All-Star Sponsor Letters

[cheermommy0729]

The only way my little cp is going to be able to cheer this year is to get a sponsorship or 20 lol. No really I don't need one for the full amount but we do need some help. I need tips on good letters etc. Should I have her go in person(with my of course, she's only 7) and hand them to people? What types of people/businesses do you ask? Thanks in advance!!

 

[Goosepatrick]

Re: 2010-2011 Tax Deductible Donation
We created the letter below and mailed it to every family and local small businesses in town.

Dear _________________________________,

I, _________________________________, am a member of the 2010-2011 All-Star cheerleading squad for X Gym Cheer. In addition to our budget, I am fundraising to assist in the costs of being a part of a first class cheerleading program.
Any donations I receive will go directly to many of the costs of cheerleading including; Uniform, warm-ups, shoes, competition fees, coaching fees and traveling expenses.
Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated. No dollar amount is too small.
If you are willing to participate, please fill out the bottom half of this letter and return it with your donation to the address indicated below. Again, we are grateful for your support!

The XXX Booster Club, that supports XX Cheer, is a not-for-profit 501©3 organization, which means any donation you make is tax deductible. (Please keep this portion for your tax records)
Donation Date: ____________ Donation Amount: $_______________
Donor’s Name: _____________________________________
Donor’s Address: ___________________________________


I, __________________________, would like to make a donation in support of, _________________, a cheerleader in the X Cheer program.
For the amount of (check one) ____$5 ____ $10 ____$15 ____ $20 ____ $25 ____$50 ____ $100
Other in the amount of ______
Please make your tax deductible donation payable to XX Booster club and mail to the address below.

 

[Cheermommy3]

Our gym has a letter for us to give to people. People ask all different kinds of businesses. There are always hair salons, dentists. I have heard about furniture stores and mechanics giving sponsorship money. Ask any family member to see if their job will give a donation! Good luck!

 

[cheermommy0729]

Thank you very much!! Do you include pics of your cp? Is that over the top?

 

[Goosepatrick]

I inserted my cp's picture at the top of the letter. When we went to businesses, I had her dress up in her gear and present it to the manager.

 

[SandeRae]

I think the letter is a great idea! You could submit that but also put a small letter about your cp and her personality and how this sport has really helped her, her accomplishments, etc. A picture is great too! I think a little personalization always helps people decided wether or not this is a cause they would want to sponsor and it helps with learning about what they are donating too. Good luck!

 

[oldcheermom]

Besides including a photo of my daughter in uniform printed on the letter, we included an addressed, stamped envelope, just to make it easier for those wanting to donate. We also sent thank you notes to those who did donate. We received donations from my tax accountant and the business who put new carpeting in our house!

 

[jcheermom]

My CP does sponsor letters every year and usually does a very good job getting support. She does a separate letter for family and friends and then for the businesses that we patronize. We begin each year with a list of those who have sponsored her in the past and include them in the list for this year, but try and think of new sponsors that can be added. The letter goes on the gym's letter head-I make copies, and her gym has a sponsor letter explaining what being a sponsor means (ie how much it costs to be an all-star cheerleader and how their sponsor donation will help) so I include this with her own personal letter.
In her personal letter, she talks about herself and what her last season of cheering was like and then gives a run down of what her competition season will be like this season. She then explains that by being her sponsor, their donation will assist her with the expenses for competition fees, travel expenses, and uniform and apparel costs, and how much she would appreciate their support.
She thanks them in advance (she will also send out personal thank you cards when she gets notified that she has received a donation) and explains how they can donate online or how to send their donation to the gym to be entered in her account to be used for gym-related fees. I include a picture of her, either with the letter, or sometimes when I make copies of the letter head I take a picture and make a stationary-type of paper out of it by copying a picture of her in her uniform on the paper and make color copies. She mails the ones for family and friends and those patrons we have visited recently, but will personally hand them out to new ones. Examples of sponsors she has received donations from are doctor, dentist, hairdresser, councilman, labor union-my husband's, insurance agent, local pizza joint, local merchants like t-shirt/embroidery store, local bars, local restaurants, city athletic departments, small mom and pop shops-basically take a look at small shops that would sponsor a local baseball team; they are your best bet.
Sorry this was so long-I guess I should have done this with a PM, but now others can see how she goes about receiving sponsors for her cheer expenses. GOOD LUCK!!

 

[proudcheermomma]

Thanks for starting this thread u read my mind..we r going to have to try to get some sponsorships this year for sure. Thanks u all for the info. Good luck to all of us.

 

[5-6-7-8]

Question about sponsorships...

When you get them, does the money go to a pool or is it for each individual athlete? Does all of the money go to a non-profit booster club so the sponsor gets a deduction?

I would love to look into this but at the moment our gym doesn't do sponsorships for individuals. (but what a great lesson for my CP to be mote involved.)

 

[cheergirlbrey]

. "Technically" there are no such things as individual accounts in accordance of IRS regulations, just have to put that out there. With that being said I definitely like them for families that fundraise their buts off.

Now from being on both the receiving and asking end of donations, providing the EIN number upfront is not always a good idea. I have often seen people saying they donated once they have that info when indeed they did not. My former employer was famous for that. It works best when you furnish it with the thank you letter.

 

[jcheermom]

Question about sponsorships...

When you get them, does the money go to a pool or is it for each individual athlete? Does all of the money go to a non-profit booster club so the sponsor gets a deduction?

I would love to look into this but at the moment our gym doesn't do sponsorships for individuals. (but what a great lesson for my CP to be mote involved.)

 

[jcheermom]

 

[cheermommy0729]

thank you all so much!! We have tryouts Saturday and I am going to get on this Sunday. She makes her First Communion Sat too so it is going to be a crazy weekend. I am keeping my fingers crossed we can pick up enough to offset her fees by half each month. She needs a new uniform too but we can sell her old one and buy a used one so that's not a huge deal

 

[Seeker30]

by any chance does anyone else have sponsor letters laying around?