FTC:Asking for Sponsorship

Asking for money often feels like a touchy subject for teams and people in general. However, building a robot isn’t free so teams often ask companies for sponsorship. This process doesn’t have to be awkward as it might feel because there is a general layout to follow.

For more information about how to fundraise for a team beyond just sponsorship visit the Funding A Team page.

1. Connect with the company

It is best to first establish a relationship with the company that you will be asking to sponsor you. This is best done by hosting a demo for them. Find a contact you can reach out to there and email or call them. But don’t ask for money right away. First, ask if you can take a tour of their company and show your robot to the employees. By asking for a tour, you show an interest in what they do and holding a demo shows them the work you do. Hopefully, this gets them excited about robotics.

2. Thank You and Sponsorship Introduction

After the demo or tour send your contact at the company a thank you email. Tell them that you enjoyed the tour and meeting them. If there are any memorable details from the tour feel free to add them. Sending a personalized email is better than a template. In addition to thanking them in this email, you can also bring up the possibility of sponsorship. This puts the idea of sponsorship into their minds and the excitement they had from the demo can help encourage their decision. An example of how to add the possibility of sponsorship would be to transition like this after thanking them for holding the tour or demo. “If you are interested in supporting our team further we are always looking for sponsors from companies. We would love to have your company as a sponsor. If you’re interested we have attached our team’s business plan with more information.” Be sure to attach your business plan with information about how to sponsor your team.

3. Follow Up

If the company does not respond to your email, you should email them again. It is possible that the email was lost in their inbox or accidentally forgotten. You can send 2-3 follow-up emails and they should be spaced about 1-2 weeks apart. These emails can be even more direct, asking if the company saw the previous email and if they would like to sponsor your team. These emails should also be short, but to the point and contain the information to make sponsorship easier for the company. It needs to clearly include any important information in the business plan in the email as well. You should explicitly mention where to send a check or online donation as well as any sponsorship benefits in the email as well as the business plan. This is to make it as easy as possible for a company to sponsor you.

4. Break-up

If even after the follow-ups the company hasn’t responded to you, you can send them a “break up” email to close the interaction. This can be along the lines of a last check-in and acknowledging that this opportunity might not have been right for the company and thanking them for their time. This email can finish your contact with the company so it doesn’t feel like you left anything up in the air.

5. Sponsorship

If the company responds with interest pursue that. Some companies may be ready to just send a donation right away, in which case you can thank them for their contribution. Other companies may want more information. You can send your business plan again if they need it or just respond to their questions via email. You could even offer to set up a meeting if they want one. Once they send the money, make sure to thank the company and your contact and confirm you received the money, especially if it was mailed as a check.

6. Keep them informed

If a company decided to sponsor you or even shows lots of interest you can also add them to a newsletter or mailing list if you have one, so they can stay up to date on your team. You want to keep a good relationship with them, especially if you plan on asking for sponsorship again in the future.

Tips:

• The main reason teams get sponsors is because they ask so don’t be scared to approach the topic.
• Send the thank you and follow-ups emails as a reply to the initial emails so the company has context for your thank you and sponsorship request
• Be direct in emails. People don’t want to have to read lots of extra words so share the important information in a concise manner.
• Include your mailing address or a link to an online donation in the emails. This is just one less thing the company would have to find to support you. Make sure it's as easy as it can be for them to support you.