Tips on preparing professional proposals to potential Sponsors for your Bowling Club

Writing proposals

A sponsorship proposal is a formal offer to do business. It needs to be well presented and contain enough information for a company to gain a thorough understanding of what it is being offered.

Getting started

Member support - Discuss sponsorship proposals with your members. If a sponsorship is to work it needs to have the backing of your members, staff and board.
Enough resources - Writing sponsorship proposals and contacting companies can be time consuming. Make sure you have the time and people willing to help.
Allow sufficient lead-time - Depending on what you are asking for, the assessment, negotiation and planning involved to successfully manage a sponsorship takes substantial time.
Stand out from the clutter - Tailor your proposal by acquiring background information on the potential sponsor’s desired image, products, services and business objectives.
Price yourself competitively - Find out what similar sponsorships are selling for. Before signing, a potential sponsor will independently put a value on your proposal. If your offer is cost effective or unique - you are in the running. Make sure you are making a profit.
Target the correct person - Address it to the right person. If you are unsure, phone the company and ask them who looks after sponsorship deals. Confirm the address details while you’re on the phone.

Case study: Surf Life Saving NSW - Corporate Membership Packages

To raise essential funds and provide a sales standard for supporters, NSW Surf Life Saving suggests its clubs create corporate membership packages for sponsors.

Gold Donor ($5000) - benefits include: advertising on club house to size of 3000x2000mm, company logo on club letter head, sleeve sponsor on all club apparel including patrol uniform
Silver Donor ($3000) - benefits include: advertising on club house to size of 1500x1000mm, naming rights to section of club eg Beach Sprinters.

Proposal structure

Use these headings as a starting point to writing the proposal.

Overview of the club offering or event	One or two sentences describing the sponsorship deal.
Background of the club	Information on the organisation and its history
Details about the event or the club offering	Dates, times and location Demographics – how many people will attend the event? where are they from? how old are they? Who will manage the sponsorship? Current and past sponsors.
Sponsor benefits	How will the event or offering help improve the sponsor's bottom line? Possible headings include: Media coverage – television, radio, press, signage Networking opportunities Enhancement of sponsor’s image Client entertainment.
Sponsor investment	Cost or description of goods and/or services
Brief background on the rights holder	Mission statement Experience Long term goals – these are based on your club’s strategic business plan.
Evaluation	How will you measure the success of the event and delivery of promised benefits?
Other considerations	Make the length of the document proportional to the value of the sponsorship. Try to keep it under 10 pages Ensure headings are clear Don’t include any items you might want returned (eg photos, videotapes, certificates) Images are well worthwhile to include Use statistical information - helps the reader identify cost benefit and demographic fit in relation to their own target audiences.