Questions about finding a sponsor?

[KC Kings]

YATALL (Yet another thread about little league)

I would like to find a sponsor or sponsors for my little league team, but don't know what the best method is to do it. I bought uniforms out of pocket, but am untested in getting a sponsor to buy our hats in return for getting a logo on the hat, or getting a sponsor to donate some money for tournaments in return for getting their name on a banner (BigRed's team site has a lot of sponsors on his banner).

What is the best method to get a sponsor? Since fall ball points count toward next years spring ball, would a sponsor have a "contract" until after next spring? Should I try to "sell" a full banner with the sponsors name for X amount of dollars, or sell smaller portions of space on the banner for a lessor amount of dollars?

I would like to draft a letter and personalize it to each business asking for sponsorship, that includes the amounts and what they get in return for each level of sponsorship. The only other people I know with sponsor have a relative that sponsors them and it isn't very official. I have no problem going door to door asking for sponsorships, but want to make sure I am going about the right way.

Thanks

[Nzoner]

As a business owner who gets calls regularly for this kind of thing I can give you this advice.Don't take the time drafting a letter and or phone calling because imo it's not personal enough.I'd use my valuable time taking a pic of the team around and seeing people face to face,let them meet you and then sell yourself and the team.

It's just my .02 but there's nothing that pisses me off more than when someone wants something from my business but can't take the time to see me in person about it.

[Deberg_1990]

Check into Chico's Bail Bonds.

[BigRedChief]

Robert,
This is the standard form letter for sponsorship that I send out to prospective sponsors. As we spoke about if you would provide us the uniforms/hats/pants at no charge we will list your business as the first sponsor and provide you with a framed picture of the team holding the banner to hang in your business. The standard for sponsorship to be placed on a competitive banner is $250.00 - $500.00.

I know we already have a deeply discounted bill. We have several options. We can pay you $100.00 and put your business name on the banner. You can “comp” the uniforms and charge full retail and we will provide a 100% tax deductible tax receipt for that amount and place your business name as the first sponsor on the banner.

I’m writing this proposal to ask if Freestyle Graphics would be interested in supporting a youth baseball team in Lee Summit, Mo. Any money given to the team is 100% tax deductible.

We will play our league games at Lee’s Summit Legacy Park. We will play 14 games at that complex. We will in addition play in 5 tournaments in the KC. Metro area (2 at the Legacy Park Complex, 1 at the Frank White Sports Complex at Longview)) and maybe the Missouri State Championship tournament and the United States “Nationals” (like a tournament world series with teams from all over the U.S.). We will play a total of 30-35 games this year.

We will stress positive reinforcement to motivate the players. There will be no alcohol or tobacco used by the parents at our team practices or games. The coaches will behave in a professional manner toward the parents and players at all times not just at practices or games.

As the manager I will undergo and pass a background check by the Missouri Highway Patrol before I will be allowed to manage the team. I will also take the Missouri State mandated training for youth league coaches. The parents will be asked to only yell positive, encouraging words from the stands to the players. They will not be allowed to yell their displeasure at games to an umpire’s call that went against our team.

I can’t guarantee you wins or championships to associate with your company’s good name. But, I can guarantee you that the coaches will be excellent community role models for our players. The team and the coaches will reflect the integrity and sportsmanship that you would expect from a team that bears your name. When other teams parent’s, coaches and players talk about the Freestyle Graphics Cardinals I want them to say “you know those Freestyle Graphics Cardinals they are a classy team”.

I would like to point out the following tangible benefits for your company to sponsor our team.

1. We will name our team the Freestyle Graphics Cardinals. Exact wording will be at your discretion.
2. All references to our team in the TV, newspaper and radio media will use Freestyle Graphics Cardinals as the name of the team. When the Lees Summit Journal writes about our team or the team’s picture is in the paper it will be the Freestyle Graphics Cardinals.
3. All printed material handed out by the league, tournaments and other teams to the teams and parents out will use Freestyle Graphics Cardinals as the name of our team.
4. 100% tax deductible. The Lee’s Summit Baseball Association (LSBA) is a 501©(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing a summer baseball program for the youth of Lee’s Summit, Missouri. You will receive an official notice and receipt of your contribution from the league office that will allow you to deduct 100% of the league fee from your state and federal and city taxes.
5. A Banner (made out of canvas and 7ft by 3ft wide) placed at strategic central locations at the league games proclaiming this team is the Freestyle Graphics Cardinals. Legacy Park is designed with the seating and dugouts facing each other and the ball fields facing out away from the other fields. The design will allow all 8 teams that are playing at any given time and their parents, grandparents attending the game to see your banner, not just the attendees of our game. Hundreds of parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles etc will see Woodland Shores name each week associated with good clean community spirit and families.
6. A Banner placed at strategic central locations at the tournament games proclaiming this team is the Freestyle Graphics Cardinals. We will also bring your banner with our team to the tournaments that we will play in this summer. Most tournament sites are designed the same way as Legacy Park is designed with the seating and dugouts facing each other and the ball fields facing out away from the other fields. The design will allow the tournament teams and their parents, grandparents attending the games to see your banner, not just the attendees of our game. Some of these tournaments have attendance numbers in the thousands.

We will play in tournaments all over the KC metro area including 3 tournaments in the Lee’s Summit. We will play in 2 tournaments at Legacy Park and one at the Longview College. These teams’ parents will drive right by the neighborhood you are building and then see your banner up at the games proclaiming your community involvement with a sport that they and or their kids love. This will give Freestyle Graphics name an exposure to a vast area of the KC metro area and the Lee’s Summit community that has much more meaning that some paid advertising.
7. We will provide Freestyle Graphics with a team picture to hang in its office. This highly visual PR item is always a “good feeling” item to your visiting clients. It let’s the client know that you support your local community and its kids.
8. We will provide you with a trophy of any tournament or league victories that we receive as a team. You may also display this in your office as a visual representation of your community support and involvement.
9. The players will hand write you office thank you letters for sponsoring their team. These are very good for office moral and pr. You can get them framed and your clients will love reading them on your office walls. We don’t tell them what to write so in my experience their letters have been highly entertaining but have been a sincere thank you from the players.
10. Free information/advertisement on our team’s website. We have a section devoted to our beloved sponsors. You may put up links to your website, business cards, and word documents with information about Freestyle Graphics.

We have had over 8, 000 visitors to our teams website in the last year alone. The team’s website is located here:
http://www.eteamz.com/lscardinals/
and the Beloved Sponsor page is located here:
http://www.eteamz.com/lscardinals/sponsors/
11. The best reason of the all is……To support you local community and its children.
Thanks for considering being the team’s sponsor!
If you would like to sponsor at a different level than the “team” sponsor we will put your businesses name on the banner that we hang up at games. And your contribution should be tax deductible.

Coach Doug

[BigRedChief]

To be the full blown sponsor on the banner and be called the "Price Chopper" Cardinals etc you usually have to pay the league fee. $1,500.00 or so. Get your name on the banner? $250.00 to $500.00

[KC Kings]

Originally Posted by Nzoner

As a business owner who gets calls regularly for this kind of thing I can give you this advice.Don't take the time drafting a letter and or phone calling because imo it's not personal enough.I'd use my valuable time taking a pic of the team around and seeing people face to face,let them meet you and then sell yourself and the team.

It's just my .02 but there's nothing that pisses me off more than when someone wants something from my business but can't take the time to see me in person about it.

Thanks for the advice! I had planned on going door to door and speaking to each person, thought about drafting a letter as well incase the person at the business was not a person that could make that kind of decision, and so it would look more official than some guy walking around asking for money. I will definately bring a picture along and provide a link to our website that will have the sponsors logo listed on there as well.

When people ask you to sponsor them, what kinds of deals do they ask for? Is it a specific amount, levels of sponsorships, or just anything at all?

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Nzoner

As a business owner who gets calls regularly for this kind of thing I can give you this advice.Don't take the time drafting a letter and or phone calling because imo it's not personal enough.I'd use my valuable time taking a pic of the team around and seeing people face to face,let them meet you and then sell yourself and the team.

It's just my .02 but there's nothing that pisses me off more than when someone wants something from my business but can't take the time to see me in person about it.

Yep, I sent the letter after I've met them. No way would I send it out unsolicited.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by KC Kings

Thanks for the advice! I had planned on going door to door and speaking to each person, thought about drafting a letter as well incase the person at the business was not a person that could make that kind of decision, and so it would look more official than some guy walking around asking for money. I will definately bring a picture along and provide a link to our website that will have the sponsors logo listed on there as well.

When people ask you to sponsor them, what kinds of deals do they ask for? Is it a specific amount, levels of sponsorships, or just anything at all?

You have to hit up the parents for money, sponsorship leads etc. It also shows the committment of the family. They need to realize that competive baseball is expensive and they are going to be out a lot more money than playing rec ball.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by KC Kings

YATALL (Yet another thread about little league)

I would like to find a sponsor or sponsors for my little league team...

Damn. I had a whole list of guys you could call until the whole baseball thing...

[KC Kings]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

To be the full blown sponsor on the banner and be called the "Price Chopper" Cardinals etc you usually have to pay the league fee. $1,500.00 or so. Get your name on the banner? $250.00 to $500.00

More great advice. Thanks,
I had no idea that you could get that much out of a sponsorship. I realize that it is not an easy task to get that amount, but still I am shocked to know that it is possible.

For fall ball our league fees are $900. I already bought the uniforms but hats will run $12 a piece at so $180 for players and coaches. We are planning at least 1 tourney, the Pepsi Hardball Classic, which is $250. Should I package the entire deal as the "Price Chopper" Vipers for $1330?

How much does a banner cost to get made? Do you as the coach foot that bill, or do you make that part of the team cost?

One last question, if "Price Chopper" gets the entire banner, is it ok to add additional sponsors to that banner, or do you need to get a seperate banner, (if one company does leagues fees, another does hats, etc...)

Thanks for all of the help.

[KC Kings]

Originally Posted by Rausch

Damn. I had a whole list of guys you could call until the whole baseball thing...

List for what, football? I thought youth tackle football was expensive at $700-$900 a year until we started getting into competitive baseball.

My 8 year old has his choice this year, tackle football only or flag football and fall baseball. His choice was flag and baseball, and after this week at the Northland Football camp, he is glad he chose the option that didn't include 2 1/2 practices 5 nights a week!

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by KC Kings

More great advice. Thanks,
I had no idea that you could get that much out of a sponsorship. I realize that it is not an easy task to get that amount, but still I am shocked to know that it is possible.

For fall ball our league fees are $900. I already bought the uniforms but hats will run $12 a piece at so $180 for players and coaches. We are planning at least 1 tourney, the Pepsi Hardball Classic, which is $250. Should I package the entire deal as the "Price Chopper" Vipers for $1330?

How much does a banner cost to get made? Do you as the coach foot that bill, or do you make that part of the team cost?

One last question, if "Price Chopper" gets the entire banner, is it ok to add additional sponsors to that banner, or do you need to get a seperate banner, (if one company does leagues fees, another does hats, etc...)

Thanks for all of the help.

Look at the banner on my teams website for a layout.

I bought the canvas and paint and a parent did the work.
I would then paint over it when I got new or different sponsors. They are very expensive to buy on the market. $500 or more. But you can't raise funds for the team without a banner.

I created a team account. Kept track of it through an excel spreadsheet. I'd send it out to parents periodicaly to let them know where their money was going. What was coming in etc.

[wutamess]

Originally Posted by KC Kings

YATALL (Yet another thread about little league)

I would like to find a sponsor or sponsors for my little league team, but don't know what the best method is to do it. I bought uniforms out of pocket, but am untested in getting a sponsor to buy our hats in return for getting a logo on the hat, or getting a sponsor to donate some money for tournaments in return for getting their name on a banner (BigRed's team site has a lot of sponsors on his banner).

What is the best method to get a sponsor? Since fall ball points count toward next years spring ball, would a sponsor have a "contract" until after next spring? Should I try to "sell" a full banner with the sponsors name for X amount of dollars, or sell smaller portions of space on the banner for a lessor amount of dollars?

I would like to draft a letter and personalize it to each business asking for sponsorship, that includes the amounts and what they get in return for each level of sponsorship. The only other people I know with sponsor have a relative that sponsors them and it isn't very official. I have no problem going door to door asking for sponsorships, but want to make sure I am going about the right way.

Thanks

How much & when you need it by? I'd like to help ya out.

[wutamess]

Originally Posted by KC Kings

List for what, football? I thought youth tackle football was expensive at $700-$900 a year until we started getting into competitive baseball.

My 8 year old has his choice this year, tackle football only or flag football and fall baseball. His choice was flag and baseball, and after this week at the Northland Football camp, he is glad he chose the option that didn't include 2 1/2 practices 5 nights a week!

Damn he's 8? (Nick isn't it?)
Time flies.

[KC Kings]

Originally Posted by wutamess

Damn he's 8? (Nick isn't it?)
Time flies.

It's Jacob, and he still does that ugly rendition of the robot that he learned from your daughter 3 years ago at the Royals game.

Yep, he is 8 but playing 9U kid pitch. Are you running your own business now? I remember you had the KC PC repair site going a while ago.