The #1 missed opportunity in fundraising events


Hey Reader,

You’ve got the venue booked. You’ve got the caterer lined up. You’ve got people registering for your next fundraising event…but are you leaving money on the table?

Ticket sales and auction items are only part of your event's revenue potential. If you’re not maximizing event sponsorships, you’re likely missing out on thousands of dollars in support - and potential long-term partners!

Here’s how to change that:

1. Start early.
Sponsorships take time. As soon as your event is approved, create a list of every local business, vendor and past supporter with capacity. Write down 20, 40, 50 businesses and names. It's going to take a lot of outreach to get sponsors!
📌 Scared to make the actual ask? Try asking for permission to make the ask to take the edge off. Something like this: “Would you be open to a conversation about how your business could benefit from sponsoring our event?” or "We're looking for local event sponsors who want to display their support for our community. Is that something your business would be open to?"

2. Make it easy to say yes.
Don’t just ask for a donation - offer a professional sponsorship package with tiered levels and benefits like logo placement, social media features, or comped tickets. Be specific about what they get in return. Put yourself in their shoes - what do they want as a business to grow and show their philanthropic engagement?

3. Follow up, follow up, follow up.
You just sent the email or left a voice mail and now it's tempting to think you've done all you can. But most people don't respond on the first outreach! Follow up 2-3x and if you can, in different formats. If you sent an email, follow up with a phone call and reference your email. People are super busy and need lots of follow up - don't take silence as a no! (but of course, use your judgement and don't spam anyone!)

Want to make all of this easier?

I just updated my most popular bundle to the Ultimate Event Sponsorship Bundle—it includes 6 of my most popular event sponsorship templates, from proposals to trackers to agreement forms, and helps you raise more while staying organized - in a fraction of the time! The templates included are:

✔️ Event sponsorship proposal
✔️ Sponsorship request letter
✔️ Agreement form
✔️ Event tracker to manage all sponsorships, tickets and tables
✔️ Sponsor thank-you letter
✔️ Sponsorship reply card

The bundle includes automatic savings of 30%, plus use code SUBSCRIBER for an additional 25% off!

Remember, don't leave money on the table - go and raise every dollar you can!

Cheers,
Kay

Certified Fund Raising Expert (CFRE)
Founder and CEO, NonProfit-Life

PS: If you’re looking to take your fundraising to the next level, here are 3 ways you can do that today:


Kay @ NonProfit Life

I teach nonprofit professionals - over 5,000 and counting! - how to grow their organizations with practical, action-oriented templates and tools. From event sponsorship packages, grant proposals, board orientation handbooks, and everything in between, I focus on helping you save time, effort and precious resources. As a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), I've raised 25 million+ for other organizations, and now my passion is to help you do the same for yours. Join the weekly newsletter to get time saving tips, tricks and action plans you can implement today to accelerate your nonprofit.

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