How to Secure Local Auction Sponsorships: A Mini Guide
Your auction planning is in full swing. You’ve selected a date, time, and location. However, you know that you might need some additional funding to maximize your event’s impact.
That’s where donor sponsorships come in. Sponsors can provide financial support through donations, access to a venue or equipment, auction items, and other in-kind services. Not to mention, sponsorships represent a win-win situation where your organization and the sponsor benefit from collaborating together. You get extra help for your event and the sponsor receives a valuable marketing opportunity.
Of course, earning sponsorships still requires tact and strategy. In this mini-guide, we will break down each step to obtaining valuable sponsorships that will turn the needle on your auction fundraising. Let’s begin.
1. Establish a solicitations committee.
A solicitations committee obtains donations for silent and live auctions. Form a committee to maximize your time and energy as going it alone can be overwhelming. Within your committee, make a plan to tackle the following to-dos:
Outline expectations: Clearly state your committee’s expectations, including the role of each member as their responsibilities relate to sponsor identification, outreach, and following up. Consider appointing one member of the committee to be readily available to answer sponsor questions and concerns.
Set sponsorship goals: Determine how much you need to raise. Are there any portions of your auction planning that you’d specifically like to have sponsors cover? For example, there are several items a sponsor could cover from silent auction entertainment to in-kind catering services and even volunteer support.
Divide members based on their contacts: Assess your committee’s existing connections, and determine which potential sponsors are most likely to help and would be the most useful. For example, a committee member with restaurant connections would be the best individual to seek in-kind catering services.
Work together to finalize a list of contacts for potential sponsorship opportunities. Refer to previous research to find contacts who have connections to businesses that may be interested in being a sponsor, such as a business owner who donates regularly. Or, perhaps you have a number of donors who work for the same company.
2. Prepare solicitation resources.
Provide your solicitations committee with the resources and contacts they need to bring in sponsors. Make all of the resources available in digital format, so members can print or email them to prospective sponsors. This way, your team will have its organization's information on-hand when initiating conversations.
Be sure your information covers the following topics:
Organization information: Explain your organization’s purpose and how the upcoming auction will impact your mission. For example, an elementary school auction might fund a new athletic or theater program.
Sponsorship options: These give potential sponsors flexibility to choose how they’d like to support your auction fundraiser. Usually, this is accomplished through tiered sponsorship levels which outline the associated benefits of different investment levels.
Contracts: These represent general agreements between your organization and the sponsor. They should outline the expectations of both parties to ensure transparency and set expectations. Having your contracts ready indicates that your organization is professional and can be trusted, but remember to be flexible as your agreements with each sponsor will likely vary.
Within your committee, set deadlines for each solicitation goal well before auction day. Give each potential sponsor time to make their decision and allow for any necessary follow-up and event coordination.
3. Refine your sponsorship proposals.
Your sponsorship proposals are what convince sponsors to back your cause. Stand out by adopting compelling storytelling techniques that explain your cause in a memorable way.
To illustrate compelling storytelling in a sponsorship proposal, let’s explore how a school hosting a fundraising auction for scholarship opportunities might write its proposals:
Introduction: The school would first introduce itself to the sponsor and give a brief overview of its mission. Then, it would briefly discuss its history and state its reputation as a leader in educational opportunities.
Purpose: Introduce the purpose of the fundraising auction. In the school’s case, this could be something like, “We believe that financial constraints should never hinder a promising student’s educational opportunities. That’s why we are hosting our annual auction to fund more scholarship opportunities for deserving students.”
Need: The school would state how the potential sponsor could back its fundraising auction efforts. For in-kind donations, the school could list necessary materials the sponsor would donate. Or, with the sponsor’s available resources in mind, the school could offer a financial range the sponsor could give.
Value proposition: Lastly, Getting Attention’s guide to corporate sponsorships emphasizes the importance of answering the sponsor’s top question: “What’s in it for me?” Here is where the school would explain the marketing benefits for its sponsor. The proposal might be something like, “A donation of X would secure you 5 auction VIP tickets, a prominent logo in the auction catalog, and a social media call out.”
Next steps: State how a potential sponsor can confirm their decision and contact you regarding any questions.
Keep in mind each sponsorship proposal should be customized to its recipient. Address recipients by name, appeal to their stated philanthropic values, and make requests based on their financial status and resources. Doing so will help you avoid misalignment and set thoughtful donation suggestions.
4. Cultivate relationships and follow-up.
Often, securing sponsorships is not a simple one-time request, as long-lasting sponsorship agreements are built on meaningful relationships.
To re-engage your contacts, keep the momentum going with personalized follow-up strategies. Track contacts you haven’t heard back from and give them a phone call or send a follow-up email. If sponsors have questions or reservations, consider offering to meet with them in person or invite them to tour your facilities and get a better sense of your organization and its values.
Once you’ve established your sponsorship agreements, take steps to honor their support through promotional materials. Schoolauction.net recommends using a sponsorship tab within your auction software to organize your sponsorship packages and appropriately recognize each one’s contributions. Check in with each sponsor before doing so to be sure they approve of how you choose to promote their services.
After the event, thank your sponsors with a personalized note reiterating your gratitude for their individual contributions. Include an impact statement that summarizes how much was raised and how your organization plans to use the funds to further your purpose.
Tackling sponsorships outreach takes a dedicated team and a solid plan. By following the above tips, your organization will be able to secure the sponsors you need to propel your auction fundraising efforts.
About the Author: Roger Devine, Partner & Marketing Director at SchoolAuction.net
Roger Devine is a co-founder of Northworld, the developer and distributor of the award-winning SchoolAuction.net auction-management software. Before starting the company, Roger worked for many years in software, website development, and publishing. He's chaired at least 30 auctions over the past 20 years (one loses count after a while), has served terms on the boards of several area non-profits, loves all dogs on the planet, and lives in Portland, OR.