Service

Sponsorship development for sports nonprofits

A sponsorship is a commercial decision rather than a donation request, and the offer often matters as much as the ask. Where a team approaches businesses with a need and no proposition, there is nothing concrete to evaluate. The work here is building something a local business can assess and agree to.

Who this is for

Organizations with genuine local reach — families at every game, a tournament, a social following — and no structured way to sell it. Also organizations with a few sponsors who renew informally and no process for adding more or for keeping the ones they have.

The problem it addresses

The first issue is the absence of an offer. A letter describing what the organization needs asks the business to invent both the package and the price, which is work a busy owner may not do.

The second is targeting. Time often goes into national brands with application portals, while nearby businesses that already serve the same families may be a closer fit.

The third is follow-up. Sponsorship behaves like a sales process with a pipeline and a close. A defined follow-up process is more deliberate than relying on one email.

What we do

We build the offer first: a small number of tiers, priced against your actual reach rather than against what another organization charges, with each tier's benefits stated plainly.

We research a prospect list built on mission alignment and proximity rather than on logo size, starting with the businesses your own families already use.

We produce the materials — the one-page menu, the deck, the outreach templates — and run the outreach as a pipeline with scheduled follow-up.

We set up the fulfillment and renewal side too. Delivering what was sold, reporting on it, and staying in contact can support a renewal conversation, though the decision remains the sponsor's.

What is included

Tiered sponsorship structure, priced against your reach
Prospect research and a qualified target list
Sponsorship menu, deck and proposal materials
Outreach templates and a managed follow-up pipeline
Fulfillment tracking so promised benefits actually get delivered
Renewal and reporting process
PR and earned media where there is a genuine story

How the work runs

Inventory and pricing. What you actually have to sell: attendance, jerseys, signage, email list, social reach, events. Priced against those figures rather than against what another organization charges.
Prospect research. A list built on proximity and fit, starting with businesses your families already use. Quality over length.
Materials and outreach. The menu and deck, then outreach run on a schedule with tracked follow-up rather than a single send.
Fulfill and renew. Deliver what was sold, report on it, and open the renewal conversation early.

What you provide

Honest numbers on attendance, list size and social reach
Introductions where a board member or family already knows a prospect
Someone who can take a meeting when a business wants to talk
Sign-off on pricing and on which businesses you would rather not approach

What we do not do

Stated plainly, because the boundary matters more than the pitch. Our approach page lists what falls outside the whole practice.

We do not promise that a sponsorship will be secured. Whether a business says yes is its decision.
We do not provide tax advice. Tax treatment depends on the payment and the benefits provided, so do not promise a charitable deduction for an advertising package; have a qualified tax adviser review your sponsorship structure and acknowledgement language.
We do not write grant applications; corporate grant portals are a different process from sponsorship.
We do not sign agreements on your behalf.

A realistic next step

Tell us what you can honestly offer a sponsor — attendance, list, reach — and we will tell you whether there is a sellable package there. Pricing it takes research into your figures and your local market, not a number off the top of our heads.

Talk it through first.

Tell us where the organization actually is. If this is not the right thing to spend on first, we will say so.

Start a conversation