Sponsorship email template: how to ask a company to sponsor you

A company doesn't sponsor an event, a team or a channel out of kindness. It pays to be seen by a particular group of people. So a good sponsorship email reads less like a request for help and more like a small, clear offer: who your audience is, why they're this company's customers, what the sponsor gets and what it costs. This sponsorship email template works for local events, sports clubs, school and nonprofit projects, meetups and creators.

When to use it

• You can describe your audience with real numbers: attendees last year, members, subscribers or people on your email list.
• The company sells to those people. A running shop and a 5K race fit; a running shop and a chess club usually don't.
• You've decided what a sponsor gets at each price, so they can say yes without a long negotiation.

The template

Hi [First name],

I organize [event / club / channel], [one line on what it is, e.g. a charity 5K that raises money for the town's food bank].

[Number] [type of people] [take part / attend / watch] each [year / month], and many of them are [why they're this company's customers].

We're looking for [number] sponsors for [date or season]. For [price], [Company] would get [two or three specific things, e.g. your logo on the race shirts and a stand at the finish].

Would you be open to it? I can send the full details, or adjust the package to suit you.

[Your name]
[Role, event]

Example

Subject: Sponsoring the Millbrook 5K in May?Hi Jenna,

I organize the Millbrook Charity 5K, a volunteer-run race that raises money for the town's food bank.

Around 600 runners took part last year, and most of them live within a few miles of your shop on Market Street.

We're looking for three sponsors for this year's race on May 18. For $500, Stride Running Co. would get its logo on the race shirts, a stand at the finish line and a thank-you in our emails to registered runners.

Would you be open to it? I can send the full details, or adjust the package to suit you.

Sam Ortiz
Volunteer organizer, Millbrook Charity 5K

Why it works

1. What you run, in one lineA sponsor needs to know straight away what they'd be putting their name on. One plain sentence does it.
2. The audience, with a real numberThis is what the sponsor is paying for. An honest number, and why those people are their customers, matters more than anything else in the email.
3. A priced, specific offerSaying exactly what they get and what it costs lets a small business owner decide without a meeting. Vague "partnership opportunities" make them do the work.
4. An easy next stepOffering the full details, or a package that fits them, keeps the door open for a company that likes the idea but not the price.

What to check before you send it

• Check that the company sells to your audience: a business near your event, or a brand your members already use.
• Look for sponsorships they've done before, on their website or social media. It shows what they like and roughly what they spend.
• Find the owner or the marketing person. A generic info@ address often goes unread.

Follow-up email

Send it 5 days later if there's no reply, in the same thread.

Subject: Re: Sponsoring [event] in [month]?Hi [First name],

A quick follow-up on the [event] sponsorship. Spots close on [date] so we can print [shirts / banners] in time. If [price] doesn't fit this year, there's also a smaller option: [e.g. a mention in our emails to runners for a lower price].

[Your name]

Mistakes to avoid

• Opening with how much money you need. The sponsor's question is what they get, not what you're short of.
• Rounding your numbers up. If 400 people came, say 400; inflated figures are easy to check and end the conversation.
• Attaching a long sponsorship deck to the first email. Offer to send it instead.
• Writing to every business in town with the same email. Pick the ones whose customers really are your audience, and say why in each email.

Questions people ask

More cold email templates