If you are researching into the purchase of an electronic scoreboard for your school or team, you need to first realize that the days of fundraisers are over and we have entered the age of sponsorship. Yes, this means that you have an opportunity to plan, design and put together a method to get your electronic scoreboard paid for, 100%.
But first – you need a game plan. It isn’t overwhelming, it can be accomplished very easily with a small team of people. We are listing some of the areas that you will want to begin with. Once you start, you won’t believe the enthusiasm and creativity that will blossom from everyone in your group.
Get a picture or mockup of the scoreboard of your dreams: This will be used in presentations.
Gather your team: You are going to have to have a number of people that have various talents: graphic design, accounting, marketing, computer/laptop, powerpoint presentations or videos. You may want to tap into the wealth of knowledge of any booster clubs associated with your school or team.
Put together your sponsorship layers: Consult with your team on some long term, short term and variable advertising options for your sponsors. Depending upon the electronic scoreboard you get, you will want to consider: streaming text, video, social media, smartphone and mobile app options, permanent and changing logo, ad or jingles. You will want to develop a pricing structure that can be appealing to both larger and small businesses and organizations. You may want to include additional advertising options with school or team supported items such as t-shirts, cups, etc. that can be sold at the game for the larger advertising opportunities.
Be prepared with return on investment information: Have a list of games, game types, number of attendees. This is excellent ROI for a potential sponsor to see how many people the advertising will be exposed to.
Put your marketing designs together: Once you have selected the sponsorship opportunities and pricing, put together an easy to drop off bi-fold or folder that contains the options. You will also need to put together either a powerpoint or video that can be played on a laptop for personal presentations. For the larger companies, if you have a graphic design wizard, they can overlay the potential sponsors branding on a presentation so that it is immediately personal.
Get your accounting house in order: Make sure you consult with an attorney or accountant to draw up an agreement or contract that each sponsor will sign. You will need to agree upon a monetary fee that may be used as a down payment to reserve their ‘spot’. Establish a bank account for sponsorship funds.
Set a goal: You will already know what the cost is for the electronic scoreboard and any accessories. Establish a time and dollar amount goal to achieve 100% cost coverage.
Set up appointments: Get a list of those potential sponsors that you want to approach and begin setting up personal appointments for your presentation. Arrive prepared with the presentation and contract that can be signed.
Follow up strategy meetings: Meet with your team as much as possible to get updates. Keep a spreadsheet on the successes, follow ups, warm and hot potentials and those that are sold.