Sequence template · 4 steps over 16 days

Asking companies to sponsor a specific event

For NGOs seeking sponsors for one named event: a four-step sequence that sends the sponsorship deck as a tracked offer and follows up on what was read.

Goal. Sponsorship commitments for one named event from companies with a local or thematic link

Step 1Day 0, campaign start

Subject {{event_name}} in {{city}}: a sponsorship question

Hi {{first_name|there}},

On {{event_date}} we are running {{event_name}} in {{city}}. It brings together people who care about {{cause_area}}, and {{company}} came to mind because of your presence in the area and the work you already support.

We are looking for a small number of sponsors, each with a distinct role at the event rather than a logo on a wall.

The sponsorship deck is here: {{offer_link}}. It is short and shows the packages and what each one includes.

Would you be the right person to discuss this, or could you point me to them?

Send the deck as a tracked offer link, not an attachment, so you know whether it was opened and which pages were read before you follow up.

Step 2Day 4

Subject Re: {{event_name}} in {{city}}: a sponsorship question

Hi {{first_name|there}},

Rather than leave the whole deck with you, one package seems the most natural fit for {{company}}: the one that puts your team in front of attendees in person, not only in print.

If that sounds relevant, I can hold it until you have had a chance to decide internally.

If budgets for this year are already committed, say so and I will note {{company}} for the next edition instead.

Narrow the choice to one package. If the offer stats show a particular package page was read longest, name that one instead.

Step 3Day 9

Subject What sponsors of {{event_name}} actually get

Hi {{first_name|there}},

Sponsors sometimes ask us what they get beyond visibility, so here is the honest answer for {{event_name}}: a place in the programme, a way to meet the people attending, a report afterwards with what happened and who came, and a partner that says thank you publicly and means it.

If the deck at {{offer_link}} raised a question I have not answered, reply with it and I will answer directly.

New subject, new angle: what the sponsor receives. Useful for readers who opened the deck but did not get to the packages.

Step 4Day 16

Subject Re: What sponsors of {{event_name}} actually get

Hi {{first_name|there}},

The programme goes to print before {{event_date}}, so this is my last message about sponsorship. If {{company}} would like a place, reply and I will send the agreement the same day.

If not this time, thank you for considering it, and I hope to see someone from {{company}} on {{event_date}} anyway.

A real deadline, stated once. If there is no print deadline, say what the actual cut-off is or leave the sentence out.

Use this sequence for one event with a date, a place and a small number of sponsorship packages. It does not work for general fundraising, because every step refers to the event. The deck goes out as a tracked offer link in step one, and the follow-ups are written so you can adjust them to what the reader actually looked at.

Who to put in it

Companies with a reason to care: they are based in the city, they serve the people who attend, or they have supported the same cause before. Inside each company, the head of marketing, the community or CSR lead, or in a smaller firm the owner. One or two people per company is enough; if both open the deck, the company card shows you that, and one reply from either stops the sequence for that person.

What to change before sending

Upload the deck as an offer, copy the personal link into offer_link for each row, and keep the document short. The golden rules of sending offers and proposals explain why a PDF that reads well on a phone matters here; sponsorship decisions are often first read on one. Rewrite step two around your real packages, and in step four replace the print deadline with whatever your actual cut-off is. Do not invent one.

How to read the replies and when to stop

Before step two sends, look at the offer stats for each company that opened the deck. Reading time per page tells you which package held attention, and what proposal analytics tell you is the longer version of how to read that without over-reading it. If a company read the deck twice, or a second person from the same company opened it, that is the moment for a personal message rather than the next scheduled step.

A reply asking for the agreement is a yes; send it and remove them from the campaign. “Not this year” is a Maybe later: tag it and put them in next year’s list. No open at all after step three usually means the wrong person; try a colleague with a fresh row rather than extending this one. Stop when the packages are taken, and pause the campaign the same day so nobody receives an offer for a place that no longer exists. Timing of the follow-ups against reads is covered in when to follow up on a proposal based on reads.