Your nonprofit likely uses various strategies to propel its fundraising and outreach efforts, with corporate support at the top of the list. The dedication of your for-profit partners to social responsibility often provides opportunities to move your mission forward.
One such form of support is event sponsorship, which is vital to hosting successful events that garner attendee support.
Spotlighting sponsors on your website is a great way to strengthen your relationship with them and encourage future support. In short, featuring sponsors on your website is a win-win for both your organization and its corporate partners. It shows appreciation for their support, boosts the visibility of their brand (and yours!), strengthens connections, and keeps the support flowing. Let’s explore the top ways nonprofits can use their websites to draw attention to event sponsors.
Place sponsor information strategically
Nonprofit website building requires strategic placement of different elements to ensure visitors find what they’re looking for and commit to supporting your organization before leaving the site. To display your event sponsors prominently on your homepage without overwhelming site visitors, be sure to:
Place logos above the fold. “Above the fold” refers to the area at the top of a webpage. Placing sponsor logos here ensures that they’re one of the first things visitors see when they land on your website. This immediate visibility increases the chances of visitors noticing your sponsors, which is essential for acknowledging sponsor support and building goodwill. This strategy also makes it easy for visitors to quickly identify any familiar sponsors, potentially encouraging them to explore further or participate in events supported by these sponsors.
Use rotating banners or carousels. Banners and carousels allow visitors to cycle through sponsors' logos, giving equal visibility to all of them without cluttering the homepage. These features also add a dynamic element to your homepage, capturing visitors' attention and encouraging them to stay engaged with your website. However, it's important to ensure that the rotation speed is not too fast to allow visitors enough time to view each sponsor.
Create a homepage section for sponsors. Establishing a dedicated section on your homepage specifically for event sponsors provides a centralized space where visitors can easily find information about your sponsors. This section can include brief descriptions or logos of each sponsor, along with links to their websites or more detailed information if applicable. Additionally, a dedicated sponsor section demonstrates your organization's commitment to recognizing and honoring the support of your sponsors, which can enhance your credibility and foster stronger relationships with both current and potential sponsors.
To ensure this information blends naturally with your homepage’s design, use a website template. Choosing a website template made for nonprofits is essential for seamlessly blending sponsor information with your site's design because it:
Fits nonprofit goals: These templates are built to showcase nonprofit activities like fundraising and volunteering, making them perfect for highlighting sponsors too.
Looks consistent: Nonprofit templates have a consistent look and feel throughout, including areas for sponsors. This makes your site look professional and trustworthy, which is important for attracting sponsors.
Offers ready-made layouts: Layouts designed for nonprofits make it easy to add sponsor sections without disrupting the site's flow. This ensures visitors can find sponsor information without any hassle.
Works on all devices: Nonprofit templates are often built to work well on different devices, like phones and tablets. This ensures that sponsor information looks good and is easy to access no matter how visitors view your site.
In addition to choosing a nonprofit-specific template, be sure to find one that’s easy to customize. You’ll need to adjust colors, fonts, and layout elements to match your brand while keeping the template's structure. This way, you can keep your brand cohesive across the website, including in the sponsor section.
Create a dedicated sponsor page
In the same way your website may already have pages dedicated to volunteer recruitment or ways to give, creating a page specifically to highlight your event sponsors can draw special attention to these supporters. Here’s how to effectively design and utilize a dedicated sponsor page:
Make it easy to access. Enhance the user experience by making your sponsor page easily accessible. This may include prominently displaying the sponsor page link on your website’s navigation menu or using a simple, memorable URL like www.yourwebsite.com/sponsors for easy access and sharing.
Provide comprehensive information. Provide detailed profiles for each sponsor, including links to their website. Also, share the details of sponsorship levels and the specific ways event sponsors helped out to showcase the impact of their support.
Incorporate clear calls to action. Using your sponsor page to encourage other potential sponsors to get involved is essential for sustaining and growing your event. Use direct and compelling calls to action like "Become a Sponsor" or "Join Our Sponsors" to prompt interested businesses to act. Then, make the signup process simple by including a contact form or prominent buttons so potential sponsors can easily get involved.
Providing a centralized and organized resource for recognizing the valuable contributions of event sponsors not only shows appreciation and builds strong relationships but also enhances the credibility and appeal of your event. A well-designed sponsor page serves as a public acknowledgment of their support, demonstrating transparency and gratitude. This recognition fosters a positive environment where sponsors feel valued and potential sponsors are motivated to contribute, knowing their support will be appreciated.
Use multimedia elements
The key to effectively advertising your nonprofit is engaging your audience. This means promoting compelling content via engaging content, such as images, videos, and infographics—and it applies to promoting your event sponsors, too.
Incorporating multimedia elements on your sponsor page enhances engagement and draws more attention to nonprofit event sponsors. This approach not only keeps visitors on the page longer (increasing sponsor exposure) but also demonstrates a commitment to benefiting both your event and its supporters.
Multimedia elements that will be especially effective for spotlighting your event sponsors include:
Quotes or testimonials: Share sponsors’ experiences of working with your nonprofit by incorporating direct quotes or testimonials on your website. Their stories and perspectives can help create a more profound emotional connection with website visitors. Additionally, consider sharing quotes from beneficiaries who were impacted by the sponsored event to draw a direct connection between your sponsors and your mission.
Videos: Short clips from sponsors or highlights of their contributions provide a dynamic way to showcase their impact. Take videos of the event, from setup to clean up, including short videos of sponsors talking about their excitement for the event. Then, combine these clips in a visually appealing way into one video and embed it on your event sponsors page.
Case studies: In-depth case studies demonstrate the effectiveness of your sponsor-supported events and can attract more potential sponsors. Be sure to include data on event sponsors’ donations and the amount of revenue generated from the event, as well as information about how that revenue was used.
According to Morweb, the best nonprofit websites provide valuable content that addresses the topics that visitors would be interested in exploring and inspires them to take action. When developing content to promote your event sponsors, first consider your target audience and what message you want to convey to these visitors. Then, leverage compelling multimedia elements to capture your visitors’ attention.
Your nonprofit’s website is a powerful promotional tool—not just for event sponsors, but for all of your organization’s initiatives! To use it effectively, focus on understanding your audience and crafting messages that resonate with their interests. Create valuable content that inspires involvement, and ensure clear calls to action are in place to grow your support.