Sponsorship advice!

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danyellashlee

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Hi, I am currently looking for some kind of sponsorship. I have recently received a BSJA membership for Christmas and after looking into how much classes cost and transport fees etc. I have decided that I need some sort of sponsorship to help me, whether it be financial or help with equipment or food etc.

I have a 15hh throughbred x welsh mare who I currently compete up to 1m with. We have had some really good results this year which was the reason my mum decided to buy me the BSJA membership as I have been told at numerous times throughout the year that I should really be jumping affiliated because of the potential that my horse has.

I have entered lots of sponsorship competitions this year and never seem to have any luck. Does anyone have any advice on companies I can approach or does anyone know of anything that I could do to get some sort of backing?

Thanks in advance.
 
danyellashlee said:
Hi, I am currently looking for some kind of sponsorship. I have recently received a BSJA membership for Christmas and after looking into how much classes cost and transport fees etc. I have decided that I need some sort of sponsorship to help me, whether it be financial or help with equipment or food etc.

I have a 15hh throughbred x welsh mare who I currently compete up to 1m with. We have had some really good results this year which was the reason my mum decided to buy me the BSJA membership as I have been told at numerous times throughout the year that I should really be jumping affiliated because of the potential that my horse has.

I have entered lots of sponsorship competitions this year and never seem to have any luck. Does anyone have any advice on companies I can approach or does anyone know of anything that I could do to get some sort of backing?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Sponsorship is not about what THEY can offer YOU.

You actually have to be able to provide something in return too.
 
Yes, what NMT said... What they offer you is based entirely on what you can offer them. Which is mostly promotion via social media.
 
Get out and get noticed for all the right reasons.but you do have to remember there are hundreds of people doing the same thing and have been doing it for longer. Sponsorship is incredibly hard to come by, if you are lucky your local tack shop/feed store may sponsor you but this will usually be with a couple of bags of feed or a saddle cloth.
Personally I would get out there and have fun, always be immaculately turned out, have great manners don't have strops and set an example. If it doesn't get you sponsorship it will still make you a better person.good luck.
 
If someone's going to sponsor you they want to get their money's worth out of it.
So, for example, you need to be getting your picture in H&H or other magazines, have thousands of followers on a blog or social media page etc or similar.
If you're just having a go at a few competitions then in the nicest way possible a sponsor won't really get much out of it.

When you see lower level riders with sponsorship, they usually have contacts with the company.

So get out there, get some good results, which will get your picture and name out and about, then try again. :)
 
It is all about what you can offer the sponsor but some sponsors have different reasons for sponsoring.
Last year i under took sponsoring a younger rider and by sponsoring i mean i provided the horses, paid the rider, paid the trainer, paid all bills [livery & vet], provided all equipment, transport and any fees.
My aim was to get the horses out jumping so my daughter could have an easier transition from pony's and have a constant stream of horses with some mileage behind them.
It started really well but unfortunately the rider lost interest in the riding preferring to instruct.
Needless to say we have parted company..
 
DavidP said:
It is all about what you can offer the sponsor but some sponsors have different reasons for sponsoring.
Last year i under took sponsoring a younger rider and by sponsoring i mean i provided the horses, paid the rider, paid the trainer, paid all bills [livery & vet], provided all equipment, transport and any fees.
My aim was to get the horses out jumping so my daughter could have an easier transition from pony's and have a constant stream of horses with some mileage behind them.
It started really well but unfortunately the rider lost interest in the riding preferring to instruct.
Needless to say we have parted company..
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Wow, what an amazing deal for the rider, while also providing what you wanted out of it! Such a shame the rider lost interest as there are hundreds who would jump at the chance of such generosity!
 
danyellashlee said:
Hi, I am currently looking for some kind of sponsorship. I have recently received a BSJA membership for Christmas and after looking into how much classes cost and transport fees etc. I have decided that I need some sort of sponsorship to help me, whether it be financial or help with equipment or food etc.

I have a 15hh throughbred x welsh mare who I currently compete up to 1m with. We have had some really good results this year which was the reason my mum decided to buy me the BSJA membership as I have been told at numerous times throughout the year that I should really be jumping affiliated because of the potential that my horse has.

I have entered lots of sponsorship competitions this year and never seem to have any luck. Does anyone have any advice on companies I can approach or does anyone know of anything that I could do to get some sort of backing?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Just to speak from the commercial angle as we are a feed company who is approached almost daily for sponsorship.

The advice given so far is excellent.

Remember you are looking to enter into a commercial relationship with a company which means you need to show your potential sponsor how much value you can provide. Think outside the box with this, you should clearly identify your true strengths and then 'sell' these strengths to the company. This won't be how good your riding is or how well your horse has gone this season, it will be more like how you can work with the company to build their presence in your local area.

Also often forgotten is to show loyalty to a brand before approaching them, talk about your great experiences in using their products. To become an ambassador for a brand you need to really believe in it first and this needs to shine through in any application or approach you make to a potential sponsor.

You may find this article I wrote on approaching feed companies for sponsorship useful: http://keyflowfeeds.com/8-top-tips-to-help-you-secure-a-feed-sponsor/

We normally spend our time in the advice section of Horse Care and Feeding Forum with Dr Dunnett but we saw your post and thought this advice may be of some help to you.

Good luck & have fun.
CWP
 
Continuity and commitment are key points.

Our company has looked to sponsor people. As the company is non-equine related we have to try that bit harder to prove to the tax man that it's legitimate, so we've taken our time over choosing someone.

A number of times I've had people in mind, watched them over the course of a few months, and in the end realized that whilst they talk the talk, and they do have the ability, they don't have the commitment.

Another point is it's a tough and competitive world. Our business isn't an 'exciting' one and whilst we wouldn't expect someone to light up like a Christmas tree when talking about it, they do need to show a bit of interest and know enough to discuss it on a social level.

From friends that sponsor, one successfully and one less so, it's about communicating with your sponsor - how to get your shows, classes and results known (including to the sponsor!); agreeing on when to compete - such as not competing an unsound horse or on horribly poor going.

Just a few thoughts for you. Hope they help :)

We've stepped back from sponsoring for now. We have a new product coming to the market and we might look again as this has both a commercial and a personal use.
 
miss_c said:
Wow, what an amazing deal for the rider, while also providing what you wanted out of it! Such a shame the rider lost interest as there are hundreds who would jump at the chance of such generosity!
Click to expand...

Absolutely miss_c I thought it was a win-win situation and as i said it started off really well. The young rider was great preparing young horses and jumping them up to a metre. She lacked good horses to go higher, combined with a lack of confidence hence I brought in an international level trainer, with the option of more.

I agree with MrsMozart concerning Continuity and commitment as key points, unfortunatly she lost both, as well as communication....
 
I do think people who have not been associated with high level sport underestimate what hard work having sponsors can be, especially if you're not already involved with an established business and/or sponsored by people to whom you already have a tie. I do know people who have what look to be, on the surface, very advantageous deals but in fact the company is owned by their family or similar and if they didn't take up the sponsorship it wouldn't be passed on to another rider "just because".

If you have a sponsor (or owners, for that matter) you are effectively an employee and need to behave accordingly. Just doing what you would be doing anyway and thinking you'll get the money just because you need it is not enough. What can you do for them? How can you get their name and product out there? How do you reflect their ethos/image? Why you and not someone else? How large a market will you meet? Is it their target market? A new one they might not have a foothold in now?

And, if you do agree, be clear on what this means. You may lose some autonomy on how you decide your schedule and you will have to do "extra" such as making up press packs or entertaining sponsors, so factor that in. What happens if your horse goes lame? If you get hurt? All these things need to be worked out in advance. Of course, if all you're getting is a saddle pad or a jacket they effort required will be commensurate but if you're looking for people to contribute cold hard cash you need to be able to say what they will get for their money.
 
I am currently producing some articles for my website (in order to increase traffic and my marketability to sponsors!) I am hoping to launch it next month with a few articles and training exercised. I have written one on looking for sponsorship which you may find useful.

http://shoestringeventing.co.uk/page67.html

Excuse the fact it is on an unfinished page but I had to take the links out to other unfinished sections. I expect there will also be some pictures soon! However it is very relevant to this thread.
 
Great article, S_J.

I think S_J also demonstrates another point - your own image. The thing you have to offer is "you" so make sure that any social media profile etc is creating the sort of image that sponsors will want to be associated with. That may seem boring and grown up but remember, most companies are owned by grownups!
 
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