Event creators typically create multiple event sponsorship levels to fit various sponsor needs. Some sponsors may be able to participate at the highest level, while others may want to contribute in different ways like food, tech, or furnishings. By giving potential sponsors choices, you increase your chances of securing their support.

What are sponsorship levels?

Event sponsorship levels give your potential donors options to choose from. The benefits coincide with the particular sponsorship level. For example, one bracket of sponsorship might involve the use of branded cups or hanging banners. Virtual events can also display the sponsors’ logos at specific points.

Virtual and hybrid events expand how event creators can add value to sponsorships. Along with displaying brand logos, adding push notifications and video rooms for demos and networking are a few ways you can communicate the package’s value to the sponsor.

Pros & cons of offering different event sponsorship tiers

Potential sponsors are familiar with tiered sponsorship. The different options and price points help them decide whether or not it’s something their corporation is interested in. It’s also a simple concept to understand: at a gold tier level the sponsor would expect certain benefits, but they know they’ll get fewer benefits at the silver level, and so on.

Pros

Some of the benefits that event planners receive by offering different sponsorship tiers include:

Cons

The cons of offering different sponsorship tiers can include:

Virtual events are also popular, creating the need for new and creative benefits, but only some organisations see the value in sponsoring a virtual event. Virtual events can be difficult to create tiers for since there is typically limited signage and swag.

How to create attractive sponsorship levels

Sponsorship levels can have downsides, but the advantages typically outweigh any potential negatives. The key is to create attractive sponsorship levels that appeal to everyone.

Setting separate sponsorship levels

Setting different sponsorship levels helps your sponsors get more visibility and makes it easier for everyone involved in the event to track their ROI.

An excellent tip to follow is to look at your overall fund-raising goal and set the sponsorship levels to meet at least half. For example, if you’re raising £100,000 for the event, your sponsorship goal should be in the £50,000 or higher range. Your top sponsorship tier can be around £15,000 to £20,000, so you can meet your financial goal.

Naming them appropriately

While there’s nothing wrong with sticking to tried-and-true tier names like platinum, gold, silver, and bronze, event planners may want to get creative.

You often have more success attracting sponsors when the tier names reflect the event’s theme. Events centered on raising money for schools can create tiers with words like scholar, author, essayist, and contributor. An event focused on gardening could name its tiers after different flowers.

Getting creative with the tier names is an effective way to generate interest in your event.

Picking sponsors wisely

It’s tempting to accept any sponsor interested in supporting your event. However, being a little picky with your sponsors is a good idea. You want every aspect of the event to work seamlessly, and this includes the types of sponsors. For example, you probably don’t want to display advertising from a meat-packing plant if your event focuses on animal rights. It can send the wrong message to attendees and result in potential conflict.

As you’re planning the event, create a list of sponsors that could be a great fit. Sending out custom emails with sponsorship information is an effective way to generate the correct type of support.

Addressing your sponsors’ needs with sponsorship levels

Creating sponsorship tiers makes it easier to address individual donor needs. One sponsor may want to give away free products, while another would prefer to include a CTA on your marketing materials.

Discussing your donors’ needs helps ensure they receive value from supporting your event. It also takes out a lot of the guesswork when creating the various sponsorship tiers.

Providing additional benefits to sponsors

Your sponsorship levels should include distinct benefits for the donor, whether an organisation, individual, or family. Some ideas include:

Marketing opportunities

Event benefits

Don’t be afraid to get creative with your benefits. It’s also a good idea to arrange the gifts according to tier level. For example, you likely won’t offer a bottom-tier donor the opportunity to become a co-chair. This premium benefit is best reserved for top-tier donors.

Customisation

Customising your sponsorship packages will take some extra work. It would help if you determined which benefits interest your potential sponsors, and this often requires research. Prepare your sponsorship proposals several months before the event. Both you and your sponsors need time to prepare.

How to improve upon your sponsorship levels

For event creators, figuring out your sponsorship strategy can be a crucial milestone, as it determines your event’s budget and marketing strategy. Here are some ideas on how to improve your sponsorship levels.

Tiered pricing could limit sponsorship interest

As Larry Weil – better known as the Sponsorship Guy – puts it, “In some industries, packages work. For some events, it’s what people have grown to expect. But if you’re in a new, innovative space with many variables, don’t do it.”

That’s because most successful companies – and potential sponsors – value innovation and adaptability, making tiered sponsorships too limiting. Chris Baylis, President and CEO of The Sponsorship Collective, worries that sometimes “sponsors don’t want to buy benefits they don’t need, so forcing them to choose between arbitrary levels may mean you’re leaving money on the table.”

One way of integrating some variation into the tiered concept is by offering a little customisation. Former vice president of Goodwin Group PR JoJo Gutfarb agrees, “Let sponsors know you can create something exclusively for them. If you don’t, you’re throwing money away.”

Offer options

If you’re considering ideas for alternatives to tiered sponsorships, try giving potential sponsors a menu of benefits to choose from. List your sponsorship assets by activation type – branding, on-site, samples, experiential – to help sponsors quickly understand your event’s potential.

By providing more options, you let your sponsors choose what works for them and leave out what doesn’t. This may result in smaller deals at first, but it can ultimately build bigger sponsorship deals as well as longer-lasting partnerships with more valuable sponsors.

Some experts still suggest providing a baseline value to help the sponsor determine if the opportunity is feasible for their budget. But Baylis thinks it’s better to avoid this: “When you truly understand your attendees and have created sponsorship opportunities that perfectly align with your prospect’s objectives, a menu will open the door to sponsors. Leaving the price off forces them to contact you,” he advises.

Examples of event sponsorship levels

Whether you are creating custom sponsorship invitations or fliers (you can include the event invitation in the leaflet), be sure to outline the sponsorship tiers and included benefits.

Here’s an example of a sponsor leaflet that you can easily update to fit your event:

Event title: 30th Annual Houston Family Shelter Black Tie Gala

Title Sponsor: £20,000

VIP Sponsor: £10,000

Presenting Sponsor: £5,000

Excellence Award Sponsor: £2,500

Silver Sponsor: £1,000

Bronze Sponsor: £500

Partner Sponsor: £300

These are just examples of the various sponsorship levels. Remember, with the tier names and included benefits, you can be as creative as you’d like.

Scale for success

Creating sponsorship levels takes time and effort. Do the research to determine benefits that are attractive to potential donors. And don’t be afraid to get creative with the benefits and tier names.

When you are ready to start planning your event, Eventbrite has the tools you need to simplify the process. Check out our step-by-step guide to getting sponsors to learn more about attracting donors to your next event.