Organizing A Fun Run – Earn More With Sponsorships
Obtaining sponsorships from local businesses is the key to having a successful fun run fundraising campaign. Event sponsors can give you the resources you need to take your event to the next level. When you are first starting out, the thought of asking for sponsorships can be overwhelming.
You aren’t sure who to ask, how to ask and what to offer in return. Here is a quick guide to help you create a plan for obtaining sponsorships for a Color Fun Run.
Coordinate Your Requests and Get Organized | Color Fun Run Fundraiser
Put together a small group to make a list of what types of donated goods, services and monetary donations you will need for their event. Include everything from water bottles to start/finish line banners, to color powder. Be sure to attach a monetary value to goods and services so you know what it is you are asking for. Here is just a partial list of possible goods and services that could be donated:
- Water Bottles
- Sports Drinks
- Power Bars
- Start and Finish Line Banners
- Color Powder for Color Stations
- Color Packets for a Color Toss and to sell as an additional fundraiser
- DJ Services
- Prizes for fundraising – think of everything from Free Ice Cream coupons, Movie Passes, Pizza to larger prizes like Mall gift certificates, Smart TV, Headphones. Think about the community and what will incentivize them to raise money.
Create a Targeted Market
Now that you know what you need, mine your organizations personal connections as well as businesses that members of your organization frequent. The old adage “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” definitely comes into play when asking for sponsorships.
Make a list of local businesses that members of your fundraising committee have a connection with, your organization has a relationship with or the school or organizations families frequent. These are the best places to start and perhaps where you will have the most success, since odds are they know someone personally who attends your school and/or their customers attend the same school so someone they know will benefit directly from their donation. You can expand your reach from there.
Craft a Donation Letter
You will need to write a donation letter outlining what you are asking for. Remember be specific and put your best foot forward. Make sure it is written on the school or organization’s letter head. Introduce yourself and be specific about what you are contacting them for. Explain the organization’s mission, specifically what you are raising for funds for and how much in total you will need. Ask them specifically what you want – would you be interested in sponsoring a XYZ at $$$$.
Also give them alternatives – a cash donation, gift cards you can use as prizes, services you may require for the next event, etc., You may have to craft a general outline letter and then tailor it for each business depending upon what you are asking for. Make sure to outline what you are offering in exchange for their sponsorship. Let them know how many students you have and how many local families will see their name.
Tell them you will be mentioning them in your social media posts (be sure to tag them), on the website, in flyers, and in the email blasts about the event and you will be encouraging your followers to frequent their business.
Find the Right Fit and Make it Easy for Them to Say Yes!
Now it is time to divide and conquer. Organize committee members and divide up you list of businesses. If someone has a business or personal relationship with any of the businesses on the list have that person approach the business. Businesses do get bombarded with emails so sometimes it is more effective visit them in person.
Make sure to time your visit or phone call at a time that is not busy for the business. Always follow up with an email thanking them for their time – even if they said no – it never hurts to maintain a friendly relationship.
Keep Records of Your Donations and Follow Up
Whenever you receive a donation, whether it is large or small, an immediate handwritten thank you note goes a long way. Also be sure to follow up with them after the event thanking them again for their generosity and letting them know what an impact their donation made.
You could also update them on the success on the campaign, “because of business owners like you, we will be building our new playground in the Spring.” You can also provide them with photos of the event and photos/screenshots of when their logo was used and mentions in email blasts, social media etc. So they know what kind of exposure they received from their sponsorship.
Lastly make sure you have a comprehensive list of businesses you contacted – contact name, phone number email and what the end result was, even if it was a no – this will help next year’s group immensely in their fundraising.
Sponsorships Affect Your Bottom Line
You are going to get some “No’s” and that’s ok. But keep at it. Obtaining sponsorships and donations from local businesses not only offsets the costs of putting on the event, and hopefully brings in additional cash donations as well that you can put towards your fundraising goal, it also increases the communities awareness of Color Fun Runs and your cause and can add to increase attendance!
Make It Happen! Organize a Color Fun Run Fundraiser!
If you’re interested in organizing a fun run for your cause, whether is be a school, non-profit, or community cause; a color based event is a great idea! Of the multitude of fundraising event ideas out there, we’ve found that a fun run can be something new, exciting, unique, and lucrative! For more color fun run ideas read our other blogs on a variety of topics. From how to organize a run, to all the fundraising ideas out there, browse our site to get all professional insider tips you need to have a successful event!
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