For parades, holiday markets and community events
Sponsors for your parade and holiday market
Parades, holiday markets and tree lightings are funded by the businesses that line the street. Sponsor Trove helps your downtown association, chamber or city team track every sponsor, so the lights go up on time.
What community event sponsors buy
Community events give local businesses a way to be seen as part of the town.
Presenting sponsor
The event is "presented by" them, on every banner, announcement and poster.
Floats and parade units
Sponsoring a float, a marching unit or a giant balloon, with the name announced along the route.
Grandstand and broadcast
Branding at the reviewing stand, and mentions during a local TV or stream broadcast if there is one.
Stages and tree lighting
The main stage, the tree lighting moment or the fireworks.
Market features
The ice rink, Santa's house, the warming tent, a carousel or the shopping passport.
Route banners and maps
Banners along the route and logos on the event map.
Who sponsors parades and holiday markets
These sponsors want goodwill with their neighbors. Typical sponsors include:
- Banks and credit unions
- Hospitals and health systems
- Car dealerships and real estate offices
- Utilities and local employers
- Restaurants, shops and malls near the route
- Media outlets as broadcast partners
The community event sponsorship calendar
Holiday events sell in summer, when sponsors are setting their year-end budgets.
- Late spring to summer: Renew last year's sponsors and set your goal and packages.
- Summer to early fall: Reach out to new sponsors before their year-end budgets are spent.
- 6–8 weeks out: Banner, map and broadcast deadlines. Collect logos and float details.
- After the event: Thank sponsors with photos and crowd estimates, and ask about next year.
How Sponsor Trove helps
Every sponsor and float on one board
Each sponsor is a deal tagged with what they're sponsoring. Set a goal for each event and track parade, market and lighting sponsors together or separately.
- Package, amount and owner on every deal
- A goal for each event
- Staff and volunteers on one board
Every banner ordered on time
Set follow-ups on sponsors still deciding and logos still missing. One click shows everyone due today, before the print deadline arrives.
- Follow-ups with dates and owners
- One click shows everything due today
- Quiet deals flagged automatically
Know who opened your sponsorship packet
Send your packet as a link instead of an attachment. You'll see who opened it, and every reader is added to your pipeline.
- See who opened it and when
- Each reader becomes a deal automatically
- Your event's logo and colors on the link
Sponsor emails, on the deal
Connect Gmail and every email with a sponsor lands on their deal, so anyone on the team can answer a question about their float or banner.
- Read-only, and only emails with your sponsors
- Everyone at a sponsor's company is matched
- See who's waiting on a reply
Questions
When should we ask businesses to sponsor a holiday event?
Start in late spring or summer. Many businesses plan year-end giving and marketing well before the holidays, and banners and maps need logos weeks in advance.
We run several events a year. Can we keep them separate?
Yes. Create an event for each one, such as the parade, the holiday market and the summer concert series, each with its own goal.
Can our volunteers help sell sponsorships?
Yes. Invite them to your workspace, give each sponsor an owner, and assign follow-ups.
Can you move last year's sponsor list into Sponsor Trove?
Yes. We'll bring it over for you, free.
Related guides: Sponsorship prospectus template · Following up on a sponsorship proposal