Sponsor Request Letter Template to Engage Your Next Sponsors

Gaining sponsorships for your school program’s fundraising initiatives goes a long way in elevating the success of your fundraiser. Not only does it accomplish the obvious of adding their donations to your funds raised, but it also builds a connection between your school group and your sponsors’ network. 

We’ve built a sponsor request template to help you build those relationships more quickly. Whether you’re seeking support for a sports team, arts program, or educational initiative, we’ve got you covered with a concise and effective template you can customize for your next fundraiser.

Who Should You Target When Looking for Sponsors?

When seeking sponsors, schools should target businesses and organizations that align with their values and mission. Potential sponsors could include local businesses eager to support education, corporations invested in community development, or companies with a focus on youth empowerment and education. 

Think about nearby eateries, coffee shops, boutiques, and then branch out to locally-run franchises. Targeting sponsors that can supply something relevant to your actual fundraising event (like a cafe supplying coffee for a Mother’s Day brunch fundraiser) is also a win-win!

Types of Sponsorship Opportunities to Offer

There are a few different types of sponsorships you can seek depending on the needs of your cause. Offering varied sponsorship opportunities to prospective sponsors gives them flexibility in how they can participate and let’s you diversify your sponsor network. Here are a few types of sponsorship opportunities:

• Direct donations: Sponsors provide a financial donation directly to the cause or toward supplies needed to host your fundraising event.
• Corporate matching: Sponsors match the total donations collected from the community for the fundraiser.
• In-kind sponsorship: Sponsors donate a service or product free of cost (like the coffee for the Mother’s Day brunch example above).
• Advertising: Sell ad space to sponsors and promote them on your FutureFund campaign page.
• Promotional sponsorship: Sponsors promote your fundraiser to their network, this works especially well with influencers, the media, and brick and mortar businesses. Ideally, all sponsors will also promote your fundraiser.

Incentives to Offer to Get Sponsors to Sign-Up

Schools can offer a variety of incentives to attract sponsors and demonstrate appreciation for their support:

• Cross promotion: Sponsor logos feature prominent placement on school websites, event banners, and promotional materials; recognition in school newsletters, social media shout-outs, and mentions during school events.
• Free advertising: Offer ad space to promote sponsors on your FutureFund campaign page.
• Not to mention the benefits sponsors will receive of boosting their brand awareness, enhancing their reputation in the community, and standing out from their competition.

When, Where, & How To Reach Out

You will want to contact potential sponsors well in advance of your school’s major events or fundraising campaigns to allow ample time for planning their participation. We generally suggest reaching out to potential sponsors 2-3 months ahead of the event.

After you’ve identified the businesses you want to approach, reach out via well-crafted emails or letters, emphasizing the mutual benefits of partnership. Consider attending local business networking events or scheduling face-to-face meetings to build relationships and discuss sponsorship opportunities. 

Downloadable: Sponsor Request Letter Template

A sponsor request letter serves as a formal and structured way to communicate your school’s goals, projects, or events that require funding. 

Use the below template to:

• Outline the purpose of the fundraising initiative.
• Explain how contributions will directly benefit the school and its students.
• Explain the types of sponsorship opportunities and incentives received by doing so.
• Inspire potential donors to join in supporting the local youth and create community relationships.

Download the Template

How to Use This Template

Here’s how to use it:

• Hit the download button to save the document to your computer.
• Copy & paste its content directly into your FutureFund messaging system or body of an email to communicate with and send to potential sponsors.
• Include shareable links from your FutureFund campaigns on launch dates for easy reference.

Gain Funds & Support

A concise and well-crafted sponsor request letter is crucial for securing funds and support for a school. It serves as a formal introduction to potential sponsors, clearly outlining the school’s specific needs, goals, and the impact their support can make.

Utilize FutureFund to make every step of sponsorship management more organized and easier to manage, all while raising funds for your school. Get started with FutureFund today or book a demo to see how it can work for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Should I Use the Sponsors Feature on FutureFund?

The “Sponsors” feature allows schools to sell advertising opportunities on the FutureFund platform. When a sponsor is added, they will appear in the online directory on both the desktop and mobile versions. When multiple sponsors are in the system they will be randomly rotated.

You are welcome to charge whatever you like and keep 100% of the proceeds. Many schools decide to use this feature to help offset fundraising costs such as printing.

How Can I Use FutureFund to Communicate With Sponsors?

Grow membership and sponsorship through online registration and payments, utilize the built-in messaging system, incentivize potential new members, distribute electronic membership cards, and have customized dashboard and reporting tools at your fingertips. 

Get started connecting here.

How Can I Manage Sponsorships?

FutureFund makes it easy to manage sponsorships, just like memberships and volunteers. All you have to do is navigate to the Directory from the Admin page. Hit “Sponsors” and from there you can add, update, or remove.

 Can I Use FutureFund to track my fundraiser’s success?

FutureFund gives you the ability to generate financial reports for fundraising campaigns in just a few clicks. To do this, navigate to Store and click the Reports tab near the top of your screen. Then choose Campaign Summary from the drop-down menu and click Generate Report.