Sponsorship ask letter

Fill in the form and the letter writes itself as you go: warm, specific and honest about what a small business really gets. Copy it, print it, or take it in by hand.

The letter follows our guide to asking a business for sponsorship. It never calls the money “tax deductible”: that depends on the business, and saying so as a selling point makes owners trust you less.

From you
To the business

Warm asks work best. “My daughter plays in the under-12s with your son” beats any sponsorship pack.

The ask
What you’re asking for

A small, specific ask is easier to say yes to than a big package.

What they get

Only tick what you can deliver, and prove afterwards.

The details

Your letter

Subject: Sponsorship for [your group]: [what the money is for]

Kia ora there,

I’m [your name] at [your group].

We’re raising money for [what the money is for], and we’re asking a few local businesses we know to help.

Would [business name] consider sponsoring us for $500?

In return, here’s what we can honestly offer:

  • A thank-you by name at our event or prize-giving
  • A thank-you in our newsletter (we send it ourselves and never share families’ details)
  • Thank-you posts on our social media, with a screenshot of the reach afterwards

To be straight with you, the value is mostly community goodwill rather than advertising reach, and we’d rather say so up front.

On tax, we can’t give advice. Sponsorship is usually deductible only when it’s linked to promoting your business, and even then it reduces your tax by your tax rate rather than the full amount, so please check with your accountant.

Afterwards we’ll send you a short report and photos of what your support paid for. A no is completely fine, and thanks for reading this.

Ngā mihi, [your name] [your group]

Keep a list of who you’ve asked

One shared spreadsheet stops two parents asking the same café in the same week. Business, contact, who asked and when, what you asked for, their answer, what they gave, and whether they’ve been thanked.

Who we’ve asked (.xlsx)With a summary of yeses still to thank

Privacy: These contact details are only for this fundraising. Keep the file to the people doing the asking, and don’t add anyone to an email or text list unless they’ve said yes to it. Privacy rules for fundraisers

More free tools

* General fundraising information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Money figures are examples and estimates, not promises. Check current official requirements before you commit. About this guide