SPONSORS?

[Hockey_nut97]

As mentioned before in a previous post, my high school team is going to play at the nationals tournament in Downington Pa. We are looking to get a corparete sponsor. If anyone knows how to go about getting one, ill gladly take ur advice

[RichardGraham]

Hi Hockey_nut97,

I'm in the same boat, in a way. While you seek sponsors, I am searching for advertisers for Inline Hockey Central. Perhaps some of what I've learned will help you in some way. I hope so.

1. Have something to offer in return.
2. Take "no" for an answer and APPRECIATE the honesty inherent in that refusal.
3. Don't accept a "maybe" or an "I'll think about it." The people who say that are either lying, unable to ever make a decision, or not the correct person to be speaking to in the first place.
4. Don't waste time chasing down potential sponsors who tease you with the idea that PERHAPS they will support you. They're like the &$)*teasers you meet in high school. Avoid them at all costs.
5. Have integrity. Don't lower your standards to gain a sponsor that will eventually turn out to harm your team. Those types of companies are out there, believe me. They don't give a damn about inline hockey, only making a buck. They will fail, but they'll impress some people initially, just like a monkey's finger painting style will impress people who dislike modern art.

That's it for starters... when you run into brick walls, ask me again. :)

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[Hockey_nut97]

Thanks for the tip.
Right now we are gonna start at the big corporations and work down (Bayer, Heinz, PNC bank, Mellon bank, then to like WEndy's, Hoss's, and other local retailers).

[calihockey]

try small local companies. My old HS team did that. Between 2 car washes and sponsors we broke 1,000 bucks. It is hard work. You guys are not a well known name (no high school team really is), so it will be difficult to get a corporate level sponsor. that doesnt mean you shouldnt try. you may hit someone who is in a good mood and they my help. remember 20 local companies giving 50 dollars a piece adds up. you can do a program and sell ad space too. Trust me, I went through 4 years of high school roller hockey. Our school principal would not let us even wear our jerseys on game day until the Athletic Director stood up for us. Keep your head up and if you don't get any sponsorships, go out and fundraise till you drop.

[ChloroFiend]

My college team is in the exact same bind. Luckily, a few of the companies that our player's parent's work for have donated cash...2 companies gave $500 each. We are also working with a grocery store near the school....we are helping them build their garden center, as well as selling coupon books for $5, and we keep $3 of that. We're guessing we can pull in an easy $500 between both of those efforts, if not more. Lots of grocery stores will help fundraising efforts...i remember lots of teams at my HS bagged groceries for donations, that kind of thing. Car washes are wonderful fundraisers. You might check out www.crhl.net ....theyve got fundraising ideas there for roller hockey teams.

Good luck with everything,



-Jon "ChloroFiend" Gucinski
-Iowa State Roller Hockey