Sponsorships are a great way to increase revenue for your club. But how do you go about getting new sponsors? Or convincing your current sponsors to stay on for another year?

1. Come prepared with numbers – Make sure you know how many members your club has and how many eyes will be on the sponsor’s logo or ad each week. If a sponsor knows 200 people will see their ad every weekend at the pool, they’ll be more inclined to pay for a sponsorship than if you say to them, “ummmm… it seems like there are a lot of the people at the pool on Saturdays….”
   • For example, a gold level sponsorship is $500. If you’re pitching a real state agent, that price is merely a portion of selling one single house. With their gold-level sponsorship, 300 people will see their ad each weekend. Over the course of a year, all they have to do is capture 1 sale to make it worth their while.
2. Come prepared with more numbers – Do a little recon about the sponsor. How much is a pizza pie? How many would they need to sell to pay for the sponsorship? How much is a tooth cleaning? How many new clients would they need to acquire to pay for the sponsorship?
   • For example, a silver level sponsorship is $250. That’s 21 pizzas. With a link to their pizza shop on the pool’s check-in app and the pool’s website, 21 pizzas (especially if they deliver to the pool) is nothing. Easily worth the sponsorship price.
3. Know who the decision makers are – If you’re planning an email campaign to get new sponsors, make sure you’re contacting the right people. If you’re going to call or visit local businesses, make sure you’re talking to the decision maker.
   • For example, if you’re trying to get a dentist to sponsor your pool, contact the dentist, not the front desk staff. If you’re trying to get a pizza shop to sponsor the pool, contact
     the owner, not the delivery boy. If you’re trying to get a landscaping company to sponsor the pool, contactthe owner, not the guy who cuts your lawn.
4. Know your audience – You know your members better than we do. Are mosquitos a problem in your area? Get a mosquito spraying company to sponsor your pool. Do your members tend to cut their own grass or hire a landscaper? Maybe a landscaping company isn’t a great sponsor if none of your members are inclined to hire that type of company. Does your pool hosts lots of adult parties? Maybe target a local brewer who supplies kegs for your parties. Does your pool mostly sponsor kid-friendly parties? Maybe you skip the local brewer.
5. Let them know that their sponsorship is more than a banner at the pool – The days of a plastic banner hanging on the fence are gone. Sure, you may still choose to use the banner, but sponsorship on a Pool Dues site is so much more. Sponsors are shown on the Member Check-in app, and members can click on their logo to call them or visit their website.
6. Make sure your potential sponsors (and your current sponsors) know they can sign up online – You Pool Dues site allows sponsors to directly sign up on your website making it super easy for everyone involved.

As your club thinks about approaching potential sponsors, be ready with a sales pitch. We can’t tell you which type of businesses are best for your club, but here are some of the most common types of sponsors for neighborhood swim and tennis clubs:

• dentists
• orthodontists
• pizza places
• coffee shops
• real estate agents
• restaurants (especially ones that will deliver to the pool)
• local brewers or bars (especially ones that supply beer for your adult parties)
• mosquito sprayers
• landscapers
• vets
• tutoring companies