In a perfect world, school sports would be free and accessible to any student who wanted to participate.
Likewise, essentials like gear, facilities and transportation would be inexpensive and in endless supply, allowing the school, athletic department, players and families to experience the purity of teamwork, sportsmanship and competition without worrying about whether there was enough to go around or if their facilities and equipment were satisfactory.
But we are far from a perfect world. And even if you’re an established and successful school athletic program, finding money for everything you need and want is becoming increasingly difficult. How do you ensure your programs are well-funded and accessible to all students who want to participate? Through a unique partnership with Scoreboard Media, Digital Scoreboards can offer your school an advantage when it comes to implementing new scoreboard technology and sourcing the sponsorship dollars to pay for it. We’ll get to that in a moment.
In order to ensure your athletic program is well-funded, you have to shine a light on the positive aspects of your program, use technology to your advantage and get creative.
Think Like a Business
Just like the companies and organizations you need to attract, to succeed in raising money you must have a strategy, one that consistently and professionally puts you in front of decision makers that can see how your programs benefit the community, maximize their exposure and help their bottom line.
That means you need to think like a business and meet potential sponsors “where they are.”
Corporate sponsorship is a “win-win-win”
1. Identify Potential Sponsors
It starts with a strong list of local and regional businesses and organizations that align with your program’s values and mission. Consider local retailers, restaurants, healthcare providers or companies with community involvement programs. Offer sponsorship tiers to create “best-fit” scenarios for sponsors of all types and sizes. Smaller retailers and service providers may not have the same promotional budgets as larger organizations. Collaborate with parents to facilitate introductions and provide referrals. Scoreboard Media can help guide you through this process when purchasing new scoreboards for your school via Digital Scoreboards.
2. Define Your School’s Goals and Needs
Where are the deficits in your program? Is it general athletic department funding, a capital project for upgraded facilities, or do specific sports require support? Consider equipment, uniforms, travel expenses and infrastructure.
3. Create a Proposal
Potential sponsors are more likely to take a meeting or call if you can specifically outline how their sponsorship will benefit them. Provide details (and visual examples) of how the sponsor’s brand will gain traction and attention: on scoreboards, banners, game programs, social media and more. Customize your proposal to each company when possible, especially when making a “big ask.”
4. Stay In Touch
Reach out to potential sponsors with a well-crafted (but brief and specific) email or by visiting them in person. If you don’t get an immediate response, stick with it. Politely follow-up via email or by phone. Persistence and professionalism can reap huge benefits.
5. Tapping All Sources
With social media and the growth of audio/visual technology available through scoreboards, video banners and in-school signage, you can offer sponsors 24/7 exposure. But that doesn’t mean the days of vinyl banners and game program ads are a thing of the past. It’s about getting your sponsors in front of fans and students at every touchpoint.
6. Fundraising: Every Little Bit Helps
They’ve been around forever, but don’t discount the power of the fundraiser run by your booster club or student service group, or even a crowdfunding campaign to supplement your corporate sponsorship efforts. Feel free to include your sponsors by holding these events at their place of business.
Take part in the community. Get to know decision makers.
Have coaches and administrators–or active parents–join civic groups. It’s old school, but it works.
Be In It for the Long Haul
Remember, it’s much more difficult to create a new sponsor than to keep one. Sponsorship is not just about financial support; it’s about building long-term relationships. Treat your sponsors like partners and provide them with regular updates on your teams’ progress and community involvement. Don’t forget to express gratitude and recognize their contributions when your team experiences success on and off the field.
It’s a lot to manage and execute, that’s why when you decide to upgrade your facilities with the latest scoreboard technology by Digital Scoreboards, we give you the option of working side-by-side with our sponsorship fundraising partner, Scoreboard Media.
Scoreboard Media offers five different flexible options. These options range from your school owning the new scoreboards and Scoreboard Media assisting in securing sponsorship dollars to allowing Scoreboard Media to own the new equipment and manage your sponsorship program. To find out more and get all the details, reach out to us or view the five different options yourself and then let us know if you have any questions.
School athletic programs are expensive, and not every school has a bottomless budget to draw from. Sponsorships from local businesses provide a great opportunity to fund your athletic programs, become part of the community and help local companies promote their products, services and brands. Let Digital Scoreboards and Scoreboard Media help you navigate a sponsorship program that will benefit your school for years to come.