Getting sponsorship for your student society might feel like an uphill struggle of sending out countless emails to generic company email addresses (info@...), making hundreds of fruitless telephone calls and dealing with uninterested company employees. But equip yourself with our handy tips and it’ll make the whole process just that little bit easier.
1.Targeting the right business saves time. It sounds obvious, but approaching the right company makes all the difference. Make sure that they will have an interest in your sponsorship proposal and your society or club.
2. Ask yourself: what does a company want? If they are looking for graduate recruitment, then offer training sessions where members of the company can come in and meet students face-to-face. If they want to promote their brand, then offer to splash their name over your societies socila media, society noticeboards and correspondence.
3. Don’t just rest on the laurels of your university! Yes, you might go to a prestigious university, but companies will be expecting more. You need to really show them what you have to offer and how your society will them give a unique point of interaction with students.
4.Think outside the box and ask them to sponsor more unusual things. You might want to take advantage of services or goods they can offer, rather than outright funds. If you look like you’ll be offering something different, the more intrigued they will be.
5. Contact the company face to face. Companies find it hard to say no if you are standing in front of them
6. When emailing, keep your email concise . They only want to spend a few seconds on your email. Tailor it to their company and perhaps provide a snappy bullet point list of how sponsoring your society is going to help them.
7. Sponsorship comes in many forms. Don’t just look for money, but other ways in which companies can support your society and and make it great. They might provide drinks for an event, a training day, or offer other goods and services that will benefit your society.
8 If your club is affiliated with your student union, then don’t sign a contract unless it has been approved by your union.
Sponsorship Contract Form - take this with you to any sponsor meeting and get it signed by them and us!!