We have had some amazing sponsors over the years, but we’ve also learnt a lot about when a company is ready to become a sponsor. So here are a few of the things that you should have in place before you get in touch. If you can say yes to the majority of these points, then the process of committing to sponsorship will run more smoothly, and you’ll be able to tick ‘Sponsor Ada Lovelace Day’ off your To Do List that much more quickly.
1. You know how big your budget is
We have a number of different sponsorship packages designed to suit a variety of budgets, but it really helps if you know how much money you have to spend before you get in touch. That means that I can guide you to the right package with the right add-ons immediately, and we can then discuss the more important topic of how you can get the most out of your sponsorship.
2. Your budget is already signed off
We’ve made our sponsorship prospectus, including our pricing information, available for anyone to download. Just enter your email address below and you’ll get the download link by return. This means that you can discuss your options with your colleagues and get sign off – or as close as possible to it – before we have a call. Again, the benefits of this is that it makes the process much faster if you’ve already got budgetary approval.
3. Your decision maker is up-to-speed and engaged
We know that a lot of the people who come to us aren’t the final decision makers, so we understand that you might need to download our prospectus and then have some discussions internally before you can get in touch with me. We have a lot of information on our website and social media that you can show any decision makers so that they can see the kind of event they are supporting and the work that we do alongside Ada Lovelace Day Live.
Here are a selection of links you might like to share with them:
- Our YouTube channel has videos of all our previous Ada Lovelace Day Live events up to 2019 (2023 is coming soon!) and the events we ran online during the pandemic from 2020–2022.
- Our most recent newsletters and weekly emails are available to browse here.
- We have Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Bluesky accounts you can look through.
- You can take a look at our Ada Lovelace Day content marathons from 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020 on our website, along with a whole host of other information.
- And you can learn a little about me, Suw Charman-Anderson, and our Advisory Council, the people who help to steer Ada Lovelace Day and our activities, on our website as well.
- If you have any specific questions that aren’t answered on our website, please do not hesitate to email me.
4. You have all your own paperwork to hand
Some sponsors require us to sign agreements on how we can use their logo, name, URL or other assets, and/or to sign a contract. That’s absolutely fine. We understand that some companies need these agreements in place to protect their intellectual property and investment. Just send over the paperwork as soon as we’ve agreed your sponsorship package and I’ll get it sorted out.
You will also need to have a high quality version of your logo ready, along with a two paragraph description of your company and your preferred website and social media URLs, so that we can get you up on our sponsor page immediately. If you have an embargo on the announcement that you’re a sponsor, just tell us up front and we’ll make sure we don’t break it!
5. You have your invoicing process details ready
As a very small business, our invoicing terms are 30 days, and we appreciate sponsors who can stick to this. We also understand that you may need us to complete a new supplier form and to then raise a purchase order in order for us to begin the invoicing process. Please ensure that you know your company’s invoicing process and can give us the information we need to smooth the invoicing process. If your company pays on 60 or 90 days, please let us know and ask your finance team if they can expedite payment.
Finally, if you’re a start-up that’s still seeking funding, a small business without enough budget for one of our sponsorship packages, a large business without an engaged decision maker or you’re just not quite ready to sponsor us, then why not support Ada Lovelace Day by organising a watch-party for our event in October? Livestream tickets will be available to buy in bulk in due course, and giving all your employees a ticket is a marvellous way to take part!
You can also talk about Ada Lovelace Day to your staff, encourage them to sign up to our newsletter or follow us on social media, and talk about our work and share our blog posts and other activities with your own community. In an age where it’s getting harder and harder for us to reach new audiences, sharing our work is more important than ever. So whatever your budget, please get involved!