Sponsorships Can Be Hard to Navigate, but Not with These Tips
In our ongoing quest to get you the most useful information available, we decided to get in contact with coaches that have been through the thick and thin of getting sponsored. We contacted:
See what they told us about how to get sponsored and fundraising down below.
- Sponsors vs Fundraising
- What Types of Fundraising Events Work
- How Much Money Can I Raise Through Sponsorships and Fundraising?
- Make Fundraising a Community Effort
- Last Pieces of Advice on Fundraising
- Create Mockups For Your Potential Sponsors
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Finding Sponsors vs Fundraising for a Sports Team
We asked the coaches what worked better for them, fundraising or sponsorships? Turns out both!
Find a popular product, such as Costa Del Mar sunglasses or Yeti cooler and sell raffle tickets. Often you can get this item donated by a local business so all profits go to the team.
Ask local businesses to make a cash donation to the team. The league has a sponsorship letter and form the business can use to make donations. I visited our local Academy Sports & Outdoors, Lowes and Walmart stores to ask for donations.
A well thought out sponsoring agreement will be beneficial for both the sponsor and the team because:
- It puts the sponsor in contact with a hard-to-reach audience.
- It can improve their standing within the community.
- Its tax deductible.
And the team will get the funds they need for equipment, traveling fees, field upkeep, you name it.
The key is relationships, contact those who you do business with first. The more volunteers helping the better.
Fundraising is also a great way of gathering money by involving your supporters and community. Coach Twadell’s team is funded in part by a Canteen (concession stand) that they run each week
We generally only make money for the club through running a canteen each week. Because Baseball is such a relatively minor sport in Australia, and at our club level, sponsors do not feel they get value for money.
It’s very important to think of the value your team can give to prospective sponsor, and choose the right one for your team. You can find more tips on how to get the right sponsor on our quick guide to team sponsorship post.
What Types of Fundraising Events Work
If you decide to go down the fundraising route, there are some types of events that coaches or families lean toward, think of events you can organize with little effort but will have big earnings. Also, it doesn’t hurt being creative, and most of all having fun!
Last February a family ran a trivia and games night which raised about $3500.00 AUD ($2816.80 USD) and we had a number of families donate cash because they could not make this event and that raised the total to $5500.00 AUD ($4426.40 USD). We did have the maximum number of people that we could fit into the auditorium so it was a great night.
How Much Money Can I Raise Through Sponsorships and Fundraising?
Keep in mind that the amount you need to fundraise will be determined by the needs your team has. Don’t be afraid to go for several sponsors as well as events.
This year we were fortunate enough to not have to raffle any items but had enough sponsors provide cash donations to cover our costs. Our total uniform costs were close to $1200 and we were able to raise close to $1500. The leftover money was used to a team party and gifts for each player and coach.
We got around $100 to $250, for travel fees.
If it’s available in your area, going for state sponsorships could also be an option, like it has been for Coach Twadell’s team:
We received a small government grant ($4035 USD) from the State government, which we have to match dollar for dollar, to purchase ground coverings (tarps), a pitching machine and other equipment. This is the first grant we have had in eight years.
Make Fundraising a Community Effort
Support goes beyond being at every game cheering for your team, and it feels great to help the team get to the top. Parents will want to be involved, so don’t be afraid to ask them to help out.
Fundraising is a team effort and several of the parents contacted business associates and asked for cash donations. It’s way too much work for a coach or coaches. We had a great group of parents that did most of the fundraising for our team. This left the coaches free to worry about baseball and coaching!!
Last Pieces of Advice on Fundraising
From the coaches:
I have started using Anython, an online fundraising tool, I have been so successful since I started working with them!
Funds raised from hard work help keep costs down. And another basic recommendation is careful budgeting! Keep a record of the hard earned money and expenses to help balance the books and keep costs down for players and parents.
Start fundraising as soon as you can. In our case, we had about 3 weeks from the time we picked teams until our 1st game. So by the end of the 1st week, you need to have a good idea of how much money you’ve raised because you have to get uniform orders in so they are delivered prior to the 1st game.
From us:
- Register your team as a non-profit youth sports organization so that your sponsors’ donations can be tax deductible.
- Go for local/small establishments first and do your research.
- Have your players be part of the fundraising efforts, It will teach them practical leadership skills and will show your sponsor who they will be supporting.
Stay creative and you’ll be getting those sponsorship funds in no time!
Create Mockups For Your Potential Sponsors With Placeit
One thing that can stop sponsors from supporting a team is that they can’t picture their business logo on a uniform. Worry no more. On Placeit you can now easily put a logo on a jersey or uniform. No need to use Photoshop or image editing software at all! It’s so easy you can even do it on your smartphone. Have a look at some of our best sports mockups!
Visit Placeit to make a uniform mockup and show off your design!
Make a Logo for Your Team
On Placeit you can also create a sports team logo without needing to have any graphic design skills whatsoever. The baseball logo generator, the football logo generator and the basketball logo generator are amongst our most used sports logo tools. They are easy to customize and ready for download as soon as you finish customizing them online. Easier impossible! Have a look at a few cool logos done with this awesome tool.
Read more on Soccer Logos on Soccer World Cup Logo Evolution