Sponsorship is one of the important elements that keep our sport going. they play a vital role in growing and uplifting everything to do with sport.
From time to time to time or season to season, sporting codes are always on the run to and fro in search of sponsorship.
This search, most often futile, soon makes sporting codes understand that only a handful of organizations are keen to invest their hard-earned money into sport events.
For those who invest in sport and those who are reluctant, the concern is always whether they will get a return on investment.
Where sporting codes manage to secure a sponsor, they soon realise that as difficult as it is to secure sponsorship regardless of what form it comes in. It is even more difficult to keep and sustain it.
In most cases, once these sponsorships elapse, after what is usually a season or two, the sponsors do not renew, mostly due to failure by sporting codes to nurture and sustain them.
This often leave many unanswered questions, primary among them being, ‘what do sport codes need to sustain sponsorships, which are mostly difficult to come by?’
Marumo Morule chairperson of the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) says there are a few elements that can be useful in harnessing a relationship with sponsors.
Among these, he says, are understanding the terms and conditions, respecting agreements, engaging with the sponsors and appreciating the value added.
“Terms and conditions are very important and need to be understood when securing a deal, partnership and even sponsorship,” Morule explains.
“Both parties should work to fulfill all the terms. It should not be one side but all parties should play their part equally.”
The BNSC board chairman says sponsors always have good intention and after all they may be at the risk of losing more than the sporting code being sponsored.
He says in most cases, the focus is mainly on the sport receiving the sponsor leading to the sponsor being ignored.
The sponsor maybe obtaining milage of popularism and if they get negativity it is easy to pull out and very much impossible to retain them.
“Sporting codes should always keep one thing in mind, population size and number of spectators to a certain event plays a vital role on obtaining a sponsorship. Which may add value to their packaging strategy,” he advices.
“And again, the biggest mistake we tend to make is that we secure sponsorships from similar companies which may suffocate them and later failing to secure any sponsorship,” Morule says.
To help sporting codes, Morule says as part of the BNSC’s national agenda, they will in future engage sporting codes on issues of funding, marketing and sponsorship.
He says the intention is to give them the rightful skills to sustain and keep any sponsorships they may attain.
“For all that the sponsors do, they only require their product and services to be spread across the country,” the BNSC Chairman explains.
“As a beneficiary, your job is to create mutual beneficial content, tell their story, show results through return in investments, be honest and above all show gratitude to the sponsor,” he advices.
On the contrary, sharing the sponsors product or service is an easy way to provide benefit.
Above all, a little gratitude goes a long way; just like each and every person, organization like to feel appreciated.
“Alongside the gratitude offered, as a receiver of the sponsor always show results to your sponsors. Present an analytic package that showcases your success, surely this way a sponsor will stick around for a little while than expected,” he concluded.
He says the trick is to be obedient, committed, consistent, creative, purposeful and above all, grateful when dealing with a sponsor.
