How to Get Sponsors for Your Event or Hackathon (+ Email Template)

Every great event has someone paying for the pizza. For most student clubs, hackathons and community meetups, that's a sponsor.

The good news: companies, especially developer tools and AI startups, actively want to reach builders. The hard part is knowing what to ask for and how. This guide covers how to get sponsors for your event or hackathon, what sponsors actually want, a sponsorship deck outline, tiers, and a cold email template you can copy.

Last checked: October 2026.

TL;DR

• Sponsors are buying access to your audience, not your logo. Show them who's coming and what they'll get.
• Pitch companies whose users are your attendees: dev tools and AI companies with student or community programs are the easiest yes.
• Send a one-page deck and a short, specific email, then follow up once after a week.
• Get it in writing: a simple agreement, an invoice addressed to the company, and a bank account in your club's name.
• Report back afterwards with numbers, photos and posts. That's how you get sponsored again.

What sponsors actually want

Sponsors don't give money because they like your event. They give money because your event helps them hit a goal. Most sponsors want some mix of:

• The right audience: students, developers or founders who could become users.
• Product usage: people signing up and actually trying the product during the event.
• Visibility: logo on the event page, posters, slides and recap posts.
• A speaking or workshop slot: 15–30 minutes to show the product.
• Content: photos, a recap post, and posts from attendees that mention them.
• Hiring: access to talented builders (some sponsors care about this most).

Sponsors are also increasingly asked to prove their sponsorships paid off, so anything you can measure and report back (sign-ups, usage, posts) makes you much easier to say yes to.

Who to pitch

Start with companies that already want your audience:

• Developer tools and AI companies with student, startup or community programs (they often have budgets for exactly this).
• Companies whose product your attendees already use.
• Local businesses (cafés, coworking spaces) for food or venue in exchange for visibility.
• Your university (departments, careers office, entrepreneurship centre) for rooms and small grants.
• Past sponsors of similar events: check other hackathons' sponsor lists for ideas.

Tip: find the right person, not a generic inbox. Look for titles like Developer Relations, Community, Developer Marketing, University Programs or Partnerships.

Build a one-page sponsorship deck

Keep it to one page (or a few slides). Include:

1. The event: name, date, format, location.
2. The audience: expected numbers, who they are (schools, majors, skills), and past event numbers if you have them.
3. Why now: what makes this event worth backing.
4. Sponsor tiers: what each level gets.
5. Past results: photos, attendance and posts from previous events.
6. Contact: your name, email and the decision date.

Sponsor tiers (example)

Offer a few clear levels so sponsors can pick. Cash isn't the only option: in-kind support like API credits, swag, prizes or food counts too.

Price tiers based on your audience size and what similar events in your area charge. It's fine to start small and grow next year.

Cold email template

Short, specific and personal works best. Copy and adapt this:

Subject: [Event name] × [Company]: [X] student builders on [date]

Hi [Name],

I'm [your name], and I run [club or community] at [school or city]. On [date] we're hosting [event name], a [format] for [number] [audience, e.g. student developers building with AI].

Many of our members already use [their product / similar tools], and we'd love [Company] to be part of it. In return we can offer [a workshop slot, a sponsor track, logo placement, a recap with photos and posts].

Our one-page sponsorship deck is attached. Would you be open to a 15-minute call this week or next?

Thanks,

[Name] · [role] · [link to past event or club page]

Follow-up template

If you don't hear back after about a week, send one short follow-up:

Hi [Name], just bumping this in case it got buried. We'd love to have [Company] at [event name] on [date]. Happy to send more details or adapt the package to what's most useful for your team. Thanks!

If there's still no reply, move on and try a different contact at the same company later.

Agree the deliverables

Before anyone pays, agree in writing exactly what each side will do:

• Your side: logo placement, posts, the workshop slot, the track, photos and a report afterwards.
• Their side: the amount, any credits or swag, a speaker or judge, and the brand assets (logos, guidelines).
• Dates: when payment arrives, when assets are due, when you'll send the report.

Don't promise what you can't deliver, like exact attendee numbers. Promise effort and reporting instead.

The paperwork (from the sponsor's side)

Companies have finance and legal processes, and making them easy speeds everything up:

• A written agreement: even a simple one covering amount, deliverables, dates and what happens if the event is cancelled.
• An invoice addressed to the company, not to the person you've been talking to.
• A bank account in your club's or organisation's name, not a personal account. Many universities can receive payments on behalf of student clubs.
• Payment timing: ask when payment will arrive, and plan around it. International payments can take longer.
• Cancellation and refunds: agree what happens if the event moves or doesn't go ahead.

Deliver and report back

This is the step most organizers skip, and it's the one that gets you sponsored again:

• Deliver everything you promised, and tag the sponsor in your posts.
• Send a short report within a week: attendance, sign-ups or usage (if they can share it), standout projects that used their product, photos, and links to posts.
• Say thank you and ask if they'd like to support your next event.

Mistakes to avoid

• Sending the same generic email to 50 companies.
• Asking for money without saying what they get.
• Overpromising numbers you can't guarantee.
• Using a personal bank account for sponsor payments.
• Going quiet after the event instead of sending a report.

Want TinyFish to support your event?

TinyFish is one API that lets AI agents search, read and act on real websites. We support student and community events around the world, from campus build nights to 24-hour hackathons, with workshops, problem statements, judging criteria and more.

• Running an event? Request TinyFish support on TinyBounties.
• Organizing in your community? Join the TinyFish Ambassador Program.
• Planning a hackathon? Read our step-by-step guide to organizing a hackathon.

Keep reading

• How to Organize a Hackathon: Step-by-Step Guide + Free Checklist
• TinyFish Ambassador Program: Tiers, Rewards and How to Join
• Campus Ambassador Programs Open Now (2026)
• How to Host a Tech Meetup: Step-by-Step Guide + 20 Event Ideas (2026)

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