Hackathon Organizer Guide
  • Introduction
  • overview
    • What is a Hackathon?
    • What is MLH?
    • MLH Hackcon
    • MLH Community Values
    • Event Types
      • Digital Events
        • Digital Mini Events
          • Marble Races
          • Pokemon Showdown
          • Wiki Races
          • Hacker Hangouts
        • Streamyard
  • General Information
    • Hackathon Timeline
    • Finding the Date and Purpose
    • Build Your Leadership Team
    • Locking Down a Venue
    • Hackathon Budgeting
      • Legal Considerations
    • Getting Sponsorship
      • Introduction to Fundraising
      • Understanding Your Sponsors
        • Evaluating In-kind Sponsorships
      • Potential Sponsor Perks
      • Sponsorship Prospectus
      • The 5-Step MLH Sponsorship Process
      • Cheat Sheet: Emailing Your Sponsors
    • Hackathon Website
      • Making an Accessible Design
      • Placeholder Website
      • Main Website
    • Marketing Your Event
      • Promoting Your Event
        • Marketing Email Template
      • Marketing Goals & Timelines
    • Managing Registrations
      • Registrations
      • Free Registration Tool - OrganizerHQ (OHQ)
      • Sending Reminders
        • Email Templates
      • Check-in Process
    • Event Logistics
      • Hackathon Communication Platform
      • Project Challenges
      • Ordering Swag and Prizes
      • Set Up Your Event
      • Working with Food Vendors
      • Hosting Hackers with Dietary Restrictions
      • Distributing Meals
      • Transportation/Travel Plans
      • Hardware
      • Prepare Your Emergency Plan
    • Judging and Submissions
      • Rules for Your Hackathon
      • Judging Plan
      • Cheating Check
      • Judges Communication and Recruiting
      • Hackathon Submission Portal
        • Using Devpost
        • Using Devfolio
        • Using DoraHacks
    • Hackathon Scheduling
      • Detailed Run of Show
      • Run-Through with the Team
      • MLH Tips and Templates
    • Mentorship
    • Day of Logistics and Hacker Experience
      • Help Desk Recommendations
      • Fun Mini Events
      • Workshops
      • Opening Ceremony
      • Closing Ceremony
    • After the Event
  • Organizer Resources
    • Template Links
    • Getting Support from Others
    • Leadership Resources
    • Marketing Resources
    • Registrations Resources
      • GDPR in Europe
    • Host Exciting Mini-Events
      • Cup Stacking
      • MLH Mini Events
        • WereWolf
        • Slideshow Karaoke
        • !Light
        • MS Paint Bob Ross
    • Keeping Records
    • Software for Hackathons
  • Contributors
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  1. General Information
  2. Getting Sponsorship

Introduction to Fundraising

Securing funds is a major cornerstone for any hackathon. This article aims to give you an idea of how and what sponsorship for a hackathon looks like.

Landing quality sponsorships is manageable if you break the process into small steps and give yourself plenty of lead time. The more practice you get approaching and negotiating with potential backers, the better you’ll become at the art of fundraising.

One thing to keep in mind as you work your way through this process: sponsors are like investors — they want to see you’re serious before they give you capital. In the same way you wouldn’t approach for venture capital without a product prototype, don’t reach out to sponsors until you’ve got evidence that your hackathon is well on its way to happening. Examples of this include a confirmed date and time, pre-registrations from students, etc.

With the right communication and target, you can expect a lot of positive response from the sponsors' side. Remember to be diligent about communicating with your sponsors at every step of the process. Explain to them the reasons for hosting your event, outline how you will support them throughout the event, and let them know about the success of other hackathons.

  • Prize categories and Workshops are both major perks sponsors like to get involved in the hackathons they are supporting.

    • Example challenges/workshops can help them pick a topic that will have a greater impact on hackers. While they can offer a different one, a list of examples can help them if they do not know where to start.

    • Challenge Examples:

      • Best Use of X

        • X being their general API. Try not to have it be too specific as this will decrease the creativity of hackers.

      • Best Sustainability/Social Good/Educational/etc Hack

        • This can allow for a general topic the company wants to encourage hackers to incorporate into their hack.

    • Workshop Examples:

      • Resume Building/Cracking the Technical Interview

      • Day in the Life of a Software Dev

      • Intro to Python/GitHub/C#/AI/ML/Insert tech topic

      • Intro to *their API*

  • You can also give sponsors their own channel on the chat platform (Slack/Discord) to talk to hackers, and have them introduce themselves so everyone knows who they are how they can be a resource for them throughout the event. They can get great interactions with hackers across the venue, answer questions specific to their challenge, apis, or workshop content, and share information specific to their role at the event.

  • A good way to maintain company relations is by keeping in touch with them to give sponsors a chance to commit to supporting your event again the next year. We suggest sending your representatives an email of thanks to offer a recap of your event immediately after the hackathon, and rekindling this thread once you've started planning your next iteration.

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Last updated 2 months ago

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When you’re finished reading this section of the guide, we strongly recommend watching our fundraising webinar: and

Raising Sponsorship - A Workshop by MLH
Creating Compelling Sponsorships.