How long have you been a sponsor? 

Question type: multiple choice
This is a great question to ease into the conversation. It helps you measure how many new sponsors you're getting and how many returning, along with showing your board the long-standing relationships you have with your community partners.

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How did you feel about the frequency of our communication?

Question type: multiple choice

There's a goldilocks amount of communication for your sponsors (not too often, not too seldom) and this is how you find out where it is. This will help you determine if your sponsors feel like they're in the know and cared for, or if you can afford to spend a little bit of your high-value time somewhere else.

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Please rate how easy it was to understand the sponsorship deck from this year.

Questions type: multiple choice

People don't put money behind things they don't understand, and sometimes all our sponsor offerings can get a little complex. It's important to make sure your sponsor deck is easy to understand and even easier to say, "yes" to. This will help you understand if you need to make changes to next year's deck.

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Please choose the marketing-related benefits that are most valuable to your business

Question type: select all that apply

Many sponsors like to invest in your festival because they want to support the community and do something good with their money. BUT, they still need to show something for their efforts (and it makes them feel good, too). Some good options to include here are Recognition in festival print collateral, utilizing festival partnership as promotion in your own marketing, the inclusion of sponsor logo in signage, social media tags and/or mentions, being the title partner of an event/exhibit/program, and visibility on the festival website." Be sure to include an "other" option as well, so partners can add things you may not have thought of.
 

Are there other benefits not provided you would find value in?

Question type: short answer

This question has a slight, but important difference from the last one. The previous question asks about benefits they have received in the past festival. This question asks about the benefits they would like to see in future festivals. Local news love telling stories of great festivals. 

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Please tell us why you choose to partner with us.

Question type: long answer

Leave this question open-ended; it keeps you from planting ideas in the heads of your partners and forces them to give a more creative answer. This will help you when you're having conversations with other potential sponsors. You'll be more informed as to what is important to sponsors and help you empathize with their needs during the conversations you have with them.

 

What would make your experience better next year?

Question type: long answer

Asking what could make things better for sponsors will help them feel heard (even if you can't act on the information they give you, at least you're listening). It will uncover hidden needs you wouldn't otherwise hear.

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What is your main objective for partnership with us?

Question type: select all that apply

Many sponsors will leave open-ended questions blank, giving them some options to choose from will help them clarify their thoughts. Try giving them the options of "Alignment with Company Values," "Employee Morale," "Community Impact," and "Recognition and Marketing Value for My Company and Me." Keep an "other" option open as well. This is where we find out if your sponsors are supporting the festival out of the goodness of their hearts, or if they believe there's an unspoken agreement about return on their investment.

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Please give us a few brief details about your overall festival experience this year.

Question type: long answer

This is your sponsor's chance to say whatever is on their mind about their experience. Give them the microphone and listen intently, there will be hints about what could be better and what was unnecessary to them.