Society Sponsorship Guide This guide should help your society committee with sponsorship agreements. These agreements should be in the form of a contract so it is very important that you do some research and due diligence before signing anything! We’ve put together a few notes and a 6-step guide through the process. If you need more help, please contact the Student Activities Coordinators at societies@hertfordshire.su. We also recommend that you send any contracts/agreements through to us to check on your behalf before signing. Our priority is to make sure you are protected!
Important Considerations Below are some key things to consider when looking for sponsorship for your society. 1.
Sponsorship will benefit both parties Companies or organisations will be investing money in your society for an expected return of some kind. It is important to understand that any agreement will be a two-way thing. The committee and the society will be expected to honour obligations in order to maintain the sponsorship.
2. Keep it simple and realistic Keep the sponsorship agreement as straightforward as possible. Your main priorities for the year should be fulfilling the aims and objectives within your constitution and not promoting or running around after some company because of the terms of your sponsorship agreement. You are also representing your society members so it is important to think of how much they will be prepared to do – don’t sign them up for activities that they haven’t agreed to! 3. Short term is best Don’t commit to lengthy sponsorship agreements as society committees, members, and circumstances change yearly. Keep any sponsorship agreement short – either for a single event or product, or for a year at most. 4. Seek common goals Getting sponsorship isn’t necessarily easy so, in order to be successful, it is sensible to approach potential sponsors that have similar aims to yourselves. Think about local companies or restaurants that students like to go to, professional companies that work in the same field, etc.
What Can You Ask a Sponsor For? 1.
Money The most common (though not necessarily the best) contribution a sponsor can make to your society is to give you money in return for promotion/advertising or the use of their product or business.
2. Provide kit or equipment You might be able to get hoodies or t-shirts sponsored in return for having the sponsors logo on the product. This is a really good way to make your stash cheaper for your members! 3. Discounts If your members or your society are regular customers of a business, then you may be able to negotiate a discount. This could be money off equipment or supplies ordered from their shop, a reduced admission price to their facility for society activities, or a discount when hiring specific services. 4. Offer facilities or venue If your society has specific equipment or facility needs that cannot be met by the SU or the University, then an effective contract may take the form of an agreement for the use of a more suitable venue. A company may be willing to let you use their venue in return for advertising or your involvement in their other activities. E.g. the ice-skating society could negotiate a reduced price with a local ice rink in return for guaranteed regular weekly large group bookings.
What You Can Do For The Sponsor It is good to remember that you can offer much more to potential sponsors than just a t-shirt with their logo on it. Be creative and think outside the box to approach sponsors with something that can benefit both parties. 1.
Advertising Helping to get a company’s name into the University and the community is the most common form of sponsorship. This is often done by printing companies’ logos on society merchandise, but other initiatives could include displaying company banners or promotional material at society events or allowing sponsors attend your events. You could offer to contact your members on behalf of the company to ‘endorse’ their products or
services, which may be desirable if you have lots of members or if your society is relevant to their organisation. 2. Captive audience Your members are a large captive audience of consumers for a business. Arranging events with potential sponsors, or ensuring that your members use the sponsor’s service or products regularly, might work for you. If you wanted a sponsor to fund a one-off event, see if they will provide refreshments or a venue in return for the opportunity to present to all of your members or put their advertising everywhere! 3. Aiding with promotions Enthusiastic and connected committee student leaders can be great ambassadors for businesses or companies. If your society is music/dance/performance/creative related, an effective form of sponsorship may be to agree to perform at or be involved in a company’s events. 4. Involvement in activities The experience and knowledge of your society is another valuable commodity. For example, if you are working with an external venue, you may be able to get the use of their facilities at a reduced rate if you agree to offer your experience to help with their other activities.
What Not to Do In addition to the advice listed above there are also facts which you must be aware of when looking for sponsorship. 1.
No contract, no sponsorship This guide is designed to safeguard you from unfair and unreasonable sponsorship tie-ins. For your sponsorship to be official you must have a signed agreement. It must be signed by your potential sponsor and your society. Please do send these through to the SU to check before submitting just so we can make sure you’re not being taken advantage of!
2. Do not commit the Students’ Union to anything Don’t promise anything you can’t deliver yourselves, e.g. promising access to the Students’ Union marketing channels or social media accounts. Also, don’t promise anything on behalf of any other society or student group.
Maintaining Your Agreement Signing a sponsorship contract is the start of a commitment you will be expected to fulfil your agreement with a sponsor. The more pro-active you are in working with your sponsor the more likely they are to work with your group in the future. Honouring your commitment is vital to this, but going the extra mile is a good idea. A thank you letter when the agreement is signed or when money or services are received is a good start, as are pictures of events and examples of sponsor’s money, logos, or donations in action.
Step by Step Guide This guide takes you through the recommended six steps you should follow to obtain sponsorship for your society. 1.
Find your sponsor The first step is to identify potential sponsors. Think about companies you use regularly, or those to whom you can offer something in return.
2. Introduce yourself The next step is to introduce your society. The most effective way of doing this is to send an email, including a proposal detailing who you are and what you are after. Make sure it stands out. It’s imperative to use correct grammar and good English. If you want help with this, let us know. 3. Prepare your proposal and talk to us Remember to keep your proposal simple and realistic, as this is just an introduction after all. Get in touch with the activities team, we will check your proposal and your potential sponsor to ensure that your plans do not break any SU rules or put unnecessary strain on your society. 4. Discuss with the sponsors Once you’ve been given the green light by us, the next step is to discuss your proposal with your sponsors. You want to give yourself the chance to discuss other options that may not have been considered in your original proposal. Make sure you are happy with both what the sponsor is offering you and what your society is offering them in return. There is room for negotiation here – don’t accept anything more or less than what you want. 5. Complete the sponsorship agreement
Fill in the sponsorship agreement detailing all you have agreed when meeting with the sponsor. It’s important that you include as much detail as possible in case there are any later issues with your sponsorship. 6. Get it signed You will need get the agreement signed by the sponsor and the chair of the society. Once you have this, scan it in and email the final sponsorship agreement with both signatures to the SU Student Activities Team and the sponsor. You should keep the original in your society records as this will be useful when completing your handover to the next committee.