Start the letter by telling the prospective sponsor who you are. Do you represent an organization or club, or are you an individual entity? What activities are you as an individual or as a club involved in? Describe why you are contacting this company in particular. Explain why you think the company would be interested in sponsoring you. To generate interest, share briefly generic benefits such as greater awareness and goodwill that your sponsorship can bring for the company.
Describe your purpose in-depth in the body of the letter. To make this section effective, research the company first. You may be able to get information from friends or acquaintances working there. If not, visit the company website. Know about the company's products or services. Go through their mission and vision statements to understand their business objectives. You can quote their mission statement and explain how sponsoring your project can align them with their objectives. Find out about their social welfare activities; such information is usually under a "Philanthropy" or "Community" section. This section usually lists previous and current activities the company has sponsored, which can give many insights into the company objectives; use the information to back your proposal.
Be transparent. Explain the reason for undertaking the project and the people who will benefit from it. Explain how you are going to allocate sponsorship funds; for example, how much goes into equipment, event preparation, marketing and other expenses. Talk about your past and existing sponsors; provide the name of the company, activity sponsored and results achieved. A friend or acquaintance within the prospective sponsor company who knows your work and is supportive of your current project can add to your reference portfolio. Include a quote or two about what your sponsors think about you and your work. If this is your first sponsorship proposal, explain why you think the project will succeed. Include website links if you have any that explain your activities and benefits to people. Invite a representative from the company to a press conference or any other event that you are planning for creating awareness about the project.
Explain how the sponsoring company can benefit. Be specific. Offer to carry their logo on your stationery, brochures and websites and other marketing materials, which would generate substantial visibility for the company. Propose to work with the company's PR division to forward their reputation as a socially-responsible company. List other business values that your project can add.