Do your homework before approaching sponsors!

Experts say that 75% of the work in obtaining sponsorship should be done before writing any proposals or approaching any potential sponsors. The work should be in planning and preparing.

The reason for this is simple – you will be wasting a lot of your time otherwise. Sponsors expect proposals to be tailored to their specific needs. And there is more competition for the sponsorship dollar. Therefore you need to work at a more professional level these days.

Firstly, you need to pave the way in your own organization. You need to check that your own organization is sponsor-friendly. Find out what the office-bearers and management of your organization think of sponsorship. This may seem to be an unnecessary caution, but a significant number of people in organizations seeking sponsorship aren’t convinced of the merits of sponsorship – they may see it only as a necessary evil being endured in order to raise money.