Sponsorship agreement template
Sponsorship deals start as a tiered menu in a pitch deck and end with an argument about a logo that was too small or a booth that ended up by the restrooms. A sponsorship agreement turns the menu into promises: which benefits the sponsor gets, when it pays, how its logo is used and what happens if the event is canceled. This template fits conferences, festivals, charity events, tournaments and local teams.
Updated November 5, 2026 · 4 min read
The contract
Gray blanks are yours to fill in before you send. Each signer fills in the blanks in their color.
- You, before sending
- Sponsor
- Organizer
Sponsorship Agreement
This Sponsorship Agreement (the "Agreement") is made on Agreement date between Organizer name (the "Organizer") and Sponsor company name (the "Sponsor").
1. The event
The Sponsor will sponsor Event name, held on Event dates at Event location (the "Event"). Expected attendance of about Estimated attendance is the Organizer's good-faith estimate, not a guarantee.
2. Sponsorship level and benefits
The Sponsor is a Sponsor level sponsor and will receive these benefits: Benefits. Where a benefit involves the Sponsor's logo, the Organizer decides placement and size within what is described here, and will treat sponsors of the same level consistently.
3. Fee and payment
The Sponsor will pay Sponsorship fee on this schedule: Payment schedule. The Sponsor will also provide these goods or services, if any: In-kind contribution. Benefits that depend on printing or production are delivered only if payment arrives before the production deadline.
4. Names, logos and approvals
The Sponsor will provide its logo files and approved company description by Artwork deadline. The Sponsor grants the Organizer a license to use its name and logo to deliver the benefits and to promote the Event, without changing them. The Organizer grants the Sponsor a license to say it sponsors the Event and to use the Event's name and logo in its own marketing, following the Organizer's brand guidelines, until Sponsor use days after days after the Event. Each party will show the other any new use of its logo before publishing it.
5. Category exclusivity
The Organizer will not accept another sponsor at this level or higher in this category: Exclusive category. If this blank is left empty, the sponsorship is not exclusive. Exhibitors and vendors who pay only for space are not sponsors for this purpose.
6. Benefits not delivered
If the Organizer fails to deliver a benefit for reasons within its control, it will offer a benefit of comparable value. If the Sponsor declines it, the Organizer will refund a fair share of the fee for that benefit. Missing the artwork deadline is not a failure by the Organizer.
7. Cancellation and postponement
If the Event is canceled, or postponed by more than Postponement days allowed days, the Sponsor may choose either a credit toward the rescheduled Event or a refund of what it has paid, less costs the Organizer already spent producing the Sponsor's benefits. Neither party is responsible for failures caused by severe weather, government orders, venue closure or other events beyond its reasonable control.
8. The Sponsor at the Event
If the Sponsor has a booth or activity at the Event, it will follow the venue's rules and the Organizer's setup times, is responsible for its own staff, equipment and giveaways, and will carry general liability insurance of at least Sponsor insurance minimum per occurrence, with proof provided before the Event if asked. Each party is responsible for injury or damage caused by its own people.
9. Reputation and ending early
Either party may end this Agreement by written notice if the other becomes involved in conduct that brings it into serious public disrepute. If the Organizer ends it for that reason, it keeps payments for benefits already delivered; if the Sponsor does, it receives a refund for benefits not yet delivered.
10. Acknowledgment, not endorsement
The benefits in section 2 acknowledge the Sponsor's support. The Organizer does not endorse the Sponsor's products, and acknowledgments will not include prices, comparisons or calls to buy unless the parties agree in writing. Each party is responsible for its own tax treatment of this Agreement.
11. General
Neither party may transfer this Agreement without the other's consent. It is governed by the laws of the state of State, is the entire agreement between the parties about the sponsorship, and can be changed only in writing signed by both. Electronic signatures count as originals.
Contacts
Sponsor marketing contact: Sponsor marketing contact Email: Sponsor contact email
Organizer contact: Organizer contact Email: Organizer email
I am authorized to commit the Sponsor to this Agreement and its payment schedule.
For the Sponsor
For the Organizer
Opens it in SignMaster as a template you can edit and send.
A starting point, not legal advice. Have a lawyer review it for your state and situation.
On this page
When you need a sponsorship agreement
Every time a business pays you, in cash or in kind, to be associated with your event or organization. A short email exchange works until the sponsor's marketing lead leaves and their replacement asks what the money bought. The agreement also matters to the sponsor, who needs proof of what it's owed and a refund path if the event never happens. For small community pledges, a sponsorship pledge form is lighter.
What the template covers
- The event: name, dates and location, with attendance stated as an estimate rather than a promise.
- Level and benefits: the tier, and each benefit spelled out: logo placements, booth, tickets, speaking slot, mentions.
- Fee and payment: cash, in-kind contributions, and the payment dates.
- Logos and names: who supplies artwork by when, how each side may use the other's name, and approvals.
- Category exclusivity: an optional promise not to sign a competing sponsor in the same category.
- Make-goods: a comparable benefit or a partial refund when something promised isn't delivered.
- Cancellation and postponement: a refund or a credit toward the new date, at the sponsor's choice.
- On-site activity: the venue's rules, the sponsor's own insurance, and responsibility for its staff and equipment.
For nonprofits: acknowledgment, not advertising
If your organization is tax-exempt, how you thank a sponsor can matter. The IRS treats a qualified sponsorship payment, where the sponsor gets only an acknowledgment such as its name, logo and a neutral description of its products, differently from advertising. Endorsements, price information, comparisons or calls to buy can make the payment advertising income instead. Section 10 of the template keeps the benefits on the acknowledgment side; check the details with your accountant, and see IRS Publication 598.
Mistakes that cost organizers sponsors
- Promising attendance numbers. Say "estimated" and the sponsor can't claim a refund because rain kept people home.
- Vague benefits such as "prominent logo placement". Name the banner, the website page and the size.
- Waiting on artwork. Set a deadline for logo files, or late art means the sponsor misses the printed program.
- Selling exclusivity twice. Track which categories are already promised before the sales team closes the next deal.
- No plan for a postponement. Decide in advance whether money carries over or comes back.
How to send it with SignMaster
- 1
Open it from this page
Press Use this template and the agreement opens in your SignMaster account, set up with the sponsor as the first signer and your organization second.
- 2
Fill in the package
Complete the gray blanks with the event details, the sponsor level, its benefits, the fee and payment dates, and any exclusivity. One copy per tier, with the benefits pre-filled, saves typing for the rest of the season.
- 3
Send to the sponsor's signer
Enter the person who can commit the budget. They add their marketing contact for logo files and invoices, tick the box and sign from any device. If finance must approve first, add them as an earlier signer with their own signature field.
- 4
Countersign and collect artwork
Your signer goes last. The finished PDF reaches everyone with its certificate of completion. Send the logo request the same day, quoting the artwork deadline in section 4.
Renewing every sponsor for next year
Once a season ends, most of your sponsors get next year's agreement with a new date and maybe a new tier. Put them in a spreadsheet with columns named after the gray blanks, such as Sponsor level, Benefits and Sponsorship fee, and bulk send creates one envelope per sponsor. Each sees only its own terms. Reminders follow up automatically, and you can see at a glance who has signed and who needs a call.
Questions? Answers.
What should a sponsorship agreement include?
The event, the sponsor level, each benefit in specific terms, the fee and payment dates, logo use, any exclusivity, what happens if benefits aren't delivered, and cancellation terms.
Is a sponsorship payment to a nonprofit taxable?
It depends on what the sponsor gets back. Acknowledgment alone is usually treated as a qualified sponsorship payment; advertising-style benefits may not be. Ask your accountant and see IRS Publication 598.
What happens to the sponsorship if the event is canceled?
Under this template the sponsor chooses between a refund of what it paid, less costs already spent on its benefits, and a credit toward the rescheduled event.
Can the sponsor sign from their phone?
Yes. The link opens in any phone or computer browser, with no account needed. You can also copy the link and send it in a message yourself.