How to Secure Fundraising Sponsorship By Grade Level

Fundraising sponsorships provide your school with an opportunity to strengthen your relationship with your community while offsetting costs and allowing you to raise even more funds. These sponsorships also give the local businesses you team up with invaluable advertising opportunities, making the partnership a win-win for everyone involved. So how do you get started? Read on to learn more about what types of sponsorships are available and how to find the right fit for elementary, middle and high school students.

In this blog you will learn:

• Types of fundraising sponsorships available.
• Elementary school sponsorship opportunities.
• Sponsorships for middle school fundraisers.
• Fundraising sponsorships that work for high school students.

Types of Fundraising Sponsorships

There are a variety of ways that your school can partner with local businesses. As you begin to plan out your fundraiser, identify the specific needs you may have and how a local business could support you in a sponsorship role.

Give a monetary donation.

This can be a direct donation to cover overall costs of your fundraiser or a specific amount to pay for a decided upon portion.

Provide a service.

You can also reach out to local businesses that offer a particular service. This could be serving up food for an event or printing up marketing material, there are lots of options!

Donate resources.

Similar to offering a service, businesses can provide resources you may need in exchange for a sponsorship opportunity. For example, if you are hosting a festival, consider reaching out to a company that rents out bounce houses.

Fundraising Sponsorships for Each Age Group

Because elementary, middle and high school students are at very different stages in their lives, school fundraising tends to look different for each age group. This means that the type of fundraising sponsorship you are offering to local businesses will also look different. Finding the right fit for both is the key to success!

Elementary School Students

Students at this age are highly motivated and eager to participate in activities. Many families are also looking to connect and get to know other parents and students. These factors make this age group ideal for event based fundraisers! Here’s the top ways to secure fundraising sponsorships for elementary aged students.

• Event day t-shirts. Custom shirts are a great way to build up the excitement for a fitness fundraiser such as an outdoor Fun Run or indoor Glow Run. Reach out to businesses in your community and offer to put their logo on your shirts in exchange for them covering the cost. You can even put multiple businesses on your tees!
• Resources for a festival. Hosting a spring fling or fall fest? Brainstorm different types of resources businesses in your area could donate to turn up the fun. A local art studio can host a booth offering a craft or a gym can bring in equipment to create an obstacle course, get creative!
• Sponsor your entire event. Whether you are hosting a fun family gathering or a field day, there are lots of opportunities for fundraising sponsorships to cover your costs. From signage and banners featuring your sponsors’ logos on the big day to shoutouts on social media and emails when you are getting the word out about your event, you can offer businesses valuable exposure. Tier your opportunities to bring in more than one sponsor and you could end up with zero costs and 100% profit!

Middle School Students

Middle schoolers are finding their independence and exploring their interests. This age group appreciates a friendly challenge, rewards and the opportunity to be more in charge of the process. Fundraisers such as a car wash or product sales are excellent ways to tap into these qualities and let students run the show! Check out these tips to score a fundraising sponsorship at this age group. 

• Provide food for an event. If you’re planning an event based fundraiser, reach out to local food trucks, pizza places or bakeries and ask them to provide concessions, giving them exposure to potential new clients!
• Featured items for raffle baskets. Whether you're hosting a raffle on its own or as part of a larger fundraising event, asking local businesses to donate items and gift cards will allow you to fill up your baskets without breaking the bank. This is an excellent fundraiser to offer tiered opportunities as well. For example, you can give your top three highest donors key advertising space on your marketing material leading up to the raffle.
• Donate a portion of proceeds. A fundraiser such as a plant sale or restaurant night requires a local business to give your cause a substantial monetary donation. When pitching to the business, sweeten the deal by laying out all the ways you will get the word out about their business beyond the sale. For example, the restaurant could become the proud sponsor of your monthly newsletter or have their logo live on your website.

High School Students

This age group is busy with extracurricular activities, academics and part-time jobs, leaving them strapped for time. Fundraisers for high school students generally focus more on the sports teams, clubs and groups that they are involved in rather than school wide initiatives and tend to be sensitive to their time constraints. Here’s how to get sponsors and raise even more for your teams and groups.

• Sponsor uniforms, equipment or individual  games. A logo on the back of sport’s jersey secures advertising space for a local business all season long. That’s super valuable! You can also offer ad opportunities to raise funds for a new score board or other equipment. You can even offer fundraising sponsorships at individual games with a shoutout on the loudspeaker!
• Donate toward an event. From providing an actual space for your event to giving your group funds to make it happen, there are many sponsorship opportunities you can offer businesses. If you are a theater group getting ready for opening day, a company can sponsor your show and score a logo spot on your tickets. Maybe your art club wants to raise funds for a field trip. Reach out to a local company to sponsor an art show in their space.

Fundraising sponsorships are an excellent opportunity for schools and members of the community to come together and raise funds to enhance the lives of their students. Schools get the crucial funds they need while local businesses gain exposure to new clientele, making the partnership a win-win for everyone involved!