Running a youth sports organization can be expensive, so many administrators turn to sponsors to help raise money.
Sponsorships are important because they can provide consistent income while increasing awareness for the organization and the individual sponsor. Sponsorships come in many forms, such as event sponsorships, so administrators can customize their sponsorship packages to fit the needs of their organization.
One way to increase the likelihood that prospective sponsors will choose to support you is to create a dedicated sponsorship page on your website. Creating a dedicated landing page will help increase your organization’s credibility, provide transparency for potential sponsors and demonstrate the value of why they should sponsor your program.
The Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation is a great example of how sponsorships can impact youth sports organizations. Their Sports Matter Program has allowed over 1,300 leagues to continue operations, covered over 19,000 registration fees for individual players, and donated over 350,000 pieces of equipment. This is just one example of how sponsors can change the trajectory of youth sports funding.
The importance of sponsorship pages
Having a dedicated sponsorship webpage is mutually beneficial to your organization and the company sponsoring you.
Provides credibility
One way it’s beneficial to your organization is that it provides credibility and makes it more likely that a sponsor will take your organization seriously.
You can quickly establish trust with potential sponsors by creating structured tiers, updating your website frequently and promoting your current sponsors. A well-designed and informative sponsorship page can add value by increasing your chances of securing partnerships, donations and sponsors.
Increases brand awareness
A page dedicated to your current sponsors will benefit them because it can increase their brand awareness on a more local level.
For example, your organization could serve a demographic adjacent to its target audience but has never heard of its brand. They might come across your sponsorship page, leading to increased web traffic, sales, or leads for your sponsors.
Speeds up sponsorship process
Having your sponsorship information live in one consolidated area of the website is beneficial to both parties. From an organizer's perspective, you’re less likely to answer the same questions from prospective sponsors if you list everything on the webpage.
In the same vein, prospective sponsors won’t need to contact you directly to understand your sponsorship packages if you link to them on your webpage. This makes it easy for potential sponsors to access the information they need to sponsor your sports organization.
The anatomy of a great sponsorship page
Now that you've learned about the reasons to have a sponsorship page, we'll walk through the important elements on your webpage.
Clear headline
Before diving right into your content, you should have a short headline that clarifies what your page is about. We recommend including the year in your headline to let users quickly see that it's relevant information. A sample headline could include "2023 Sponsorship Information".
Sponsorship tiers
The most important item to have on your page is a set of tiers that showcase the different sponsorship packages and their corresponding benefits. You'll want to provide 4-5 sponsorship levels ranging from the smallest to the largest amounts for companies.
Some people have different budgets, so you'll want to provide enough sponsorship options for all organizations, ranging from individuals to corporate sponsorships.
For example, you could provide a tier that allows someone to sponsor an umpire or even help reduce registration fees. This blog post covers some more unique ways to attract sponsors!
Regardless of your pricing options, you'll want to come up with a name for each tier and detail what's included. Still trying to figure out where to start? We have a sample sponsorship tier template to download and alter as you see fit!
Current sponsors
Listing out some or all of your current event sponsors is a good way to show prospective sponsors the benefits of choosing your organization. It could allow them to see what it would be like if they sponsored your organization. You should include their name, logo, and a link to their website or social media pages.
Testimonials
Real feedback from current or past sponsors is a great way to increase your credibility. The testimonials you showcase should include how becoming a sponsor was a positive decision, whether through increased audience engagement, community impact, or website traffic.
Becoming a sponsor
Now that you’ve provided all the needed information, you’ll want to provide clear next steps on what someone needs to do to become a sponsor.
We’d recommend creating an online form where you can capture their basic information, logo, and have them select a tier. Submitting the form will also capture their contact information and will allow you to include them in future notifications about your organization.
Contact information
Lastly, include the best way to contact you if they have any questions. You should have one person in your organization responsible for responding to inquiries, reaching out to local organizations, updating the sponsorship webpage and dictating the overall digital marketing strategies.
5 sponsorship page examples
The best way to create your own page is to take a look at some examples to see how other organizations are organizing their content.
Below we’ve linked to five different organizations to provide more insight into creating your own page.
Bomb Squad Elite
Bomb Squad Elite is a nonprofit organization. They created their own dedicated sponsorship page, which includes information about their football programming, what the funding will go towards, the benefits of becoming a sponsor, and how to contact them.
On their website, they have a separate page listing the different tiers and showcasing their current sponsors.
Warrenton Youth Sports Club
Warrenton Youth Sports Club has their sponsor page include a downloadable PDF that provides more information about their package offerings. They also include a link to a donation form, a thank you message, and images of their players.
SnapSoccer
SnapSoccer is an organization that provides information and resources to soccer coaches, players, and parents.
Their page focuses on why companies should sponsor them by including information about their customers, linking to upcoming events for increased exposure, and providing sample tier packages.
Runyon Field Sports Complex
Runyon Field Sports Complex is a facility for softball and baseball tournaments. Their sponsor page details more information about who they serve, the number of games played at the facility, pricing tiers, and a form to fill out.
The State Farm Youth Classic
The State Farm Youth Classic is a golf tournament for golfers ages 3 to 22. Their page includes both sponsors and partners and details them by tier.
They also have a downloadable packet with reasons to support the tournament, the perks of becoming a sponsor, data of those involved, and pricing options.
Promoting your sponsorship page
If you haven’t already, you’ll need to create a website for your youth sports organization. Your editable website will be a one-stop-shop to learn about your organization which includes your sponsorship opportunities. Once you’ve created your sponsorship page, you’ll need to start promoting your offerings.
Partner with local businesses
A first step is to identify local businesses that would be a good fit for your organization.
You can then contact them directly and point them to your sponsorship page, where they can learn more about your organization, the perks of becoming a sponsor, and how to move forward with becoming a sponsor. Having a dedicated page shows that your organization is credible and professional.
Write proposal letters
Another way to build credibility with larger organizations is to write a sponsorship proposal letter.
Depending on what type of sponsorship you’re looking for, we have sponsorship proposal templates to help you get started on writing your first letter. This will set you apart from the competition and show that you’re serious about fundraising.
Connect with your contacts
If you have an online communication tool, you can use it to send out messages to all of your contacts. You can include the link to your page and ask everyone to help spread the word.
Sending out instant communication is a quick way to make parents, players, and community members aware of how to help the organization. All of our subscription plans come with text messaging and emails to help you communicate in just a few clicks!
Create your sponsorship page today
Overall, a well-designed and thoughtfully crafted sponsorship page can be a powerful tool to secure more funding for a sports organization.
Showing the benefits that a sponsor will receive is the easiest way to demonstrate value, build credibility, and attract prospective sponsors. Need to get started with your own website? Create an account here!
