How to Get Sponsors for Your Charity Sporting Event or Tournament Fundraiser
Securing sponsors is one of the most important—and often most intimidating—parts of planning a successful charity sporting event or tournament fundraiser. Whether you’re hosting a pickleball tournament, golf scramble, or cornhole competition, local businesses can provide essential support to help cover costs, elevate the event, and amplify its impact. The key is knowing how to approach them, what to offer, and how to make it easy for them to say yes.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you plan, pitch, and secure sponsorships with confidence.
Create Packages Strategically
Before you start asking for support, be thoughtful about how you structure your sponsorship opportunities, and know that there are a few ways to do it. Consider the appetite for support in your community and the types of businesses that might want to be involved. Perhaps it makes sense to offer a small number of top-tier sponsorships at relatively high price points. Alternatively, it might make sense to offer a large number of lower-dollar sponsorships, so more organizations can be involved.
Consider including a team or two in sponsorship packages, so sponsoring organizations have an opportunity to actually play in the event itself. Price at least a couple sponsorships so the cost feels like a small step up from buying a team alone, but includes added value—like logo visibility—plus one or two team entries, making the package feel like a better deal than just registering as a team.
As you’re mapping our sponsorship tiers, you may already have a few businesses in mind: Start jotting them down in a sponsorship ask worksheet to keep notes and information in a central document, which will save time later. Collaborating within a worksheet also allows you to delegate specific asks to individual committee members, then gives you an easy way to ensure accountability for asks and follow-ups in future committee and planning meetings. Remember that people are busy, and getting a sponsor from a verbal yes to an officially committed sponsorship purchase may take a couple reminders.
Leverage Relationships
Start by asking your board, planning committee, or event ambassadors who they know. Businesses are far more likely to say yes to a sponsorship when there’s already a personal or professional connection. Think about businesses that align with your event and with its demographics—local realtors, gyms, insurance agencies, restaurants, and others with shared audiences are often great fits.
Professional and personal relationships are often a great place to start when it comes to canvasing for event sponsorships.
Prioritize your outreach based on likelihood of success. If you can secure one or two solid sponsors early, that momentum often builds. Be sure to highlight each sponsor on your website and on social media—it signals credibility and can help convince others to join in.
Do Some Prep Before Asking
Before reaching out to a business about sponsoring your event, do a little homework:
Have they supported your organization or similar events in the past?
What price range do they usually operate in for sponsorships?
Who’s the right person to talk to (perhaps someone in marketing, PR, or community outreach)?
Getting to the right decision-maker is critical. Use any personal connections to get a warm introduction, but make sure you’re talking to someone with the authority to say yes.
Convey Clarity & Credibility
Sponsors appreciate clarity. They want all the information they need laid our clearly and concisely, plus an easy way to take action. This makes the right materials important to your ask. Start with an event website that outlines what your fundraiser is for, who it benefits, and what participants can expect. Make it easy for sponsors to view available packages and even purchase their sponsorship quickly and easily on the spot. The fewer steps, the more likely they are to commit.
It’s also helpful to have a flyer or one-sheet for in-person meetings or follow-up emails. Keep it simple: sponsorship levels, benefits, and a QR code linking back to your event site. Again, you want to make it as easy as possible for sponsors to pull the trigger on supporting and make a purchase.
Finally, equip your committee with short talking points—quick blurbs they can use to describe the event, its impact, and how sponsor dollars will be put to good use.
Don’t Forget About In-Kind Support
Some businesses may not be in a position to write a check—but they’re happy to donate goods or services that can make your event shine. This kind of in-kind support can make a huge impact by helping keep costs low and overall proceeds high.
Think about what your event needs:
Food and beverages
Courts, facilities, and/or venue space
Sporting good and equipment like paddles, nets, and balls
Supplies like stakes, signage, tables, tends, and tape
Services like photography or music
Print services for signage and banners
Swag items like koozies and stickers
Custom-printed shirts and other apparel
In addition to keeping costs down, this kind of support also gets more people involved, helping you spread the word and gain more and more traction. Plus, businesses that contribute in-kind donations can still receive shoutouts, signage, or inclusion in your sponsor list—making them feel like valued partners.
Raffle or auction items (gift cards, service vouchers, promo bundles) are also great ways for businesses to get involved. Remember: You’re offering sponsors value by providing exposure, access to a captive audience of potential customers, and a chance for them to try a product or service. It’s a win-win—providing visibility for their brands, while also adding additional fundraising opportunities for the event.
Delegate, Divide & Conquer
When it comes to prospecting potential sponsors and making asks, keep in mind that you don’t have to do it all yourself. In fact, you shouldn’t. Lean on your board members, committee, and volunteers to help with outreach. For some, it won’t feel like a chore—it’s a chance to network, build relationships, and feel more connected to the cause. Make sure everyone has the tools and talking points they need, then divide your prospect list and start the outreach.
Quick Tips for Approaching Potential Sponsors
Ready to make the ask? Here are a few quick tips to keep in mind:
Start with a warm, local connection. Reach out to businesses that already support your community.
Be clear about why. Explain what the fundraiser supports and the impact of the sponsorship.
Offer multiple options. Give businesses flexibility to support at a level that works for them, including various price points and in-kind options.
Show what’s in it for them. Think signage, social posts, website placement and backlinks, and direct engagement with attendees.
Make the ask personal. Use names, reference their business, and be specific in what you’re requesting.
Provide a one-sheet or link to sponsorship packages. Help them understand their options quickly.
Make it easy to commit. Provide clear calls to action and an easy way for interested sponsors to purchase packages and teams.
Be open to in-kind support. Goods and service vouchers are often easier for some businesses to give.
Offer shoutouts and signage. Public recognition adds value for sponsors and helps them feel appreciated.
Follow up. Many sponsorships happen on the second or third ask.
Say thank you. Send a post-event photo, impact update, or shoutout to close the loop.
Relationships for the Long Haul
Asking for sponsorships can feel daunting—but with the right plan, the right tools, and the right team, it gets easier. Sponsorships not only help fund your event, they connect your cause to the community and create meaningful partnerships that can last for years.
Save yourself some time and get your event off on the right foot. RecDay makes it simple to plan and execute charity sporting events with built-in tools for building, listing, and selling sponsorship packages, showcasing sponsor logos and support, and more. Of course, it saves time and coordination resources on other event logistics too, like registration, payment processing, bracket management, and more. Whether you're running your first tournament or scaling up a signature event, RecDay gives you everything you need to make it happen.
