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Handle Sponsor Inquiries and Signups

Goal: Move a prospective sponsor cleanly from "I'm interested" to "I've committed and paid" — without the friction that loses warm leads.

Two entry points​

  • Inquiry — prospect submits a form indicating interest and asks for a conversation. Best for higher-value packages where personal touch matters.
  • Direct signup — prospect commits immediately by completing the package signup with payment. Best for lower-tier packages or repeat sponsors who already know what they want.

Both flows feed the same admin workspace.

When an inquiry comes in​

The inquiry form captures:

  • Sponsor name and contact
  • Package they're interested in (or "not sure yet")
  • Event / campaign they're asking about
  • Optional message

Inquiries land in the sponsorship dashboard. Your team:

  1. Acknowledges within one business day (often via Communications template)
  2. Schedules a call with the prospect to discuss fit
  3. Sends a tailored proposal if needed
  4. Records the outcome — committed at $X, declined, or still in conversation

Inquiries that go silent for two weeks should get one follow-up before being closed out.

When a direct signup comes in​

The package signup form captures:

  • Sponsor identification (individual or organization)
  • Contact details
  • Optional comments (e.g., "we want our logo positioned on the right of the program")
  • Payment

A successful signup creates:

  • A sponsor record (or links to an existing one)
  • A sponsorship commitment at the chosen package level
  • Initial payment record (if paid in full) or first installment (if paid over time)
  • Benefit fulfillment records that match the package's benefits, in pending status

The sponsor receives a confirmation email containing a link to a public dashboard at /sponsorships/manage/:sponsorshipId. The link uses the sponsorship's UUID as the access token — no login required — so the sponsor can self-serve from any device. Authenticated sponsors with an Ayuna account can also reach the same content under /my-sponsorships.

The sponsor's public dashboard​

The dashboard shows:

  • The sponsor's commitment summary
  • Payment history and any upcoming payments (including invoice numbers and due dates)
  • Benefits delivered and benefits in progress
  • A Request Renewal button when the sponsorship is renewal-eligible (sponsors near their end date)
  • Logo upload control so the sponsor can supply or update their logo for public placement
  • Contact link to your team

This is the URL you give to a corporate point-of-contact who's responsible for following through on the sponsorship — they can self-serve most questions without bothering your staff. Treat it like a magic link: anyone who has it can view the sponsorship, so reissue it (re-send the confirmation email) rather than sharing it broadly.

Payment flows​

Sponsorships can pay:

  • In full upfront — single charge at signup. The sponsor enters card or ACH on the public signup form and the sponsorship activates as soon as Finix confirms the transfer.
  • In installments — schedule of payments over the commitment window. Each upcoming installment is tracked with its own status (pending, invoiced, paid, overdue, or cancelled).
  • By invoice (two-stage) — staff creates the sponsorship without immediate payment, sends an invoice from the admin dashboard, and the sponsor pays later via an emailed link. The sponsorship stays in pending_payment status until the first invoice clears, then activates. This is the most common flow for corporate sponsors who pay by AP.

For installment plans, payment links are generated for each upcoming installment and sent via email reminders. The admin dashboard exposes Send Invoice, Send Reminder, and Record Offline Payment for each scheduled installment.

Sending an invoice from the admin side​

From the sponsorship's payment list:

  1. Locate the installment in pending or invoiced state
  2. Click Send Invoice to email a payment link with the invoice number, amount, and due date
  3. The sponsor pays via the link or your team records the payment manually if it arrives by check / wire / ACH outside the system
  4. The status moves to paid once the payment is recorded

Multi-year sponsorships​

A sponsor committing to support a build over 3 years is best modeled as:

  • A single sponsorship record with the multi-year commitment total
  • Installment payments scheduled across the years
  • Benefits scheduled per relevant event/year

This preserves a single relationship rather than fragmenting across years.

Tracking the pipeline​

The sponsorship dashboard shows:

  • Inquiries by status (new, in conversation, declined, committed)
  • Active sponsorships with payment status
  • Upcoming benefit deliverables
  • Year-over-year sponsorship revenue trend

A weekly review of the pipeline catches things falling through the cracks.

Common pitfalls​

  • Lost inquiries — submitted but not acknowledged; warm leads cool fast. Make first response a same-day commitment.
  • Mismatched expectations — sponsor expected something not in the package. Document benefits clearly up front; capture sponsor-specific deliverables in the sponsorship notes.
  • Late benefit fulfillment — the sponsor paid; your team forgot to deliver the logo placement. Use the pending benefits queue actively.