What is a Sponsorship Letter?
A sponsorship letter is written to an individual or an organization in the event of someone wanting them to sponsor their education or a cause for them. The sponsorship letter must be written in a way to convince your sponsor to sponsor this cause, and clearly stating to them why it is worth sponsoring for that cause. It must also elucidate the benefits the sponsor will be getting from sponsoring this event.
There are two types of sponsors;
1. An individual person who agrees to sponsor your cause or your education.
2. An organization or a company that will sponsor your cause or your education.
Writing a Sponsorship Letter to an Individual:
When writing a sponsorship letter to an individual, you must focus on the cause of this sponsorship, why it is worth anything to the sponsor to be sponsoring this for you and how it will be beneficial to them. This individual sponsor can be your family, a friend, a relative, etc.
A sample format of a Sponsorship letter written to an individual sponsor can be like:
(Date)
(Sponsor Name)
(Address)
(City), (State, Zip)
Dear (Name of the person),
Here you need to introduce yourself and/or your company/organization. You may also write about the accomplishments of yourself or the organization, which may prove to be helpful in convincing the sponsor(s) about granting the funds for the cause/event.
In this paragraph, request your sponsor about the sponsorship, mention the event, cause or reason for which you are requesting this sponsorship.
Over here, you will need to tell your potential sponsor(s) how their company will benefit from sponsoring you, and what all you plan to do so that the sponsors get the most publicity.
Here, you have to include all the basic details of your sponsorship deal and request your potential sponsor to accept the sponsorship deal and fill out the necessary form and details.
Lastly, you need to thank the person/company that your letter is addressed to.
Respectfully,
(Signature)
(Your name)
(Position in the organization)
Writing a Sponsorship Letter to a Company or an Organization:
If you are crafting a sponsorship letter to a company or an organization, requesting them to sponsor your education, there are strict guidelines you must follow, or else you will face higher chances for your sponsorship letter to get rejected.
A sample of a sponsorship letter written to a company or an organization is:
[Name of the recipient]
[Title of the recipient]
[Recipients firm]
[Address of the recipient]
[City, State, Zip of recipient]
Dear [insert name of your sponsor],
[Insert the name of your organization here] kindly invites you to sponsor [insert the name of your event or cause] to benefit [insert beneficiaries name here]The primary source of funding we receive for [insert the name of your event] is from corporate sponsors, such as yours, since the [insert the name of your event] receives no funds from the government.
This event will be held [mention the date, time and place here]. It is a [describe your event here].
As you may be aware, [insert the name of your organization here] has provided [list the full services] to [area name citizens for the past] [insert the number of years here]. The funds provided by this event will be used for [list all beneficiaries here].
A sponsorship from you will help assure the success of [insert events name here]. You will find all the relevant information enclosed below regarding this event. Kindly do not hesitate in case you have follow up questions or concerns.
Hoping to speak with you at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
[INSERT YOUR ORGANIZATION REPRESENTATIVE NAME]
[INSERT PHONE AND EMAIL]
Enclosures: Sponsorship Information
Event Fact Sheet
Some Important Things to Remember when Drafting your Sponsorship Letter are:
- Address your letter of sponsorship to the appropriate person with the correct address.
- Find out all the information required from your individual sponsor or the company or organization whom you are requesting sponsorship from.
- Find out all the information and guidelines from the organization or company regarding their charitable sponsorships and request a copy.
- Follow up on your sponsorship letter with a courtesy phone call to seek an appointment with your sponsor.
How to Write a Good Sponsorship Letter:
1. Structure your letter properly:
While there are thousands of sponsorship letter templates available online at your disposal, it is recommended not to copy any template too closely. Tailor your own sponsorship letter to your own needs.
Write your sponsorship letter on the appropriate company letterhead addressed to the correct person. Add relevant information about you that your sponsor may need to know to go ahead with the sponsorship, such as;
- Background
- History
- Skills
- Experience
Make sure to write all the points briefly and to the point and not elaborate them too much.
2. Mention your sponsorship letters purpose:
Mention all relevant details regarding why you are requesting this sponsorship, and write down all the details of the program, costs involved, duration, place, etc. of the sponsorship.
3. Explain what it is worth to your sponsor to help you:
Explain with a proper and adequate reason why your sponsor should pay for your cause, event or your education. Also, explain to your sponsor why you can not sponsor the event or your education yourself.
A lot of companies will agree to your sponsorship letter as it is beneficial for the company to be associated with giving sponsorships that are worthwhile.
Also, explain within your sponsorship letter why it can be beneficial for this organization, company or even this individual to sponsor your cause or your education.
4. Thank them:
As for any formal letter, always end your sponsorship letter thanking them for their sponsorship.
5. Proofread and edit your sponsorship letter:
Instead of being hasty and sending out a letter filled with errors or grammatical and spelling mistakes, run your sponsorship letter under a proofreader and make sure you send it out without any mistakes.
Sending a hasty and error-filled sponsorship letter can completely ruin your chances of getting that sponsorship.
6. Follow up personally:
It is important to develop a personal connection with the organization or individual from whom you are requesting a sponsorship. It is not adequate to simply send a good sponsorship letter and be over with it. Here are some things you can do to develop a personal connection with your sponsor and increase your chances of getting the sponsorship for your event or cause.
How to follow up personally after writing a sponsorship letter:
- Schedule an appointment on call, and stop by the organization or company personally. Many times, the CEO’s of the companies might be too busy and may brush off sponsorship letters without paying much heed to them. Stopping by personally can create a greater impact on them to sponsor your event.
- Make it a point to mention all relevant details about the sponsorship cause and event and sound enthusiastic about it. A dull, boring letter will simply end up in the trash if it does not sound convincing and interesting enough.
- Correct the tone of your sponsorship letter. Do not ever make it sound like you are demanding or begging your sponsor or guilt-tripping them. In fact, sound as genuine and pleasing as possible so that they are genuinely convinced to help you and your cause.
- In case you get an answer from your sponsor which is not definitive, such as a ‘maybe’, do not be shy to follow up after an appropriate amount of time. Try not to sound too negative about it, be upbeat and do not badger the sponsor.
- Keep in mind to send a follow up thank you letter if you do get the sponsorship.
- Keep your tone friendly but formal; do not make it too casual, even after you have achieved the sponsorship from the organization.
A sample sponsorship letter requesting an individual or a company for sponsorship can be written as such:
Date:
Address:
Name of Sponsor:
{Insert the name of the event or cause you would like to be sponsored}
{request your sponsor as to why you need the sponsorship from them, why you cannot sponsor the event on your own, and how it would benefit the sponsor by contributing to this event or cause. Explain the details of the event or cause clearly, stating the name of the event, time, date, place, etc}
{Request your sponsor to donate a certain amount of money or what ever amount they may feel is appropriate. Do not demand any certain amount, rather simply state the amount which would assist you in your sponsorship for the event or cause.}
{Add your details such as;
Name
Background
Address
Logo
Description}
{Thank them for their time and consideration for the sponsorship. Add a phone number or an address where your sponsor can get back to you or contact you if they feel like going forward with the sponsorship}
Sincerely,
Your Signed Name
Your Typed Name
Also Read:
Some tips on writing your sponsorship letter:
- Do your research well if you are approaching a company or an organization and get in touch directly with the key person, rather than a third party like a secretary.
- Keep your tone of voice in the sponsorship letter formal, polite and genuine. Do not seem pushy or demanding as this will completely crush all your chances of getting your sponsorship.
- It is recommended to type out your sponsorship letter instead of handwriting it. Pay attention to the format of your sponsorship letter. Do not copy any template but you can take ideas or tips from them. Pay attention to the font of your sponsorship letter as well. Type it in a clear, easy to read format which does not seem too cluttered. Keep the sponsorship letter as clean as possible.
- Print your sponsorship letter on high quality paper. Do not try to be economical during this time, and keep in mind the quality of your paper as well as your letter contents.
- Many companies and organizations may get asked for sponsorships on a regular basis, and they might find the smallest of reasons to reject your sponsorship letter. Be sure to sound genuine, convincing and explain to your sponsor the cause of this event.
- Clearly outline to the individual sponsor, the company or the organization how they would benefit from this sponsorship. Any deal which is made between two parties must benefit both the parties, not just one. Explain clearly how taking part in this sponsorship program will benefit the sponsor.
- Follow up with a letter, a phone call or an appointment 7 to 10 days after sending the sponsorship letter. Whether you have already received an answer or not, it is important to follow up as many a times the sponsors might be extremely busy and the letter may slip out of their mind.
- Include a sponsorship form that the individual or company can fill out, in case they decide to go ahead with the sponsorship.
A sample sponsorship form you can send to your sponsor can be like:
LETTER OF SPONSORSHIP
Date: 6/13/2017
{Address of the Sponsor}
To Whom It May Concern:
Your Name:
Your Sponsors name:
Sponsor’s relationship to the student:
I agree to pay all expenses for the above-named student at the {insert name of your university here}. This sponsorship includes but is not limited to, room, health insurance, tuition, food and books.
Below, has been attached my bank statement to prove that I have sufficient financial resources to cover the expenses for this sponsorship program
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me by using the contact information listed above.
Sincerely,
(Handwritten signature of sponsor)
Address of your sponsor:
City and postal code of your sponsor:
Country of Sponsor:
Phone number of Sponsor:
E-mail address of Sponsor:
The minute details when writing a good sponsorship letter can make all the difference in whether you are able to gain that sponsorship or not. Whether you are looking to someone sponsoring your personal cause, your education, or an event being held by you or your company, it is vital to draft out your sponsorship letter carefully.
