Sponsorship Proposal Template
The tiers, the audience, and exactly what the money buys.
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| Event | [event name] |
| Date | [date] |
| Confirm by | [date] |
1. Who will be there
[how many, who they are, why a sponsor would want to reach them]
2. Sponsorship tiers
| Tier | Amount | What the sponsor gets |
|---|---|---|
| [add one tier per line] |
3. Where the money goes
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| [add one cost per line] |
4. Next step
Tell us which tier suits and we will send an agreement setting out both sides in writing. To be included in printed material we need a decision by [date]. Contact: [name, email, phone].
What is a Sponsorship Proposal?
A sponsorship proposal sets out what a sponsor gets for their money: the audience they reach, the packages available, and the specific deliverables in each. It matters because sponsorship is bought from a marketing budget against expected return, and a proposal that describes how special the event is without saying who attends and what the sponsor receives gives the reader nothing to justify the spend with internally.
Event organisers, conference producers, sports clubs, festivals, awards schemes, charities running galas and community groups running a single fundraising day all produce these. The reader is usually a marketing manager, a brand or partnerships lead, or the owner of a local business, and they are comparing your proposal against other ways of spending the same money. Larger sponsors will have their own evaluation process and a decision cycle running months ahead, so proposals typically go out well before the budget year in which the event falls.
Sponsorship is generally a supply of advertising services rather than a gift, and the tax treatment follows from that. Indian sponsorship attracts GST, with reverse charge in defined cases; UK sponsorship income may be trading income with VAT implications; the US distinguishes qualified sponsorship payments from unrelated business income for exempt organisations; Canada applies split-receipting rules and Australia applies GST. Take the detail to an accountant. Category restrictions matter too: alcohol, gambling, vaping, high fat, salt and sugar foods, cryptoassets and financial promotions face advertising code limits, and broadcast sponsorship has separate rules such as Ofcom's in the UK.
A proposal is a sales document, not the contract. Payment schedule, exclusivity boundaries, intellectual property licences, cancellation and postponement, force majeure, indemnities and what happens to fees if the event moves online all belong in a signed sponsorship agreement drafted for your jurisdiction. The proposal also is not a grant application and does not create a charitable donation — describing sponsorship as a donation in the proposal confuses the sponsor's finance team and may misstate the tax position for both sides.
What to put in a Sponsorship Proposal
These are the details this template asks for. Anything left blank is marked in red on the preview so you can see what is still missing.
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Business name | For example: Barton Supply Co. |
| Your address | For example: Unit 7, Barton Road, Columbus, OH 43212 |
| Event name | For example: Trade Open Day 2026 |
| Date | Free text |
| Who attends | For example: Around 600 trade visitors over two days, mostly builders and joiners working within 40… |
| Sponsorship tiers | One per line: Tier | Amount | What the sponsor gets |
| What the money pays for | One per line: Item | Amount |
| What the sponsor gets | For example: Logo on all printed material and signage, a stand in the main hall, and a slot to address… |
| Confirm by | Free text |
| Media contact | For example: Linda Alvarez |
How to write a Sponsorship Proposal
Open with the audience, not the event
A sponsor is buying access to people. Lead with who attends: how many, from where, in what roles or age groups, and how you know — ticketing data, registration fields, membership records, previous years' figures. Give the source and period for each number. The history and character of the event matter, but they belong after the reader has established that your audience is the one they are trying to reach.
Build tiers around distinct rights
Each level should contain something the level below genuinely cannot have: category exclusivity, naming rights, stage time, the opening address, first refusal for next year. Tiers that differ only by logo size are transparently arbitrary and push every sponsor towards the cheapest one. Three or four levels is usually enough, with a small option that lets a local business participate without a negotiation.
Price each tier against its deliverables
Set out what each package contains as countable items and put the price beside it. If you can, show the basis — cost of the item, comparable media rates, previous year's package — so the figure looks derived rather than invented. Add the tax position in the form your market expects, and state the payment schedule you are proposing so the finance conversation starts from your terms.
Show the inventory and the calendar
List what is actually available and how many of each: two banner positions, six programme pages, one stage backdrop, four email slots on stated dates, one exhibition space of a stated size. Then give the dates artwork is needed, when materials must arrive, and when the sponsor's activity happens. Sponsors approve faster when they can see the work their own team will have to do.
Set the deadline and the next step
Give the date after which a package cannot be delivered — the print deadline, the signage order, the programme going to press — and explain why it is a real limit rather than a sales tactic. Offer one specific next step: a call, a site visit, or a draft agreement. Name the person who owns the relationship and give a direct number rather than a general enquiries address.
Common mistakes
- Building tiers that differ only in logo placement and price, which gives no reason to buy anything above the entry level.
- Inflating attendance or reach figures, which is checkable, and which ends both the current conversation and the renewal you were counting on.
- Selling exclusivity in overlapping categories, so two sponsors discover on the day that they were each promised to be the only one.
- Leaving cancellation, postponement and bad weather unaddressed, so the refund argument happens after the money has already been spent.
- Sending a forty-page pack to a local business that needed a single page and a number, which usually results in no reply at all.
Frequently asked questions
What should a sponsorship proposal include?
Audience data with its source, a short description of the event, the packages with their contents and prices, the available inventory and quantities, the calendar of deadlines and activity dates, evidence from previous years such as photographs and sponsor feedback, the tax position, and a named contact with a decision deadline. Lead with the audience and keep the history brief.
How do you price sponsorship tiers?
Work from two directions: the cost of delivering each package, and what comparable access would cost the sponsor elsewhere — local advertising rates, exhibition stands, event tickets. Make sure each tier contains a right the one below does not. Where sponsorship is a taxable supply of advertising in your country, decide and state whether prices include tax before the proposal goes out.
What is the difference between a sponsorship proposal and a sponsorship agreement?
The proposal sells the opportunity and sets out packages, prices and deliverables. The agreement is the signed contract covering payment dates, exclusivity boundaries, logo and image licences, cancellation and postponement, liability and what happens if either side does not perform. Accepting a proposal by email is not a substitute; have a short written agreement for every sponsorship, however friendly the relationship.
How far in advance should I send a sponsorship proposal?
Ahead of the sponsor's budget cycle rather than ahead of your event. Many companies set marketing budgets annually, so a proposal arriving mid-year competes with money already allocated. Six to nine months before the event is a common working assumption for larger sponsors; local businesses often decide faster but still need time before your print and signage deadlines.
What do sponsors actually want in return?
Something they can report internally: reach they can measure, access to a defined audience, content and photography they can reuse, hospitality for their own clients, and staff involvement. Logo placement alone is difficult for a marketing manager to justify. Ask a prospective sponsor what they are being measured on, then build the package around that answer rather than around your existing tier sheet.
This page explains general practice and is not legal advice. Requirements differ between countries and, in some cases, between states — check what applies where the document will be used.