Help/advice with sponsorship

[coombia21]

I am starting a fishing club at NDSU and will be fishing the national guard college series and the bassmaster college series this upcoming year. I have never approached people for sponsorships and I am not sure who is the best to approach and how to approach people. Am I better off to contact smaller shops or am I better off approaching large companies? Are there things or techniques that work better than others for receiving/earning sponsorships? I do not expect anything and I am not looking to get myself sponsored, I would like to get the whole club sponsored. This way it will entice people to join, and participate in the club. If anybody has any tips or advice I am all ears. I really appreciate any help.

Thanks

[SpecialK]

I've never done it but I would talk to everyone from the big boys to the mom and pop shops. Be prepared to hear a lot of "We support your cause, but at this time we cannot help you out".

Move on to the next shop.

[jac714]

I would also look at the alumni lists and see if any are involved in allied industries (Boats, Motors, Tackle, Lures, hotels, trucks, fuel etc...) Just about any outdoor industry can benefit from sponsorship of a college team.

[Wanderer]

Get your club profile together with a brief resume for each member along with photos. List any accomplishments that are relevant to the sport and marketing. Sponsors are looking to sell product and will want to see an organized and outgoing individual or group before they'll get interested.

Your first sponsorships will likely come in the form of product donations before much for money rolls in. Treat those product sponsorships well and the cash can follow.

Unless you do wind up scoring big through a connection, you're basically looking to be hired for a job. The big boys will want to know what you can do for them outside of fishing as well, so let them know you'll work their sport shows too.

Sell yourself. There are a lot of people after the relatively small amount of money to be had until you're a superstar.

[coombia21]

Thanks guys these tips are great and some things that I have never thought about. I really appreciate this help and any other help that comes my way.

[mamohr686]

I think the most important part of getting a sponsorship is creating a written letter of intent. List exactly what you need for the club (travel expenses, entry fees, rain gear, etc) what the goals of the club are, how your going to promote your sport, and finally what the sponsors will get in return.

I think getting a team boat wrapped with the sponsors information or working at a boat/sportsman's show for example, is a good way to repay sponsors.

When I used to work for scheels as a salesman I don't think a week went by without some group or club asking for some type of donation. Usually larger companies will set aside limited funds for sponsorships. I usually saw community support going towards tax deductible organizations, like united way D.U. and that sort of thing.

I think some fishing pros have written books that contain info about getting a sponsor, that might be a good place to start.

[jwmiller33]

A lot of it is going to come down to how well you are able to pitch yourself/your club (and thats what all of this will come down to is your pitch). Think of it from a business perspective, which is what you will be approaching (businesses). By donating money and/or products/services to your club, they are essentially makes an investment in your club. The potential payoff is, among other things, advertising of their logo on your jersey and other related items and the effect of people seeing the jerseys/logo when you guys wear them around, not to mention the possibility of you being filmed/on tv because I do think they play those tournaments on ESPN 2. Some of the people you are talking to at these businesses/stores may already know this, some may not. Regardless, drill down on this point in your pitch. A lot of companies/stores like to help out in this way and some may already do some type of donations to similar causes. If they know there is a [potentially big] marketing benefit to donating to you, they will be more inclined to donate [more]. A previous poster already touched on the subject, but dont be afraid to expand your horizons to more than just fishing relates companies. Look at all of the sponsors for the FLW. Everything from Chevy and Dunkin Donuts to Rapala and several food companies. Hit every company that has any type of product/service that could potentially be beneficial to your club. The potential possibilities are endless. My old roommate should chip in here and post because he started the fishing club at my ala mater (St. Thomas in St. Paul) when I was a senior in 2010 and now the club is (or at least was) involved in the college FLW events. Good luck