my team hanging. You don't need every sponsor, only enough to lower expenses of builds, lab supplies, registration, etc.; if you fail to get a sponsor, that's okay, as plenty of other organizations are out there willing to help you out. It may take several tries. Don't give up and stay strong!

My team offered several rewards levels. For a small amount, we would give a sponsor a place on our website's list of sponsors, and if they paid a certain amount more, we'd place them on our t-shirts and website. Then, of course, if they paid even more, we'd put them on the front page of our website, as well as on our t-shirts and list of sponsors... and we'd keep on going, with five reward levels in total. While I don't believe any sponsor has ever climbed to the top of our rewards list, it's creates the effect that they aren't losing out on much (compare "$200 is only rewards level 1; it's not costing me much to donate" with "whoa, $200 is already rewards level 5; should I really be this generous?").

Your request should be clear and specific. Certain terminology will be meaningless to businesses and are best not used. A company might not get what's the big deal with the "Wright Stuff" and why it is worth so much money, but "an airplane powered by a rubber band" may drive up enthusiasm for your team. Similarly, "builds" are "engineering projects"; "nats" is "the national tournament"; "balsa" is "wood"; "detector" is "a miniature DIY thermometer," and so forth.

Also, if you're writing an email or giving an in-person sales pitch, I'd try personalizing it to the type of business you're trying to get on your side. Educational companies will probably smile upon sponsorships if their support will "help make STEM as popular as sports"; PTOs and mom-and-pop shops will be proud if they "strengthen the quality of science education in Our Very Own Neighborhood"; businesses like car dealerships that seek clients across your state/region will be pleased if "at least 20 other teams will see your name and logo when we go to the regional tournament." You can choose your words according to the type of business, although it's much easier to personalize if it's a business you already have personal connections to. You won't want to bulk-email random companies, because if they're random to you, you're probably random to them, and without personalization, they may not see any reason to sponsor your team.

Lastly, I don't know whether this actually works, but one final tip I'd advise is to be polite and thank the organization even if they don't sponsor your team: "even if you can't make a gift to our team, I'd like to just let you know I really appreciate The Local Coffee Place for being such a welcoming go-to place in our community." It feels nice to be thanked, and people prefer nice people to get money not nice people (or at least cold or boring people).