Finding sponsors and signing a partnership agreement

A gala, a tournament, a trip: most large student projects do not hold together without partners. But "looking for sponsors" is not enough. You need to know what you are offering, to whom, and to write it down in an agreement that protects both parties.

Convention de partenariat

Article 1 — Objet. La présente convention fixe les conditions dans lesquelles [le partenaire] soutient [l'association] pour l'organisation de [événement], prévu le [date] à [lieu].

Article 2 — Engagements du partenaire. Le partenaire verse à l'association la somme de [montant] €, par virement, au plus tard le [date].

Article 3 — Engagements de l'association. En contrepartie, l'association s'engage à : [liste des contreparties, avec support, format et date pour chacune].

Finding a partnership for your association: who to approach, and with what

Start with partners who have a reason to support you: companies that recruit from your school, shops around the campus, alumni, the association's regular suppliers. For each one, prepare a short pack:

• the project on one page: what, when, for whom, how many participants;
• the audience the partner will reach (and why that is of interest to them);
• what you offer in return, with clear tiers;
• a single contact on the board.

Three habits change the response rate:

• write to a person, not to a generic address: the school relations manager, the shop's manager, the former student who works at the company;
• ask for one specific thing: "€1,500 to pay for the sound system at the gala", rather than "some support";
• follow up once, ten days later, then move on to the next one. A shared tracking sheet stops two members approaching the same company.

Start early: in a company, a budget is often decided several months in advance.

Patronage or sponsorship: two different logics

These are two very different regimes, and the choice changes everything for the partner and for the association alike.

	Patronage (mécénat)	Sponsorship (parrainage)
Nature	A donation, with no equivalent benefit in return	A service: visibility in exchange for money
For the company	Tax reduction of 60% of the donation (up to €2 million, 40% beyond that), within the limit of €20,000 or 5‰ of turnover if that amount is higher	An advertising expense, deductible from its taxable profit
Benefits in return	Limited: mention of the name or logo, and benefits that remain far below the donation (practice accepts about 25% of its value)	Unrestricted, negotiated in the contract
For the association	Issues a reçu fiscal (tax receipt), if it meets the public-interest conditions	Issues an invoice; VAT may apply

Patronage is governed by article 238 bis of the French General Tax Code. To issue a tax receipt, the association must be of intérêt général (serving the public interest, as French tax law defines it): a non-profit activity, disinterested management, and not operating for the benefit of a restricted circle of people. Many student associations do not meet all of these conditions; if in doubt, you can put the question to the French tax authorities (the rescrit procedure, an advance tax ruling). A tax receipt issued wrongly exposes the association to a fine.

If the benefits you give in return are substantial (a stand, a speaking slot, the logo on every medium), you are in sponsorship: invoice.

A worked example: the 300-person gala

An association is preparing a gala for 300 participants, with a budget of €18,000. Ticketing covers €12,000 of it; €6,000 remains to be found. The board builds three sponsorship tiers.

Tier	Amount	Benefits in return	Target
Supporter	€500	Logo on the event website and on the welcome screen	4 partners
Partner	€1,500	Previous tier, logo on the tickets, 2 invitations	2 partners
Main partner	€3,000	Previous tier, a stand on the night of the gala, a two-minute speaking slot	1 partner

If every tier is filled, the association raises €8,000: the target is covered, with a margin if a partner pulls out.

Here the benefits in return are real and negotiated: this is sponsorship, and each partner receives an invoice.

Another case: a company pays €1,000 and asks for nothing more than its name in the acknowledgements. If the association does serve the public interest, this is patronage. The 60% tax reduction brings the real cost of the donation down to €400 for the company. That is an argument worth making, provided you can actually issue the tax receipt.

The outline of a partnership agreement for an association

An association's partnership agreement fits on two pages. It contains:

• the parties, with the names and capacities of the signatories;
• the purpose: the event or project supported, and its dates;
• the partner's contribution: amount, payment date, or the nature of the contribution in equipment or services;
• the association's benefits in return, specific and measurable;
• the use of each party's names and logos (prior approval of materials);
• what happens if the event is cancelled or changed;
• the term and the signature of both parties.

Here is an outline to adapt, article by article:

Template translated for reference: the document you file or sign in France must be written in French.

Article 1 — Purpose. This agreement sets out the conditions under which [the partner] supports [the association] in organising [event], planned for [date] at [venue].

Article 2 — The partner's commitments. The partner pays the association the sum of €[amount], by bank transfer, no later than [date]. (Or: the partner makes available [equipment or service], with an estimated value of €[amount].)

Article 3 — The association's commitments. In return, the association undertakes to: [list of benefits, with the medium, format and date for each].

Article 4 — Names and logos. Each party authorises the other to use its name and logo solely for the purposes of this agreement. Any material is subject to the other party's written approval before it is released.

Article 5 — Cancellation or postponement. If the event is cancelled, the association returns [all / the uncommitted part] of the sum paid within [period]. If it is postponed, the parties agree in writing whether or not the partnership is maintained.

Article 6 — Term. The agreement takes effect on signature and ends on [date]. It is not renewed tacitly.

Article 7 — Report. The association gives the partner a report on the event within [number] days after it.

Done at [place], on [date], in two copies. Signatures preceded by the name and capacity of each signatory.

For patronage, article 3 is reduced to the mention of the patron's name, and the agreement states that the association issues a tax receipt.

Before signing: the checklist

• the association's signatory is indeed the person the bylaws authorise to commit it (most often the president);
• the partner's signatory has the authority to commit their company;
• the regime is settled: patronage with a tax receipt, or sponsorship with an invoice;
• each benefit in return can be delivered by the board, on a specific date;
• the school has given its approval if its name, logo or premises are involved: see the school–association agreement;
• the partner is not a producer or brand of alcoholic drinks: sponsorship that advertises alcohol is prohibited (article L3323-2 of the French Public Health Code);
• the cancellation case is written down;
• a signed copy is archived with the association's documents.

Following up and saying thank you

After the event, send the partner a report: attendance, photos in which they appear, the impact, and sincere thanks. It is the best way to be renewed next year, and to pass this contact on to the next board.

A useful report fits on one page: what was promised, what was done, a few figures and two or three photos. Send it within the month, while the event is still fresh in people's minds. Also note, for your successors, the name of the contact, the amount obtained and the time of year to get back in touch.

Frequently asked questions

Is a partnership agreement compulsory?

No legal text requires one between an association and a private company. A signed written document remains the only way to prove what was promised, on each side. For sponsorship, the invoice does not replace the agreement: it says nothing about the benefits in return or about cancellation.

Patronage or sponsorship: how do you choose?

Look at what the partner receives. If it expects visibility, a stand, access to students, it is sponsorship. If it gives without expecting anything in return other than the mention of its name, it is patronage, provided the association serves the public interest. If in doubt, sponsorship is the less risky choice for the association.

Who signs the agreement for the association?

The person the bylaws designate to represent the association, generally the president. A partnerships officer may negotiate, but signs only if they have received a written delegation.

Can a partner contribute equipment rather than money?

Yes: non-alcoholic drinks, printing, the loan of a room or equipment are contributions in kind. The agreement describes them and states their estimated value, and the same rules apply depending on whether it is patronage or sponsorship.

With toGaether

In toGaether, the association tracks its sponsors step by step, from first contact to signature: contact person, amount negotiated, benefits promised, follow-up date. A sponsorship is invoiced in one click, and the history stays attached to the association from one term of office to the next.

This article gives general guidance; for the tax regime of a specific partnership, consult a chartered accountant or the French tax authorities.

Official sources (in French)

• Service-Public.fr — Ressources financières d'une association
• Service-Public.fr — Associations : démarches et obligations
• Associations.gouv.fr — le portail de la vie associative