How to Build an Effective Sponsorship Submission Process
Understand the key information to gather in a sponsorship submission form to simplify evaluations and make smarter decisions to maximize ROI.
Published at: Updated at:A well-structured sponsorship submission form acts as a central tool for collecting all the necessary information from applicants. With the right form in place, you can streamline the evaluation process, save time, and maximize ROI from your sponsorship budget by scoring each proposal against predefined criteria. This article covers the key information organizations should collect, examples of form fields we use at Touchstone™, and tips for placement and accessibility.
What is a Sponsorship Submission Form?
A sponsorship submission form is a web-based tool that large brands and organizations use to simplify the management and evaluation of the numerous sponsorship proposals they receive. These forms are typically placed on or linked from the organization's website, usually on the sponsorship or community investment page. From there, requesters can submit their sponsorship applications based on predefined fields that the organization wants to collect.
What Information Should Your Sponsorship Form Collect?
To effectively evaluate sponsorship proposals, your form must be designed to capture the most important details from applicants. A comprehensive and user-friendly sponsorship submission form ensures that your team gathers the necessary information to make informed, data-driven decisions. The form should include the following key fields:
Requestor Details and Organization Background: Capture the applicant’s contact information and provide insight into their organization’s mission, history, and audience.
Project or Event Overview: Ask for a detailed description of the project or event, including its purpose, timelines, and key objectives.
Proposed Sponsorship Levels and Benefits: Request specific details on the sponsorship packages being offered, along with the associated benefits for your brand.
Past Sponsorship Performance: Encourage applicants to share case studies, testimonials, or metrics from previous partnerships to demonstrate their credibility and track record.
Placement Tips: Position this form, or link to it, on your website’s sponsorship or community investment page. Include clear instructions and make the form accessible across devices.
Examples of Sponsorship Form Fields
At Touchstone™, we understand that the foundation of effective sponsorship management lies in collecting comprehensive, structured data. A well-designed sponsorship submission form ensures that applicants provide all the information needed for a thorough and fair evaluation. Here’s an example of the type of data we collect through our platform:
Section 1: Sponsorship Opportunity Overview
Field | Description |
|---|---|
Opportunity name | A clear identifier for the proposal. |
Type of opportunity | Nature of opportunity, e.g., event or league. |
Executive summary | Overview of the opportunity and its purpose. |
Frequency | Indicate how often the opportunity occurs. |
Media reach | Define the scope, such as Local or International. |
Experience | Number of years the opportunity has been active. |
Annual operating budget | The total operating budget for the opportunity. |
Media channels | Channels used, e.g., TV, radio, or social. |
Media plan value | Total dollar value of the annual media plan. |
Current sponsors | Lists sponsors, level, and years involved. |
Location & timing | Venue, dates, and geographic location. |
Opportunity category | Category type, e.g., sports or sustainability. |
Section 2: Audience Insights and Demographics
Field | Description |
|---|---|
On-site audience | Estimate the total number of attendees. |
Social media following | Total follower count across platforms. |
Email database | Specifies if an email list is available. |
Newsletter | Indicate if the opportunity has a newsletter. |
Demographic insights | Target audience details like age, income. |
Section 3: Sponsorship Package Details
Field | Description |
|---|---|
Sponsorship level | Specifies requested sponsorship level. |
Financial commitment | Annual monetary amount being sought. |
Sponsorship assets | Applicable assets like media, rights, & support. |
Section 4: Value Proposition
Field | Description |
|---|---|
Social media links | Links to social media profiles or handles. |
Authentic integration | Shows alignment with brand & its values. |
Supporting documents | Allows upload of files or resources. |
The tables above provide a general idea of the key information needed to effectively evaluate proposals, particularly when managing a high volume of submissions. The main goal of your sponsorship submission form is to collect enough details to accurately score and evaluate proposals.
The more data you collect, the easier it is to identify sponsorships that best align with your brand and provide the most value. By gathering this level of detail, organizations can streamline evaluations, save time and resources, and ensure each sponsorship aligns with their strategic goals.
How to Automate Sponsorship Form Submissions
Automation can transform the way organizations manage sponsorship submissions by simplifying the process, reducing administrative tasks, and speeding up evaluations. A research study by Salesforce found that automation is increasingly seen as a valuable complement to the workplace. Over 90% of surveyed employees reporting increased productivity and 85% noting improved team collaboration thanks to different automated tools.
Implementing automation doesn’t have to be complicated—here’s how you can get started:
Online Forms: Use web-based forms to capture and organize submissions.
CRM Integrations: Leverage tools like Salesforce or HubSpot to centralize data, track submissions, and streamline communication with applicants.
Sponsorship Management Software: Platforms like Touchstone™ offer advanced features like AI-powered proposal scoring, automated responses, and centralized databases to enhance the process.
Note: Using a standardized sponsorship form ensures that all applicants provide comparable information, making it easier for brand & sponsorship managers to review and evaluate proposals against your organization's predefined criteria.
How Touchstone™ Improves Sponsorship Management
Our platform was designed to simplify and enhance the sponsorship management process. We work closely with our clients to create custom sponsorship submission forms tailored to their organizational goals. These forms include predefined criteria that align with your objectives, ensuring you collect the data most relevant to your decision-making process.
Once the form is designed, it’s integrated into a custom sponsorship page on your website, seamlessly connected to our platform. This page serves as a single point of entry for all sponsorship proposals, offering access directly from your brand's website while reflecting its identity and tone.
Features: Touchstone™ simplifies the way organizations handle sponsorship requests. Learn more about our sponsorship management tools here!
Benefits of Using Touchstone™ for Sponsorship Submissions
With our sponsorship management platform, you can easily create and launch a custom sponsorship submission portal on your website. Here's some of the benefits of using our platform:
Customizable Landing Page Design: Maintain a professional look with branding that reflects your organization’s identity.
Automated Proposal Review and Sorting: Streamline evaluations with AI-powered scoring tools that prioritize proposals based on your criteria.
Automated Responses: Save time with pre-set responses for approvals, rejections, or follow-ups.
Centralized Database: Keep all submissions organized and easily accessible in one place.
Touchstone™ combines all the essential tools needed to allow applicants to submit proposals, enable your team to manage sponsorship requests, measure and maximize sponsorship ROI, and much more—all within a single platform.
Conclusion
A comprehensive sponsorship submission form is the foundation of effective sponsorship management. By gathering detailed, standardized information upfront, you can streamline evaluations, make informed decisions, and maintain fairness in your process. Implementing these strategies not only simplifies your workload but also enhances the experience for applicants. With tools like Touchstone™, you can streamline your process, foster stronger sponsorships, and achieve impactful results for your organization.
Maria Fernanda Valverde Font is a Sponsorship Senior Consultant, Analytics and Insights at Lumency, a global sponsorship marketing consultancy trusted by leading brands like PepsiCo, Nestlé, and Canadian Tire. As a sports marketing specialist, Maria creates impactful campaigns that empower people and help brands and non-profits achieve their goals. She contributes her expertise to shaping Touchstone™, Lumency's innovative sponsorship management platform. Passionate about sharing her knowledge and experience, Maria helps brands craft tailored strategies that drive meaningful results.
