Booster Club Sponsor Pitch: Letter Template and Follow-Up

Who to Ask

The best prospects have a reason to want the program’s families as customers or employees, and a personal connection to the program.

1. Businesses owned by program parents and grandparents. Ask every family on the membership form whether they own or work for a business that sponsors community groups.
2. Businesses families already use. Orthodontists, pediatric dentists, physical therapists, sporting goods stores, music stores, pizza places, real estate agents, auto dealers, banks, and credit unions.
3. Last year’s sponsors. Renewal is the easiest ask. Start here, in early summer.
4. Employers with community giving programs. Many large employers have a local giving budget or matching program; a parent who works there makes the introduction.
5. Businesses near the school or venue. Foot traffic from games and concerts matters to them.

A spreadsheet in a club-owned account tracks every prospect: business, contact, connection, date asked, response, level, payment, recognition delivered, and renewal date. Two clubs at the same school asking the same business in the same week annoy the business. Where a school has several booster clubs, the presidents share prospect lists or agree on a calendar.

What the Sponsor Gets: Recognition, Not Advertising

Federal tax rules draw a line between sponsorship acknowledgment and advertising, and the pitch should stay on the acknowledgment side unless the treasurer has planned otherwise.

• A qualified sponsorship payment is a payment from a business that receives no substantial return benefit other than the use or acknowledgment of its name, logo, or product lines. It is not unrelated business income.
• Acknowledgment may include the sponsor’s name, logos and slogans that do not contain qualitative or comparative descriptions, locations, phone numbers, web addresses, and value-neutral descriptions of its product lines.
• Advertising includes qualitative or comparative language (“the best pizza in town”), price information or other indications of savings or value (“20 percent off with this ad”), endorsements, and inducements to buy. A single message that contains both acknowledgment and advertising is treated as advertising.
• Other benefits count. Tickets, dinners, and similar benefits provided to the sponsor are disregarded only if their total fair market value is no more than 2 percent of the payment.
• Exclusive provider arrangements are different. Naming a business the exclusive sponsor is generally fine; agreeing that the club will sell or use only that business’s products generally creates a substantial return benefit.
• Periodicals are outside the rule. Acknowledgments in the club’s regularly published newsletter or magazine do not qualify as qualified sponsorship payments.

Advertising income is not automatically a problem. A booster club’s ad sales run entirely by unpaid volunteers usually fall under the volunteer exclusion from unrelated business income. But the treasurer should know which payments are which before the year-end return. See Sponsorships vs Advertising for Booster Clubs and Unrelated Business Income Tax for Booster Clubs.

The One-Page Sponsor Sheet

The sponsor sheet is a single page (front and back at most) that the business owner can read in two minutes and hand to a partner. It goes with every letter and email.

Outline

1. Header: club logo, name, “Sponsorship Opportunities [School Year]”.
2. About the club (two sentences): the program, the number of students, and a statement that the club is an independent 501(c)(3) organization (a charitable nonprofit exempt from federal income tax).
3. Reach (three facts): number of families, attendance at home events per season, email list size and social followers. Real numbers only.
4. What sponsorship pays for: three concrete items with costs.
5. Levels table: three or four levels, price, and recognition at each level.
6. Deadline: the date that guarantees inclusion on the banner, in the program, or on the shirt.
7. How to commit: contact, payment methods, the club’s EIN (Employer Identification NumberEINEmployer Identification Number: the nine-digit federal tax identification number the IRS assigns to the club. The club needs it to open a bank account, apply for 501(c)(3) status, and file its annual return.All terms, its federal tax ID) for the business’s records.
8. Last year’s sponsors: logos or names, with permission. This is social proof.

Sample levels

Shirt and banner placements that use school marks need the district’s approval. See Booster Club Name, Logo, and Identity.

Sponsor Letter Template

Mailed on letterhead or delivered in person with the sponsor sheet.

[Club Letterhead]

[Date]

[Contact Name]
[Business Name]
[Address]

Dear [Contact Name],

[Connection sentence: "My son plays trumpet in the Lincoln High School band, and
our family has been coming to [Business Name] for years."]

I'm writing on behalf of [Club Name], the volunteer parent organization that
supports the [number] students in [School Name] [Program]. The school budget
covers [what it covers]. Everything else, including [item], [item], and
[item], is paid for by families and local businesses.

This year the program needs $[goal] for [top priority]. We're inviting a
small group of local businesses to sponsor the [School Year] season at levels
from $250 to $2,500. Sponsors are recognized in front of [number] families
and [number] fans at [number] home events, in our printed programs, and on
our website. The enclosed sheet shows each level.

To be included on the season banner and in the fall program, we need your
commitment by [Date].

I'll call you the week of [Date] to answer any questions. You can also reach
me at [phone] or [email].

Thank you for considering a partnership with [Program].

Sincerely,

[Name]
[Title], [Club Name]

[Club Name] is a 501(c)(3) organization, EIN [XX-XXXXXXX].
Enclosure: Sponsorship Opportunities [School Year]

Sponsor Email Template

For warm introductions or when a letter is not practical. Attach the sponsor sheet as a PDF.

Subject: [Program] sponsorship, [School Year]

Hi [First Name],

[Name of mutual contact] suggested I reach out. I'm [Name], [title] of
[Club Name], the parent organization behind [School Name] [Program].

We're inviting a few local businesses to sponsor this season. Sponsorship
starts at $250 and puts [Business Name] in front of [number] local families
at [number] home events, in our programs, and on our website. This year's
sponsorships go toward [specific goal].

The one-page sheet attached has the details. The deadline for the season
banner is [Date].

Could I stop by for ten minutes next week, or would a quick call be easier?

Thank you,
[Name]
[Phone]

In-Person Script

Most sponsorships close in conversation, not by mail. The sponsorship chair visits during a slow hour, asks for the owner or manager, and keeps it under five minutes.

"Hi, I'm [Name]. My [son/daughter] is in [Program] at [School Name], and
I'm with [Club Name], the parent booster club.

We're putting together our sponsors for the [season], and I thought of
[Business Name] because [reason: families shop here, you sponsored last
year, a parent recommended you].

Sponsorships start at $250. You'd be recognized at every home [game/concert],
in the program, and on our website, in front of about [number] local families.
This year it's paying for [specific item].

Here's a one-page sheet with the levels. Is this something you'd consider?
Who else should I talk to about it?"

If yes:     "Great. Which level fits? I can take a check today or send an
            invoice. I'll need your logo by [Date]."
If maybe:   "Can I follow up on [day]? The banner deadline is [Date]."
If no:      "Thank you for hearing me out. Would you consider an in-kind
            donation instead, like a gift card for our raffle or food for
            a volunteer night?"

Before offering raffle prizes as an alternative, the board confirms raffles are legal for the club in its state. See Booster Club Raffles.

The Follow-Up Schedule

Most sponsor commitments come after the second or third contact. A follow-up schedule keeps the pitch from dying after the first letter.

After the Sponsor Says Yes

The pitch is not finished until the sponsor sees the recognition delivered.

1. Invoice and receipt within 48 hours (treasurer). Business sponsors usually want an invoice for their records; the acknowledgment letter states what the club provided.
2. Collect the logo in a high-resolution format, with the business’s preferred name and web address.
3. Deliver every promised recognition on time: banner, program, website, announcements, social posts.
4. Send a fulfillment report at the end of the season: photos of the banner in place, a copy of the program page, a screenshot of the website listing, and a sentence on what the sponsorship paid for.
5. Ask for the renewal at the same time, before the business sets next year’s budget.

Fulfillment and renewal email

Subject: Thank you from [Club Name], your [Season] sponsor report

Hi [First Name],

Thank you for sponsoring [Program] this season. Attached are photos of
[Business Name]'s logo on the stadium banner and the program page.

Your sponsorship helped pay for [specific item]. [One sentence on the result,
e.g. "The new tubas played at all 11 performances, including the state
marching festival."]

We'd love to have [Business Name] back for [next season]. Renewing sponsors
keep their banner position if they confirm by [Date]. Can I put you down?

With thanks,
[Name], [Club Name]