4 Standout Strategies for Sourcing Corporate Event Sponsors

Fundraising events offer nonprofits a powerful opportunity to engage supporters and collect essential revenue for their causes. One of the best ways to ensure your team is getting the most out of its events is by supercharging its efforts with corporate sponsorships.

Why? Securing sponsors for events is a cornerstone of success for many nonprofits and schools. Corporate partnerships can not only provide much-needed financial support (therefore reducing upfront costs and increasing return on investment) but also enhance event visibility, credibility, and more.

However, identifying and securing the ideal sponsors for an upcoming event can be a challenge. To help navigate this process, we’re providing four standout strategies for sourcing corporate event sponsors that can elevate your nonprofit's next event:

1. Identify the best partners for your plans and goals.
2. Make the most of workplace giving opportunities.
3. Leverage existing relationships.
4. Offer unique and customizable sponsorship packages.

Ready to bring your fundraising experiences to new heights? Dive into the expert-proven tips and tricks below.

1. Identify the best partners for your plans and goals.

Before reaching out to potential sponsors, it’s a good idea to ensure you have a deep understanding of your organization’s own audience and event goals. This foundational step ensures that you approach companies whose target demographics align with your event’s attendees. In doing so, you initiate the creation of a mutually beneficial partnership.

To get started, we suggest…

• Identifying your target audience. Gather demographic and psychographic data about your event attendees. Understand their interests, purchasing behaviors, and what motivates them to attend your event. Then, use this information to uncover potential corporate partners with overlapping audiences.
• Aligning your goals with potential sponsors. Clearly define what you hope to achieve with your event. Whether it’s raising awareness for your cause, generating funds to power your mission, or building community engagement, your goals should align with the potential sponsor’s objectives.

Here’s an example: If your fundraising event targets young professionals interested in bettering the world through technology, consider approaching software or other technology companies looking to reach a similar demographic. In your outreach, be sure to highlight how sponsoring your event will help them achieve their marketing, CSR, or employee engagement goals, too!

2. Make the most of workplace giving opportunities.

Corporate event sponsorships generally involve direct partnerships between a nonprofit and a company willing to support its efforts. However, workplace or employee giving programs can be a great way to engage individual donors or volunteers, supplying a rich source of support.

Many companies have established programs that encourage their employees to give back to the community through matching gifts, volunteer grants, and payroll deductions. And these types of giving can provide a powerful boost for your nonprofit event!

Here’s what we recommend:

• Promote matching gift opportunities. Ensure your donors know about their employers’ matching gift programs. Provide information on how to request matches for event donations and emphasize the impact of these programs in your communications. For peer-to-peer events, some companies will even match the entirety of an employee’s collected donations!
• Encourage supporters to seek out volunteer grants. Many fundraising events rely on dedicated volunteers to power the experience. See if your volunteers qualify for volunteer grants or “Dollars for Doers” programs through their employers to monetize their donated time.
• Consider organizing one-off matching gift partnerships. Some companies do not yet offer matching gift programs⁠—but may consider doing so when asked. Facilitating a custom matching gift program can be a great way for employers to explore donation-matching opportunities on a smaller scale.

To get started, be sure your team is collecting employment information from your donors, volunteers, and event attendees. Once you have this detail on file, you can screen for matching gift or volunteer grant-eligible supporters and trigger personalized outreach to encourage their participation.

3. Leverage existing relationships.

Your existing network can be one of the most valuable resources for sourcing corporate sponsors. Building on established relationships can lead to new sponsorship opportunities and deepen current partnerships.

To make the most of your existing partnerships, we suggest:

Reaching out to current sponsors. Maintain regular communication with current and past sponsors. Update them on your organization’s progress and upcoming events to keep them engaged. See if you can turn a one-off event sponsorship into a regular, mutually beneficial partnership!

Utilize donors’, volunteers,’ and board members’ networks. Supporters often have connections to potential sponsors. Some may work for companies that would be interested in sponsoring your events or have personal connections to decision-makers. Encourage them to introduce your nonprofit to their contacts or even to facilitate the sponsorship pitch themselves.

4. Offer unique and customizable sponsorship packages.

Businesses, specifically those known for their commitment to philanthropy, tend to receive a lot of sponsorship proposals. To stand out from the crowd⁠—and increase your likelihood of a positive response⁠—your team should offer unique opportunities and customizable packages for potential partners.

This might include…

• Creating tiered sponsorship packages: Design packages that cater to different levels of investment, from premium offerings to smaller sponsorship agreements.
• Offering exclusive opportunities: Provide unique and exclusive benefits such as speaking opportunities, branded experiences, or naming rights to key event segments.
• Enabling personalization: Allow sponsors to further tailor their sponsorship packages to better align with their companies’ goals and resources.

After all, doing so can increase interest in your event and appeal to a wider range of potential partners. Plus, keep in mind that providing tangible data on past event success and potential audience reach can further entice sponsors to join your efforts.

Securing the right corporate event sponsors requires a strategic approach⁠—and a deep understanding of both your audience and its potential partners. By focusing on audience alignment, conducting thorough research, leveraging existing relationships, and crafting unique and persuasive proposals, nonprofits like yours can facilitate compelling sponsorship opportunities that go a long way.

Implement these standout strategies to elevate your event sponsorship acquisition and ensure the success of your next event.