Should You Sponsor That Event?

A Strategic Approach To Sponsorship Opportunities

Local events are everywhere—golf outings, charity races, community festivals, and school activities. With each invitation comes the same question: Is this sponsorship opportunity a valuable spend?

You want to support your community. You believe in giving back. But you also need your marketing dollars to work hard for your business.

Here’s what I see happening: Many sponsorships don’t deliver the results businesses hope for because there’s often a gap between good intentions and strategic planning.

Why Businesses Say “Yes” to Sponsorships

Before we dive into strategy, let’s acknowledge the real reasons you’re considering that sponsorship request:

You want to support causes you care about.
You value being visible in your community.
Building relationships with other local business owners matters to you.
And yes, you’re hoping it might bring in some business too.

All of these reasons are valid. The key is being intentional about which goals you’re prioritizing and how you’ll measure success—whether that’s strengthening community ties, increasing brand awareness, or generating leads.

But here’s where many well-intentioned sponsorships miss the mark:
They say “yes” without a plan for how they can maximize their sponsorship.

The Real Cost of "Logo and Forget" Sponsorships

I see this pattern repeatedly. A business owner gets approached about sponsoring the annual golf tournament. They write a check, submit their logo, and hope for the best. Three months later, they’re wondering why their phone isn’t ringing.

The problem isn’t the event. It’s the approach.

When you treat sponsorship like a donation rather than a marketing investment, you’re essentially paying to blend into the background. Your logo becomes wallpaper—visible but forgettable.

Approach sponsorships with intention, not just good intentions

Before you say yes to any sponsorship, ask these questions:

1.

Does this event attract your ideal customers?

A family photographer sponsoring a youth sports league makes sense. A B2B software company sponsoring the same league? Not so much.

2.

Can you create a clear connection between the event and your services?

Look for natural alignments. A home remodeling company partnering with a spring home and garden show has an obvious fit.

3.

What’s your plan beyond just submitting your logo?

The most successful sponsorships include active participation, specialized, limited-time offers, and strategic follow-up. For local businesses, think beyond just logo placement as all that is is brand awareness. Ask more questions of the organization asking for sponsors to see what is possible.

Maximizing Your Sponsorship Investment

Ask For The Right Exposure

Let me share how one of our clients turned a simple sponsorship into actual lead generation.

This home remodeling company was approached about sponsoring their child’s soccer club. Initially, the package included logos on field signs and try-out t-shirts—a pretty standard option that rarely moves the needle.

But this client dug in further and asked more questions and during the conversation with the soccer club, they discovered something valuable: they had an active email list that received updates every time fields closed due to weather.

This was the breakthrough. Our client specialized in exterior home repairs and recognized that families receiving storm closure notifications could be dealing with weather-related damage to their homes—in which case, they wanted their remodeling company to be the one they would call, if damage happened.

So, they negotiated for their sponsorship to also include a targeted message in those weather closure emails. The result? Two qualified leads from just five field closure announcements, with one converting to a significant project – the sponsorship investment paid for itself.

The Lesson:

Don't just accept the standard sponsorship package. Ask what else is available.

Most organizations have additional opportunities they don’t automatically offer—email lists, social media mentions, or other touchpoints with their audience, which should be full of your ideal clients, IF you are considering sponsoring.

Here's a Completely Different Approach

That Worked Brilliantly

A family photographer was asked to sponsor her children’s school auction. Before saying yes, she thought it through strategically—this would put her in a room full of families (her target audience) right before Easter, when families typically book spring photo sessions.

She said “yes” and then maximized her sponsorship investment by:

Creating specific business cards designed for the auction and had them placed at each dinner table
Offered a time-sensitive discount to create urgency and that aligned to Easter photo sessions

She could have easily just given the event a stack of her regular business cards, but she thought it out. The result? A full calendar of spring appointments!

The Lesson:

Think strategically about how to capture leads through that sponsorship opportunity that is being presented to you.

Don’t just submit your logo and hope people remember you. Create specific opportunities and offers that make it easy for your ideal clients to take the next step with you.

Your Sponsorship Success Checklist

Before committing:

Confirm the event attracts your target audience
Understand all available sponsorship benefits (beyond just logo placement)
Develop a clear message that connects your services to attendee needs
Plan how you’ll track success and follow up with prospects

During the event:

Be specific about what you do. If your company has a vague name like “Innovative Solutions,” include a clear description of your services and who you help. This may require a specialized logo to be designed that includes a descriptive tagline or call to action.
Offer something valuable—a special discount, free consultation, or helpful resource in exchange for an email address so you can follow-up
Engage actively rather than just showing up
Collect contact information strategically

After the event:

Follow up promptly with new connections
Track which sponsorship elements drove the most engagement
Document what worked for future sponsorship decisions

WHEN TO SAY "NO":

Not every sponsorship opportunity deserves your budget. Pass on events where:

Your target audience won’t be present
You can’t participate meaningfully beyond logo placement
You’re spending your last marketing dollars (sponsorships work best as part of a broader strategy and when you have a strong digital presence so people can easily find you when they remember your name after the event)
There is no way to measure its success

The Bottom Line

Sponsorships can be powerful marketing investments when approached strategically. The key is positioning yourself in front of the right audience with a clear, compelling message that pulls them toward your business.

The most successful sponsorships happen when you approach them as strategic marketing investments while still honoring your desire to give back to your community.

Tired of guessing with your marketing investments? Let’s create a clear plan that makes every dollar count – from sponsorships to your overall marketing strategy.