Although sponsorship proposals are not really grant proposals, many grant writers are asked to create these proposals as well. I described the differences between the two in Chapter 4.

The following proposal is for a fictional bicycle ride-a-thon to support the local AIDS service organization. Other than this short letter and one page giving the specifics the marketing director will want to know, the only enclosures would be no more than three press reports and one sample of a printed item from a previous year’s event showing prominent sponsor credit.

It’s particularly important not to bulk up sponsorship proposals with extraneous information. They won’t be looked at. There’s very little here about this agency’s good works because the good works are not the point. The agency’s reputation and the audience it can deliver are the selling points.

Note that at the end of the fact sheet I’ve given the overhead rate for the event. This isn’t something you’d ordinarily have to do. Big fundraising events such as this, however, have been criticized in the press for the low percentage returned to the charity (sometimes as low as 20 percent). By letting them know that 75 percent of the money raised goes to the charity, I’ve averted a potential concern before it’s raised. A budget is not enclosed with this initial request but would be supplied on request from the company.