7 Tools to Master Your Sponsor Program

Sponsors make a big difference for your race’s bottom line and success. And, you have a lot to offer your sponsors – visibility, in-person interaction with a key audience, and sales.

The only drawback to this win-win situation is just how busy you and your team are with race operations, participant support, marketing, permitting… etc.

Software helps simplify sponsor management, streamline communication, and can even augment the value you offer your sponsors. Race Entry’s software does both of these things in a few distinctive ways with seven features:

Online Sales
Invoicing
Automated Renewals
Mass Mail
Automatic Sponsor Promo Codes
Sponsor Promotions
Automated Logo Placement

Simplify Sponsorship Sales

1. Online Sales

Let sponsors purchase a sponsorship online – you don’t even need to have a conversation for someone to decide to become a sponsor. Of course, retaining your sponsors year after year hinges on establishing a strong relationship, so you’ll still want to call them with a thank you message and to see if they have any questions.

Set open and close dates for sales. You’ll also determine who pays the online fee. When you add a category, you can opt to sell that category.

As soon as sales open, there’ll be an automatically created page with all of the details of each sponsorship category you’re selling online. People can click the sponsorship category they want, and then they’ll complete payment.

Your marketing page will also include a link to your online sponsor sales page. It’s also automatically added as soon as sales open.

2. Invoicing

Sponsorships can be greater than $10,000. Since costs are so high, some prefer to pay via check to avoid a fee. Race Entry’s system makes it easy to create and send invoices to sponsors opting for check payments.

You’ll add your sponsor in the backend. Once you’ve filled out all of the information, you’ll select “Add Paid Sponsor”.

Then, you’ll see the page below where you can create and send an invoice to that sponsor.

You’ll notice the option to “Add Free Sponsor”. This button is useful if you’re doing a sponsorship trade for services from a sponsor.

3. Automated Renewals

It’s so much easier to keep sponsors coming back year after year than it is to find all new sponsors each year. You can easily start this conversation by turning on automated renewals.

When you turn on this feature, your sponsors will receive emails inviting them to renew their sponsorship.

Streamline Sponsor Communication

4. Mass Mail

Communicating race day or expo day details with your sponsors matters. It’s easy to send emails to sponsors by category from Race Entry’s mass mail.

Using the mass mailer keeps everyone’s contact information private and makes it easier to upgrade your email design.

5. Automatic Sponsor Promo Codes

One key offering in some sponsorships is booth space either at the expo or at the finish line. Some races offer a few free race registrations.

With Race Entry’s software, you can automate promo code creation and sending. When you set up your sponsorship categories, you can include a promo code. You’ll set the rules for how your promo code works. Once you save, any sponsor you add or who buys that category online will get an email with unique promo codes.

So, there’s one more thing off of your list.

Enhance Sponsorship Value

6. Sponsor Promotions

Some of your sponsors may offer special deals to your participants. You can highlight these promotions automatically on a webpage. This page is automatically created and linked on your marketing page.