How to Get Corporate Sponsorships for Your Cheer Booster Club

If you’re part of a high school cheer booster club, you are probably used to doing a lot of math. Will this fundraiser be enough for new uniforms? If each club member raises this much, can we hold an awards dinner? How much would new equipment cost? Expenses quickly add up when they’re multiplied by 10-20 members. If you’ve been hosting cheer fundraisers but can’t seem to get ahead, it may be time to consider seeking corporate sponsorships.

What is a Corporate Sponsorship?

A corporate sponsorship is a business arrangement in which a company gives a booster club money, products, or services in exchange for promotional benefits, such as its logo on banners, uniforms, programs, or social media posts. Unlike a donation, a sponsorship offers the business visibility and goodwill in the community.

Corporate sponsorship means a business supports your club by contributing in some way. While your usual cheer fundraisers offer goods for a price, and donations are given without “strings attached,” corporate sponsorships are a bit different. Your corporate sponsors will be expecting something in return for their support of your group. Don’t let that discourage you! You may find it’s easier to agree on these benefits than you think.

There are two main forms of support. With a cash sponsorship, a business makes a direct financial contribution, while an in-kind donation is when a company provides products or services, such as printing, food, equipment, or venue space, at no charge to your organization. An in-kind donation can be just as valuable as cash because it directly lowers your club’s expenses.

What Do Businesses Get Out of Sponsoring a Booster Club?

Sponsors aren’t only being generous; sponsoring a local team is smart marketing. Spelling out these benefits in your pitch makes it far easier to get a “yes.” Common sponsorship benefits include:

• Local visibility to a built-in audience of families, students, and fans at every game and event.
• Community goodwill and a positive brand reputation for supporting local youth.
• Social media exposure when your club tags and thanks them online.
• Logo placement on uniforms, banners, programs, and your website.
• A potential tax deduction (see the tax section below).

Who Can You Ask to Sponsor Your Organization?

Start with people you know. You don’t have to be afraid to ask people you know for sponsorships. You’d be surprised who can contribute to your high school cheer booster club. Even if your friends or family can’t be a sponsor, they may know someone else who can! Getting the word out can be just as important as finding a sponsor right now.

Begin by asking local businesses. Many local companies love an opportunity to give back to the community, especially when it involves young people. You’ll want to prepare a pitch. This is the perfect opportunity to boast about the organization you’re working with. Whether you’re representing the high school cheerleading team or the debate team, you can talk about why the group is important to the special young people that it’s made up of.

Some national businesses are also open to sponsorships. Although it may seem a bit daunting at first, there are plenty of companies that want to be involved locally. These businesses usually have criteria you’ll have to follow, so be sure to do your research.

Don’t overlook matching gift programs: ask the parents and supporters where they work. Thousands of companies will match an employee’s donation dollar-for-dollar, which can instantly double what your club raises.

How Do You Ask a Business to Sponsor Your Cheer Booster Club?

To begin closing the gap between budget and actual spending, you’ll need to prepare a sponsorship proposal. Your proposal maps out why these businesses should support you.

A strong sponsorship proposal usually contains:

• A story: start by talking about a couple of highlights your organization has accomplished. Or create an even deeper emotional connection by telling the story of someone that your group has helped before or the impact it has made.  If your booster club has a mission statement, include it.
• Describe what your booster club does: tell potential sponsors about your group. Your volunteers help young people by hosting fundraisers, seeking sponsors, and allocating the funds to team needs.
• What benefits can you offer? This may not be very easy for your group to answer, but you can get creative to make it fit your group and your sponsor. If your potential sponsor is a cupcake bakery, you can promise to sell their cupcakes at your cheer fundraisers. This provides visibility for their products to the entire student body.
• Don’t forget to ask for the money! Businesses are busy, so they’ll likely forget and won’t have time to call you later to ask how much you’d want. Make it easy for them by preparing a list of giving options.

Not in the proposal, but an important step: follow up! Businesses probably aren’t going to write you a check on the spot. You’ll have to follow up with a call. Whether they can sponsor your team right now or not, you can thank them for their time. Be gracious regardless of their answer; there’s always next year!

What Are Typical Booster Club Sponsorship Levels?

Offering tiered sponsorship levels (also called sponsorship packages) makes it easy for a business to choose how much to give, and shows exactly what they get in return. A simple structure for a booster club looks like this:

Tip: keep amounts realistic for your local businesses, and always list what the sponsor gets next to the price.

Are Corporate Sponsorships Tax Deductible?

Usually, yes. If your booster club is a registered 501(c)(3), a business can typically deduct a sponsorship as a marketing or charitable expense. There’s one catch: the IRS treats payments as a “qualified sponsorship” only when the business receives recognition, not advertising. This means that your group’s mention of the business cannot mention the price of their products/services, cannot provide an endorsement, and can’t include promotional language or comparative claims. Crossing that line turns recognition into paid advertising, creating unrelated business income for your club.

Provide every sponsor with a written acknowledgment (and a receipt for in-kind donations describing the item(s) and that no goods or services were exchanged). Tax rules vary, so encourage sponsors and your treasurer to confirm details with a tax professional.

How Do You Keep Sponsors Coming Back Year After Year?

Landing a sponsor is only half the job. Retaining sponsors is cheaper than finding new ones. Keep the relationship strong by:

• Thanking them quickly (within a week) in writing and on social media.
• Delivering what you promised, then sending proof (photos of the banner, social media post screenshots, event attendance).
• Staying in touch through the off-season, not only when you need money.
• Inviting them to a game or event as your guest.
• Reaching out early next year with a simple renewal offer.

Frequently Asked Questions