Sponsorship levels and names
Sponsorship levels give companies a clear choice: a few packages at different prices, each with more visibility than the one below. Most nonprofits and clubs offer three to five levels. Fewer than three leaves money on the table; more than five makes the choice harder and the benefits harder to tell apart.
Names should show the order at a glance. Metals are the most common, but names that fit your cause are easier to remember:
| Style | Example level names, highest first |
|---|---|
| Metals | Presenting, Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze |
| Community | Champion, Partner, Supporter, Friend |
| Sports club | Title sponsor, MVP, All-star, Team player |
| Arts and music | Conductor, Soloist, Ensemble, Encore |
| Environment | Redwood, Oak, Maple, Seedling |
The builder suggests prices that rise in even steps from your lowest to your highest level and rounds them to amounts that look deliberate, such as $1,000 or $2,500. Benefits add up from level to level, so every step up is worth more: more tickets, a bigger program ad, a booth, and for the top level a speaking slot or the “presented by” title.
What to include in a sponsorship proposal
A sponsorship proposal answers the sponsor’s questions before they ask them: who you are, who they will reach, what they get and what it costs. A good sponsorship proposal template has these parts:
- Your organization and mission in two or three sentences.
- The event or program: name, date, place and what happens there.
- The audience: how many people you expect and who they are. Sponsors buy access to an audience, so be specific and honest.
- Sponsorship levels: a table with level, price and benefits.
- Next steps: the date you need a decision by to include the sponsor in printed materials, and who to contact.
Spring Benefit Concert: sponsorship opportunities · Riverside Youth Orchestra
Saturday, May 15, 2027 · Riverside Performing Arts Hall · about 450 families, music lovers and local business owners
Presenting, $10,000: speaking slot; premium booth or table location; 10 event tickets; full-page ad in the event program; large logo on the website, signage and emails; 4 thank-you posts on social media
Gold, $3,750: booth or table; 8 event tickets; half-page program ad; logo on the website, signage and emails; 3 thank-you posts
Silver, $1,250: 4 event tickets; quarter-page program ad; small logo on the website, signage and emails; 1 thank-you post
Bronze, $500: name listed in the event program; name on the website, signage and emails; 1 thank-you post
Please confirm by March 15, 2027 to be included in all printed materials. Contact: Elena Morales, Development Director, sponsors@example.org
Keep the proposal to two pages. Photos from last year’s event and one or two numbers about your impact help more than long text. The Word download lets you add both.
Sponsorship letter template
The proposal shows every option; the sponsorship letter asks one company for one of them. A personal letter to a named contact works much better than a general “Dear sponsor”. Name the level you are asking for and why it fits the company, list its benefits, give the reply date and offer to talk.
Choose the company, the contact and the level in “Contact and request letter”, and the builder writes the letter with the benefits of that level. Send it with the proposal attached, and follow up by phone a week later. Our guide to the sponsorship request letter has more examples.
How to build sponsorship packages
- Know your audience. Count last year’s attendees, email subscribers and social media followers, and describe who they are.
- List what you can offer. Logo placement, program ads, tickets, booth space, speaking time and social media posts. Only offer what you can deliver.
- Set the price range. Start the lowest level at an amount a small local business can say yes to, and the highest at what your biggest supporter could give.
- Build three to five levels. Give each level more benefits than the one below, and name the levels so the order is obvious.
- Write the proposal and letters. Download the proposal, write a short personal letter for each company, and send them three to six months before the event, which is common practice so sponsors can plan their budgets.
- Deliver and report back. Thank sponsors on the day, then send a short report with photos and numbers. It is the best start for next year’s request.
Qualified sponsorship vs. advertising
For a tax-exempt organization, the difference between a sponsorship and an advertisement matters. A qualified sponsorship payment is a payment for which the sponsor gets no substantial return benefit other than the use or acknowledgment of its name, logo or products. It is not unrelated business income. Publication 598 explains the rules.
| Acknowledgment (sponsorship) | Advertising |
|---|---|
| Name and logo of the sponsor | Qualitative or comparative language: “the best hardware store in town” |
| Address, phone number and website | Price information or other indications of savings or value |
| Value-neutral descriptions of the product line | An endorsement |
| Brand names and slogans without comparisons | An inducement to buy, sell or use a product: “visit us today” |
Other benefits, such as event tickets or booth space, have a value of their own. If they are more than insubstantial, only the part of the payment above their fair market value is a qualified sponsorship payment. Ads in a regularly published periodical follow separate rules. Before you sell ads in your program or newsletter, ask your tax adviser how they affect your unrelated business income and Form 990-T.
Frequently asked questions
What are typical sponsorship levels for a nonprofit event?
Three to five levels, from a small entry level a local business can say yes to, up to a presenting or title sponsor. Common names are Presenting, Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze, but names that fit your cause work as well.
How do you price sponsorship packages?
Start from your audience and your budget. Set the lowest level at an amount small local businesses can afford and the highest at what your biggest supporter could give, then spread the levels in between. Check that the benefits grow with the price, and compare the price per attendee reached with other ways sponsors could reach the same people.
What should a sponsorship proposal include?
Your mission, the event or program, the audience with numbers, a table of levels with prices and benefits, the reply date and a contact. Keep it to two pages and add photos from past events.
What is a qualified sponsorship payment?
A payment from a business for which it receives no substantial return benefit other than the use or acknowledgment of its name, logo or product lines. Qualified sponsorship payments are not unrelated business income. Advertising, such as comparative claims, prices or calls to buy, is different and can be taxable.
When should you send sponsorship requests?
Common practice is three to six months before the event, and earlier for large sponsors whose budgets are set a year ahead. Set the reply date so you can still print the sponsors’ names and logos.
Sources
Last reviewed October 30, 2026. Figures as of October 30, 2026.