Hosting events cost money and lots of it, for that matter. It may never be possible for you to do so on your own. For you to make the events successful, you have to solicit money from well-wishers, called sponsors. That requires you to draft some letters to that effect. It is this that forms the basis of our discussions hereunder.
Sponsorship Letter is a letter that is drafted and sent out by organizations or individuals who are in search of financial assistance to host a particular event or project. On the flip side, it may also be drafted to indicate the willingness of the firm to fund a specific event or cause. It explains the details of the projects and the amounts required.
Guidelines for Writing a Sponsorship Letter
After doing your groundwork and ascertaining that the organization concerned is indeed able to grant you the support you need, you now have to draft the letter well. For that to happen, you should and must adhere to certain principles and best practices. We examine and explain them here below:
- Address it specifically. Address the letter specifically by identifying the official of the organization in charge of corporate social responsibilities and directing the letter to him. Avoid such open terms as ‘To Whom It May Concern’ or ‘Dear Sir/Madam,’ and so on. Visit their websites or inquire from the organization officially to find out more.
- Adopt a Personal Tone. There is usually the tendency to copy and paste contents or use templates when drafting similar letters to many organizations. Refrain from doing this. Instead, take your time and draft unique letters to each recipient from scratch. Then, vary the language and approach to the unique traits of the firm concerned.
- Keep it Short. Keep the letter short and to the point and make it no more than 1page. Studies show that people hardly ever read content that exceeds 3 minutes long. Moreover, the chances are that you are not the only one who is seeking sponsorship from that firm. You want yours to grasp the attention of the readers very fast.
- Explain what the Sponsors will likely gain in return. Matters corporate social responsibilities are two-way. You receive sponsorship assistance from the firms, and they gain something from you in return. Thus, it is imperative that you also explain to them what they will most likely stand to gain in the whole process. That may give them the incentive to offer support to you.
- Append the necessary signature. Be sure to have the president of the firm or a senior executive append his signature onto the letter before sending out the same to the recipient. Such a signature will give the letter a professional tone and also boost its chances of sailing through.
- Be Open-ended. Though you generally want some support from the firm, you are advised against narrowing the options of the firm to some specific areas. Instead, open up and give the firm the various options through which it may engage with you. Leave them now to make their own choice from the many options available.
- Follow up Letter. Drafting the letter is one thing; have it acted upon is yet another thing altogether. After sending it out to the recipient, follow it up to find out whether the recipient received it or not. Also, check out whether the recipient has already made up his mind or would like more information.
Sponsorship Letter Format
A typical sponsorship letter follows this format:
a.) Header
It is at this stage that you place the address of the organization you would wish to reach out to for sponsorship and support. The details you put in here are:
Date
Name
Organization
Street
City, Stale/Province, Zip/Postal Code,
Dear [Name]
b.) The Opening Paragraph
Introduce your firm and create a connection between them and you. You may tell them something about your firm, explain to them that you know them and how, and establish any personal connections. These are necessary to instill confidence in the firm and boost their chances of acting favorably.
c.) The Ask
Get to the core of the letter now by stating what you would like the firm to do to you. Be generous with your options to give them the leeway to determine what exactly they might do to you.
d.) What they stand to gain
Explain to them what they stand to gain by helping you out. Do not make it a tit-for-tat affair as that may imply some profit element. Just maintain that their help and support for your cause is not in vain and that they too will gain in the long run.
e.) Call for Action
Tell them to act fast in your favor by putting in place a nice call for action. Promise that you will follow it up after a reasonable timeframe.
Sample Sponsorship Letter
May 22, 2022
Mrs. Dianne Holloway,
Chief Executive Officer,
Michigan Trust Fund,
5050 Pleasant Lake Road,
Ann Arbor, MI 48103,
U.S.A
Dear Mrs. Dianne Holloway,
RE: Request for Sponsorship
I hope this message finds you in good health. I would wish to introduce to you our activities as a community-based organization. Ours is a firm that believes in eradicating hunger from our community.
We do this by providing hot meals to the community free-of-charge. To accomplish this noble aim, we rely significantly on donations from firms and well-wishers of your kind.
It is because of that we draft this letter to you. Kindly help us by giving any amount of money as a donation as you can comfortably. You also have the leeway to donate the money periodically or simply give a one-off donation.
In return, we shall etch your company’s logo in all our public relations tools and exercises. That will shape your image and give the public some confidence in you overall.
I am waiting to hear from you.
Sincerely,
Brenda Clarence
Projects Coordinator – Action against Hunger
Sponsorship Letter Examples and Templates
To help you to draft this kind of letter, we prepare some templates. Here are some examples of these templates in both MS Word and PDF to offer you the support that you badly need to start out. Simply click the ‘download’ button to be able to get one for yourself.
Sponsorship Letter #1
Sponsorship Letter #2
Sponsorship Letter #3
Sponsorship Letter #4
Sponsorship Letter #5
Sponsorship Letter #6
Sponsorship Letter #7
Sponsorship Letter #8
Sponsorship Letter #9
Sponsorship Letter #10
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some of the frequently asked questions surrounding this topic of sponsorship letters:
It mainly solicits funding from corporate entities for a given course or undertaking. Depending on the success of the venture, the letter may also create and nurture long-lasting relationships between the firm and the organization seeking sponsorship.
The following contents must never miss in a sponsorship letter:
• A formal introduction to your organization
• Reasons for getting in touch
• Information concerning your venture
• The various ways through which the firm can get involved
• A hint of how soon you are bound to get in touch
In most cases, sponsors make their images shine brighter by being seen to be compassionate and involved in the affairs of the community in which they operate. Some may get advertisement opportunities to further their products and services.
Drafting a professional sponsorship letter is a crucial step to take to enjoy the benefits that sponsorships have to offer. Reading explanations above keenly will acquaint you with the steps you need to take to come up with a perfect letter. Why not go ahead now and make a successful draft?
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