Setting sponsorship sales roles and approval authority
Four people have spoken to the same sponsor, each offered something slightly different, and nobody can say who was allowed to.
The short answer
Name one owner per prospect, one commercial decision owner for packages and exceptions, and a separate route for contracts. Then write down, as a limit, what each role may offer, approve or sign.
The rule of thumb: the person closest to the relationship proposes, a different person approves anything outside the standard package, and contract wording goes to your legal adviser. Track each approval in the sponsor pipeline tracker.
What goes wrong without authority limits
- A volunteer promises a benefit that is already sold or does not exist. See sponsor inventory.
- Different prices or terms are quoted to similar sponsors.
- A verbal yes is treated as a confirmed sponsor before anything is signed.
- The person who negotiates also approves, with no one to check the trade-offs.
Roles and authority table
Adapt the limits to your association's constitution and committee decisions. Figures here are left blank for you to set.
| Role | May do | Needs approval from | May not do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prospect owner | Contact the prospect, send the standard prospectus, record stages | Commercial decision owner for any change to the package | Quote exceptions or promise unconfirmed benefits |
| Commercial decision owner | Approve exceptions up to a limit the committee has set | Committee or treasurer above that limit | Approve their own organisation's sponsorship |
| Committee or treasurer | Approve exceptions above the limit and any non-standard terms | Constitution or council where required | Delegate informally by email or chat |
| Legal adviser | Read and advise on contract wording | Not applicable | Decide commercial terms |
| Finance | Issue invoices and confirm receipts | Not applicable | Confirm a sponsor before signed evidence |
Setting the limits
- List what is standard: the packages in your inventory, the price list approved by the committee and the standard terms reviewed by your legal adviser.
- Define what counts as an exception: any change to benefits, price, payment terms, exclusivity or dates.
- Agree who approves each exception level, with a back-up for absence.
- Set how approval is recorded: a written note in the tracker, with date and approver.
- Declare conflicts of interest in advance, and name who decides when the approver is conflicted.
- Agree what the committee sees in reports, using signed evidence only. See preparing the negotiation approval brief.
Who should not carry two roles
Keep the person who negotiates separate from the person who approves wherever possible. In a small secretariat that may mean the treasurer or chair approves what the secretariat negotiates.
Contract wording, liability and intellectual property go to your legal adviser. See reviewing contract responsibilities.
Worked example · Fictional example
A three-level approval for a small association
Fictional organisation and figures, for illustration. The limits are placeholders for the committee to decide.
Persatuan Fiktif Jurutera Perunding adopts three levels: the secretariat sells the standard packages, the honorary treasurer approves any change to benefits or payment terms, and the full committee approves anything touching exclusivity or the programme.
When a software company asks for a keynote slot, the secretariat does not reply. It records the request as non-standard, sends it to the committee, and tells the company a decision will come after the next committee meeting.
Use this yourself
Sponsorship roles and approval authority
Complete and adopt at a committee meeting. Leave nothing as to be decided.
| Decision | Who proposes | Who approves | Limit | Back-up | Where recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard package offer | |||||
| Change to benefits | |||||
| Price or payment-term change | |||||
| Exclusivity or category rights | |||||
| Contract wording | Legal adviser reads, committee decides | ||||
| Accept or decline a sponsor |
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- A small team where the committee will meet and set the limits in one sitting.
- Few sponsors and a standard package list that already exists.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Many volunteers speak to sponsors and the committee cannot say who offered what.
- Approval limits are disputed, or the constitution is unclear on who can commit the association.
- You want the authority table, approval brief and tracker set up before the campaign opens.
Want roles and approval limits drawn up before sales begin?
Selling to sponsors stays with your organisation. An Event Blueprint can write the roles and authority table, the approval steps, the record format and the questions to take to your committee and legal adviser, so everyone who speaks to a sponsor knows what they may and may not say.
Questions organisers ask
Who should hold the pen on sponsor terms?
The prospect owner can draft, but a different person approves. Contract wording is read by your legal adviser. Nobody should sign off their own deal.
What if the committee cannot meet quickly to approve an exception?
Agree in advance who can approve urgent exceptions, within what limit, and how it is recorded. Tell the sponsor honestly when to expect an answer.
Does a verbal yes count as confirmed?
No. Record it as in conversation. Confirmed requires signed evidence. See tracking sales stages with evidence.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.