Funding Your Group

Sponsorship

Certain companies are willing to support student groups through sponsorship, and in return for them supporting you, your group offers the company something in return. 

There are a few steps that go into entering a sponsorship agreement, and we can support you throughout the process.

Identifying Sponsorship

Some examples of businesses student groups secure sponsorship from:

• Local York companies

  • The majority of our groups are sponsored by businesses in the York community. Think about spaces that students actually use every day; Local pubs, bars, cafes or student housing companies. Many companies choose to sponsor based on active engagement and a cafe, bar or restaurant is somewhere you can physically take your membership too for socials or events.

• Companies that relate to what your group does

  • Some groups find success with companies that can provide something specific to their group, or that want to support a linked cause. For example, a sports club being sponsored by an equipment supplier, where the supplier agrees to offer the club a discount on equipment as part of the sponsorship package. 

• Graduate recruiters or corporate connections

  • Corporate sponsors like law firms, consultancy firms or national brands can be highly interested in student talent. However, corporates are often inundated with this type of request. It is worthwhile to ask your members if they have any existing connections with businesses, or friends/family they can approach. Some national organisations also run competitions for student groups to 'win' funds, so this is something worth looking out for too.

Aligning values: Prioritise companies that share the same values and objectives as your group. However, don't worry if a local business doesn't perfectly align, just focus on demonstrating how sponsoring you could be mutually beneficial.

Creating a Sponsorship Pack

A Sponsorship Pack is a document you provide to companies to explain who you are and what you want out of a deal. Here's a rough guide:

• What your society is about and what you do (include detailed figures)

  • Highlight sponsorship opportunities for events

  • Outline why they should pick you over another group

• What the company would gain from sponsorship of your society (publicity, reaching to a student audience or potentially thousands etc. see below)

  • Highlight your key information and unique nature

• How much you are expecting from the company (workshops, space, commitment)

  • Remember this doesn’t just have to be a financial transaction

• How much will this cost the company (explain where the money will go)

  • Don’t be unrealistic; expect to barter

• Your contact details

Prohibited Sponsors

There are a few companies that you cannot enter into a Sponsorship Agreement with due to York SU’s own sponsorship deals which are already in place. As a York SU member you benefit from these deals, so we can’t allow you to compete with them. Here’s the list:

• Taxi Companies (York SU has a contract with Streamline)

• Bus Companies (York SU has a contract with First)

• Club Night Promoters and Late Night Venues operating past 11pm (York SU has a contract with York Parties)

• Gyms (York SU has exclusivity with York Sport)

• Deliveroo (Our marketing agreement with Domino’s prevents this)

• Companies that sell pizza available for delivery

• Storage Companies

If you're not sure if a potential sponsor would come under this list, please speak to your link staff member before approaching companies for sponsorship.

Sponsorship Agreements

So you’ve secured sponsorship– brilliant! In order for it to go ahead, you must use a Sponsorship Agreement Template. This outlines what the company will do for you and what you will do for them in return, and is signed by you, the company, and York SU. It’s invaluable if they’re ever difficult in keeping their side of the bargain. 

Once both you and the company have filled out the form, send it to the SU Finance Office or complete this short google form, and we will get the agreement signed off. Once the agreement has been accepted by all parties, York SU Finance will create an invoice for the company to pay you. Do not accept cash as sponsorship. 

OLD CONTENT:

Certain companies, especially those which run graduate schemes, like to work with student societies to advertise themselves to a target audience. This can be really beneficial, if you get a good company and a good deal. In return for your society advertising them by, for example, displaying their logo on your merchandise, they’ll support you financially. 

There are a few steps that go into entering a sponsorship agreement, and we can support you all the way.

Identifying Sponsorship

Your society is your brand, so it’s important to understand which companies may be interested in working with you. Look for companies or brands which have the same values and objectives as you, or national bodies which are linked to your group. Some companies may want to link with you for graduate recruitment purposes. You can look for sponsors at careers fairs, via online research, by canvassing around town, or using your contacts. You can also create a sponsorship pack to use in your search (see below).

Sponsorship Pack

A Sponsorship Pack is a document which you can give to companies to provide important information about your society and what you’d like out of the deal. Here’s a rough guideline:

• What your society is about and what you do (include detailed figures)

  • Highlight sponsorship opportunities for events

  • Outline why they should pick you over another group

• What the company would gain from sponsorship of your society (publicity, reaching to a student audience or potentially thousands etc. see below)

  • Highlight your key information and unique nature

• How much you are expecting from the company

  • Remember this doesn’t just have to be a financial transaction (they could offer you a discount, free events space, workshop or a commission based deal)

• How much will this cost the company (explain where the money will go)

  • Don’t be unrealistic; expect to barter

• Your contact details

Prohibited Sponsors

There are a few companies that you cannot enter into a Sponsorship Agreement with due to York SU’s own sponsorship deals which are already in place. As a York SU member you benefit from these deals, so we can’t allow you to compete with them. Here’s the list:

• Taxi Companies (York SU has a contract with Streamline)

• Bus Companies (York SU has a contract with First)

• Club Night Promoters and Late Night Venues (York SU has a contract with York Parties)

• Gyms (York SU has exclusivity with York Sport)

• Deliveroo (Our marketing agreement with Domino’s prevents this)

• Companies that sell pizza available for delivery

• Storage Companies

If you're not sure if a potential sponsor would come under this list, please speak to your link staff member before approaching companies for sponsorship.

Sponsorship Agreements

So you’ve secured sponsorship– brilliant! In order for it to go ahead, you must use a Sponsorship Agreement Template. This outlines what the company will do for you and what you will do for them in return, and is signed by you, the company, and York SU. It’s invaluable if they’re ever difficult in keeping their side of the bargain. 

Once both you and the company have filled out the form, send it to the SU Finance Office or complete this short google form, and we will get the agreement signed off. Once the agreement has been accepted by all parties, York SU Finance will create an invoice for the company to pay you. Do not accept cash as sponsorship. 

Other Funding

YuFund gives grants to developmental and community projects run by student clubs and societies, departments and colleges.

YuStart is Britain’s first university crowdfunding website. Rather than taking a small amount of your donation to cover running costs, YuStart will actually match up to 50% of your project to a total of £500. The only rules are that it must be of benefit to students or the University as a whole. It can have a benefit to the community, but not solely. Projects run for a set time period and no longer than 40 days. Crowdfunding is an all or nothing system, so you must remember to set a minimum needed by your completion date, otherwise you won’t get anything at all. 100% of the donations are yours if you are successful.

The Public Lectures Committee allocates grants from the Public Lectures Fund (formerly known as the Distinguished Visitors Fund), as and when the funds within its control allow, to help meet the expenses incurred by colleges, departments and student societies in inviting distinguished visitors, speakers and scholars to come to the University.

The University Community Fund offers funding of up to £500 to students with the creativity, commitment and enthusiasm to make an impact in the local community beyond the University community by developing their own volunteering project.

Enterprise at York supports students and recent graduates to develop their business ideas and build the skills and confidence for starting up. Discover more about what we offer below. Whether you're looking for someone to talk to about your idea, want to learn enterprising transferable skills or apply for funding from £250 to £10,000, there's something for everyone.

The York SU Sustainable Development Grant is designed to fund concrete projects aimed at improving sustainability at York and helping York SU deliver on the commitments it set out in its Declaration of a Climate and Ecological Emergency. The Grant is not restricted to environmental initiatives: projects aimed at social sustainability will also be considered so long as they relate to one or more of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (for example, achieving gender equality or tackling poverty). Grant applications are open to anyone - individual students, student groups, Union and University members of staff, although priority will be given to student-led projects. 

The York SU Activities Access Grant allows any members of sports clubs, societies, media groups or volunteering projects, to apply for reimbursement up to £80 of their membership fees AND a further £80 for other costs associated with participating in your activity (e.g. transport, equipment). Please note that this fund is subject to certain criteria focused on making participation more equitable and accessible.

Depending on the nature of your application, funding may also be available from external bodies such as the City of York Council, national activity bodies or government schemes. Take some time to research potential opportunities online.

The Bright Network is a careers network that gives students and graduates the opportunity to develop the skills and connections that they need to thrive in the professional world. For the past 5 years Bright Network has been partnering with universities across the country, to celebrate the incredible impact that societies make within their community, through the Society of the Year Awards. Beyond celebrating the success of societies, this opportunity offers access to funding (up to £2,000), unrivalled connection to the employers sponsoring the awards and national exposure to elevate your society’s reach. Applications close in mid-November.

Contact your link staff member or our Finance Team (finance@yorksu.org)