Guides › Charities & Community
Pitch a local business to sponsor your cause
Turn what a company says publicly about its community work into a tailored sponsorship pitch, a meeting plan and a one-page offer.
When to use it
Before approaching a business for sponsorship or support
Step by step
Read what the company has published
Look at the business's own website, community or sustainability pages and company LinkedIn posts. Note the causes they say they support and any staff volunteering or gift-matching schemes they mention.
Shape the pitch
Paste your notes and your sponsorship options into your AI assistant with this prompt.
Prompt to copyI'm a fundraiser at [charity] approaching [business type and name] for support. What they say publicly about their community priorities: [paste notes from their website and posts]. Our work: [summary]. Sponsorship options we can offer: [paste packages and what each includes]. Create: 1. Three reasons this partnership fits them, based only on what they've published. 2. A 150-word first email to [role, e.g. marketing manager] asking for a short meeting. 3. A meeting plan: 5 questions to ask about their goals, how to present 2 options, and how to handle 'we don't have budget'. 4. Text for a one-page offer sheet. Also suggest non-cash options like staff volunteering or gift-matching.Design the one-pager
Put the offer text into a Canva template with your logo and a strong photo, and save it as a PDF to send after the meeting.
Follow up and log it
Send a thank-you after the meeting and note the outcome and next step in your sponsor tracking sheet.
What you get
Fit: Their site says they focus on youth employment in the town; our mentoring scheme matches 40 young people a year. Email opener: I saw your team volunteered at the Spring Clean last month... Option B: £1,500 sponsors a term of mentoring, with logo on materials and a team visit day.
Tips
- Use only what a company has chosen to publish; never buy data or collect private details about individual staff or donors.
- Check any claims about tax relief or gift-matching with the company and a qualified adviser rather than promising outcomes.