Approaching sponsors

The “who” and “how” are two important things to keep in mind when it comes to reaching out to sponsors.

You’ll want to contact the right person (or persons) at the company, someone who can make decisions about sponsorships. (You can usually find this on the “about” or “contact” page of their website.) If you’re still not sure, check with someone in their administrative department.

Another thing to consider is timing. Some potential sponsors will already be familiar with TEDx and the TED brand, and others will have never heard of it before. So timing your approach should differ depending on how familiar the sponsor is. Many TEDx organizers have a staged approach that includes a letter, followed by a one-page project brief, followed by a phone call, followed by an in-person presentation of slides or a portfolio, ending with follow up phone calls and detailed discussions. The companies who are more familiar with TED may require less effort.

Either way, you’ll want to give yourself plenty of time to reach out to sponsors.

Here’s a sample letter you can customize and use when reaching out to potential sponsors:

Once you’ve made contact with your potential sponsor, it’s important to know the “what” — that is, what you want to communicate.

TED and TEDx speakers tackle humanity's toughest questions, attempting to answer them with innovation, enterprise and enduring optimism. Explain that your TEDx event is a place in your/their community that inspires people to change their lives, futures and, ultimately, the world.

If you’ve hosted a TEDx event before, look for stories that demonstrate how people have been positively affected by your TEDx event, whose lives have been made better by access to a broad spectrum of ideas. If you haven’t, look to the broader TEDx community to show them examples of what’s possible.

Talk to them about the community you’re engaging, and why they’re a remarkable group — open-minded, curious, intelligent and hungry to learn.

Get creative with communicating your vision for the event, the theme you’ve selected, and any speakers you’ve already nailed down or are planning to recruit. Equally important is communicating the anticipated benefits for the company. These may include:

It’s incredibly useful for sponsors to see a detailed plan of what the sponsorship might look like, including the value and what they will get out of partnering with your TEDx event. This sponsor package can include: