A new club can get sponsors for a college fest by starting with people and companies who already know its campus. Then it sends a short proposal with three clearly different tiers. Sponsors pay for access to a young audience, visibility and leads, not just a logo. The proposal therefore has to show who will see their name and what they get back. Get every verbal promise in writing before you spend a rupee.
Start with people who already know you
Begin with companies that have sponsored your college fest or similar events. One Indian sponsorship advice blog suggests starting there, then looking at sponsorship listing sites [1]. Cold emails to strangers are the hardest route. The Indian playbook from Tunyt recommends alumni instead, since former students who work in companies can open doors that a cold email cannot [2].
Ask your fest or student affairs office for last year's sponsor list and any contact notes. If a company sponsored a stall or a prize before, the next conversation is easier. You also know what they liked.
Build a short proposal with three tiers
Most sponsors decide quickly, so keep the proposal short. The Tunyt playbook suggests a deck with one page each on the fest, the audience, the tiers and the deliverables [2]. The proposal should set out the event, the sponsorship levels, the costs and the rewards for each level [5].
Three tiers work well. The Indian playbook describes a title sponsor (name in the fest title, top logo, main-stage mentions, a prime stall and social features), an associate sponsor (posters, stage backdrop, a stall and a few posts) and an event partner (branding on one competition, with prizes in their name) [2]. A guide on event packages advises three or four tiers, with every asset listed in each one [3].
| Tier | Typical deliverables from the research |
|---|---|
| Title sponsor | Name in the fest title, top logo, main-stage mentions, prime stall, social features [2] |
| Associate sponsor | Posters, stage backdrop, a stall, a few posts [2] |
| Event partner | Branding on one competition, prizes in the sponsor's name [2] |
Keep the top tier special. A common mistake is to stuff the lower tiers with so many benefits that premium sponsors get nothing extra [4]. Each tier should be clearly different. Lead with what your audience gets, not with what your club needs [6].
A student club can still offer modest but real assets. A student photography club pitching Spotify offered logo placement on banners, on-stage shoutouts, stalls and certificates of appreciation [7]. You do not need a large budget to offer something concrete.
Offer in-kind deals and local brands first
Not every sponsor pays cash. The Indian playbook suggests an in-kind category for food, beverage, apparel, media or gaming partners who give products or services [2]. A canteen that supplies water or a print shop that prints banners can cut your costs directly.
Local and regional brands are often the better first target. One guide recommends them before national brands, because regional marketing budgets tend to move faster [6]. Some organisers also ask one local sponsor to help win a deal from another. For example, a nearby burger brand's sponsorship was used to ask a pizza chain for a discount or free supply [1]. Be careful. If either sponsor feels used, the relationship suffers.
Make a numbers-backed case and split the pitch
Sponsors often ask for expected footfall, audience demographics by college, course and city, and exact deliverables [6]. If you have no numbers from last year, say so. Then give a realistic estimate and explain how you reached it. For example, if 300 people buy a Rs 300 ticket, that is Rs 90,000 in ticket income. The sponsor can then see the audience size behind their banner.
Big fests show what sponsors can get. Sparsh, a student-run fest in Surat, reportedly had a Rs 40 lakh budget by 2012. It drew sponsors such as Toyota, DLF, Airtel and Coke, plus about 50 others [8]. Your fest will be much smaller. Pitch what you can deliver, not those names.
A widely shared personal guide suggests splitting the team by category, such as hospitality, food, media, merchandise and CSR. Each category gets its own pitch. It also advises researching the venue before pitching and being clear about what the sponsor gets back [9]. That guide is a dated personal blog, so use it for structure, not specifics.
Check CSR before you pitch
Companies that meet the Section 135 thresholds must spend on CSR. Schedule VII lists the permitted activities, which include education and vocational skills and the promotion of education [11]. The MCA's FAQ clarification says CSR spending cannot go to activities outside Schedule VII [10].
Our inference, which these sources do not state directly: a cultural or entertainment fest is unlikely to qualify for CSR money unless it fits a listed category, such as education, environment or art and culture. Ask the company's CSR head before you use the word CSR in your proposal. Do not call the fest a CSR project unless they confirm it [10][11].
Track deliverables and report back
A post-fest report should prove each promise. Include banner photos, screenshots of social posts and clips of stage mentions [2]. That report is what turns a first sponsor into a second one. On Unifesto, the Pro plan includes a sponsor roster, a sponsor portal and booth-scan lead capture, so a club can show sponsors the leads it collected at their stall. Pro also includes formatted PDF event reports.
Whatever tools you use, keep a simple record of each promise and its proof. Our timeline is in the 8-week checklist for organising a college fest, which puts sponsors by week 6 of planning.
Our view
Our view: approach the companies that have already backed your fest or similar events before anyone new [1]. Verbal commitments can fall through, so treat a promise as real only once it is in writing [6].
What this advice cannot tell you
Most of the practical advice here comes from blogs, vendor sites and one community forum post. We found no official Indian college or government guide on fest sponsorship. The sponsorship figures for big fests are from a few years ago. Rules and expectations differ by college, so check with your student affairs office before you sign anything.
FAQ
Should a new club pitch national brands first?
Usually no. One guide recommends approaching regional or local brands first, because their marketing budgets tend to move faster [6]. National brands can come later, once you have a track record.
How much should we budget before sponsors pay?
Keep about 10 percent as contingency. Do not spend against sponsorship you have not received in writing [6]. Verbal commitments can fall through.
Can we offer sponsors something other than cash?
Yes. Food, beverage, apparel, media or gaming partners can give products or services. The Indian playbook calls this an in-kind category [2].
What do sponsors want to see after the fest?
Proof of each promise, such as banner photos, social post screenshots and stage-mention clips [2].
Sources
- 3 STEPS FOR SMART EVENT HOSTS TO GET SPONSORS IN INDIA!: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140717133120-4065903-3-steps-for-smart-event-hosts-to-get-sponsors-in-india
- How to Organize a College Fest: The Complete 2026 Playbook, Tunyt Blog: https://www.tunyt.com/blog/how-to-organize-a-college-fest
- Event Sponsorship Packages: Tiers, Pricing & Examples (2026): https://www.i4a.com/blog/event-sponsorship-packages/
- What are Sponsorship Package Examples? Strategies & Best Practices: https://www.guidebook.com/glossary/what-are-sponsorship-package-examples
- How To Get Sponsors For College Fest? - Colleges and Universities: https://stjohnscollegeindia.com/useful-for-students/how-to-get-sponsors-for-college-fest.html
- How to Plan a College Fest, Step by Step - team I: https://teami.org/how-to-plan-a-college-fest/
- Solved: Sponsorship for a campus event - The Spotify Community: https://community.spotify.com/t5/Other-Podcasts-Partners-etc/Sponsorship-for-a-campus-event/td-p/7052106
- Sparsh (festival): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparsh_(festival)
- Generate Sponsorship for college fest: A-Z: https://medium.com/@smishra1605/generate-sponsorship-for-collge-fest-a-z-efb13b9cb044
- Schedule VII of Companies Act 2013 - Mehta & Mehta CSR Advisory: https://csradvise.com/schedule-vii-of-companies-act-2013/
- Categories Under Schedule VII of Companies Act 2013: https://csr.odisha.gov.in/CategoriesSchVII.aspx