Here are some ways to get your club ready to seek out effective sponsorships.

By Tony Knoderer

For Kiwanis clubs around the world, many of the best fundraisers involve sponsorships. They increase club resources, raise your community profile and create access to a pool of potential members — all at the same time. But like most good things, they don’t just happen overnight.  

Sponsorships have to be solicited. Your club can make that work easier by taking these five steps to organize for the sponsorship search:  

  1. Create a demographic report on your club’s membership. Including average age, education level, professional background and anything else that a prospective sponsor might find useful. Use the club data checklist in our downloadable sponsorship toolkit to get started.  
  2. Identify club members who can bring special skills or enthusiasm — or both — to the sponsorship hunt.  
  3. Put together a report on your event. Gather as much information as possible about attendance, demographics and media exposure.  
  4. Identify potential competition for sponsorship funds in your area. For instance, if someone holds a similar event on the same weekend — or even the same month — as yours, you might want to switch dates.  
  5. If you haven’t yet, put someone in charge of your club’s website, newsletter and advertising. A communications director will give you a leg up. 

Of course, this is just the beginning. Fortunately, Kiwanis International provides a comprehensive resource to guide you to the sponsorships you need. With our sponsorship toolkit, you’ll learn how to: 

  • Inventory your club’s marketable assets.  
  • Price your event offerings. 
  • Seek corporate support.  
  • Develop long-term relationships with sponsors.  
  • Save time by using templates for proposal materials. 

Download our sponsorship toolkit to get your club started today!