Who Should You Target for the Sponsor Spotlight?

Before we get to the attributes of good Sponsor Spotlight candidates, let's talk about WHY we recommend these attributes.

When pitching the Sponsor Spotlight, we've found that we must get in front of the person who actually has the authority to make the decision and sign the check. Until we get in front of the decision maker, we are not able to secure the sponsorship.

With larger organizations, there's typically more "red tape" or "chain of command" that the decision maker needs to have cleared before making a contribution to a local booster club. Technically you could say that they're not the ultimate decision maker after all!

Whereas smaller operations are able to make those types of decisions without much oversight or approval from the higher-ups because they usually ARE the "higher-up".

So what we recommend is to find smaller, local businesses where you can more easily get in front of the top-most decision maker to make the presentation. If you can find one whose "Target Market" is well represented by the people on your team, then you're very likely to find success!

Without further ado, here are some guidelines (not a comprehensive list) to help get you thinking about who to approach for pitching the Sponsor Spotlight.

Your Team is their Target Market

Find a company who already tries to attract the business of people like your team (either the players or the parents). The more that your team's socio-economic demographic aligns with the Sponsor's, the more likely you are to secure their sponsorship. If the people they go after are the people on your team, they're going to want to hear your pitch!

Good Examples: High Demographic Overlap
Pizza Restaurant, Fashion Boutique or Adventure Outfitter, Automotive Service Center,

Poor Examples: Low Demographic Overlap
Microchip Manufacturer, Consulting Agency, Logistics Organizations

Locally-Owned Business

If we could choose the perfect setup for the Sponsor Spotlight, every Sponsor would be a locally-owned business. This builds support in the community exponentially because the local team is being supported financially and in turn the Sponsor Spotlight drives support to a local business.

Small(ish) Business

When seeking financial support, you always want to speak with the person who actually has the authority to make the decision and cut the check. In smaller companies (especially local), that decision-maker is typically more accessible simply due to the fact that there's fewer people in the organization.

Small businesses are everywhere, too! According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, 99.9% of businesses in the United States are small businesses (less than 100 employees) and 89% employ fewer than 20 employees. That means there are tons of potential sponsors to work with!

Nearby*

The best way your team can support its Sponsor is to do business with them. The best especially if they have a storefront or physical location. Businesses such as restaurants, retail stores, salons, automotive services, health and wellness services, medical professionals, and the like are excellent candidates to approach for Sponsorship. They can easily understand how increasing visibility of their brand while being in close proximity to your school can increase their foot traffic among your team.

*The "Nearby" suggestion doesn't really work well for other types of companies even if their office is located nearby… for example a marketing firm whose customers are typically other businesses, even though their office may be in the shadow of the school, they might not be as excited about the opportunity to get face time for their brand with your team.

This is by no means an exhaustive list but a primer to get you thinking about what kinds of businesses you could approach with the Sponsor Spotlight opportunity.