Sponsorship & Fundraising
Investing in our sport to ensure on-going quality Athletics experiences for all children who love to participate.
Discover a range of funding opportunities and resources to supplement your centre’s operating budget and support Little Athletes in their sporting journey.
Sponsorship
Sponsorship is when a business supplies funds, resources, or services to a centre in return for some exposure within the community and association with the centre that can benefit the business commercially.
Securing sponsorship is not only a great way to support your local centre in delivering quality Athletics experiences, it is a great opportunity to strengthen community connections and form mutually beneficial partnerships.
Be prepared and consider your centre’s sponsorship needs for the year to come - financial or contra.
Identify opportunities for potential sponsors - e.g increase their sales, brand awareness.
Consider the centre’s image and position in the community and which local businesses may align.
Establish a sponsorship policy to clarify expectations and standardise the centres approach to all agreements made.
Draft a list of potential sponsors and consider any connections your committee or members may have.
Obtaining Sponsorship
Once you have prepared a strong sponsorship proposal, begin with reaching out to your committee, membership, friends, and relatives. Someone personally linked to the centre may have connections to, or may own a local business that would like to become a sponsor.
Also consider reaching out to the centres suppliers, such as uniform, sports equipment, or canteen food suppliers.
Alternatively, research local businesses who align with your centre's image and values, or approach larger organisations who may have more resources to contribute. Making contact with the correct representative, with the authority to accept a sponsorship deal is recommended to improve the chances of success.
Submit a professionally presented sponsorship proposal, consider utilising the sample sponsorship letter and/or proposal below.
Communicate clearly the unique opportunity for the sponsor. Avoid presenting them with a problem.
Sell it by utilising your centre’s relevant data. Think attendance figures, nature of your audience, records of previous activities and events, and positive media coverage.
Be definite about what your centre requires from the deal. If it’s money, travel, uniforms, or equipment, outline this clearly.
The goal is to establish and maintain positive, long-lasting relationships with sponsors to add value, credibility and save time in the long run.
Regular acknowledgement of the sponsor and their contributions can be via centre announcements, centre newsletters, social media posts, or thank you letters.
Regular progress reports documenting the sponsorship outcomes and positive impact it is having on the centre, event, or athletes should be sent to the sponsor (include photographs where appropriate).
For more on sponsorship check the Office of Sport website
Coles Banana Donations
Since September 2017, Coles has donated over 2.5 million bananas to help little athletes run, jump, throw and grow.
Over 450 Little Athletics centres across Australia have benefited from Coles banana donations and we are delighted that Coles will continue to donate to centres and at state and national events this season.
Centres must provide a physical delivery address in order to receive a Little Athletics Banana Redemption Coupon Book. Please ensure you have registered your updated delivery details with your affiliated state or territory.
Due to the restrictions throughout NSW, Coles Banana Donations are on hold at this present time.
Fundraising
Fundraising is the art of attracting funds for specific projects or centre activities. In many cases, centres may need to consider raising additional funds at some point in time and for some smaller centres, fundraising may seem like a never-ending problem. There is always an extra piece of equipment needed or uniforms to replace and the centre committee may be reluctant to simply raise registration or membership fees.
We would suggest that you first check on the ‘LANSW Centre Hub’ Facebook group for any equipment offerings that may be shared between centre committees, or seek advice on how to get creative in raising extra funds. Find additional tips and ideas below!
Top Tips for Fundraising.
It is best practise to delegate a Fundraising Sub-Committee to coordinate logistics
Clearly communicate with the public the specific need or project your centre is raising funds for. Individuals tend to respond better if they can see a specific purpose for their contributions
Have the Treasurer of the Sub-Committee prepare a budget showing projected results, which can be compared with actual results to evaluate the outcomes and success of the fundraising project
Keep accurate records relating to the fundraising project for transparency
Australian Sports Foundation (ASF)
The Australian Sports Foundation (ASF) was established to assist sport and recreation organisations to fundraise for a sporting initiative. The ASF is the only mechanism which allows for donations to sporting clubs and organisations to be tax deductible for the donor.
Sporting organisations of any size can list their fundraising project on the ASF website and then direct members or supporters to that page.
To create a fundraising initiative or for more information click here to visit Australian Sports Foundation Website Page.
Click the button below, to download the Australian Sports Foundation Information Flyer.
Click the button below, to download the Australian Sports Foundation’s Fundraising Toolkit at the link below for further guidance in this area.