Are Sponsorships Worth It? How to Measure Their Value

Your inbox is full of them. Charity galas, community festivals, youth sports teams, industry awards dinners — all with their hand out, all with a compelling story about why your company should write a cheque. And here's the thing: many of these causes are genuinely great. The work matters. The communities benefit. The mission resonates.

So why does saying ‘yes’ feel like a gamble (and why does saying ‘no’ feel like you're the villain in a Dickens novel)?

Without a strategy, every sponsorship decision is a shot in the dark.

Because without a strategy, every sponsorship decision is a shot in the dark. You're either the company that supports everything (and therefore stands for nothing), or you're scrambling to justify why you backed the celebrity chef dinner but turned down the hospital foundation. Neither position is particularly comfortable — or strategic.

The evaluation situation: Sponsorships without scorecards

Most organizations have no systematic way to evaluate sponsorship opportunities. They assess each ask in isolation, swayed by personal connections, guilt, or whoever makes the loudest case at the leadership table. It's decision-making by instinct, rather than insight.

But doing nothing comes with its own cost. In an era where corporate social responsibility isn't just nice to have but expected, sitting on the sidelines damages your reputation. Customers, employees, and stakeholders want to see you contributing to the communities where you operate. 

The question isn't whether to engage in sponsorships and community support. It's how to do it strategically.

Make a difference for the cause — and your company.

Still, assigning value is complex. How do you measure brand affinity? How do you quantify employee pride? How do you compare a title sponsorship that reaches 50,000 people against a grassroots program that deeply impacts 500? Without criteria, every conversation devolves into subjective opinions and gut feelings. With criteria, you can make defensible decisions that actually make a difference for the cause, and your company.

ABOVE: Screenshot of a digital sponsorship scorecard we developed for an enterprise-level client — the kind that's often approached for sponsorship support. The tool allows them to assign an objective value to something that's too often left to a subjective decision.

Three truths about strategic sponsorships

Truth #1: It's perfectly acceptable — necessary, even — to expect something back when you give.

Let's dispense with the guilt right now. When your organization supports a cause through sponsorship, you're entering a partnership, not writing a blank cheque out of charity. (Side note: don’t write blank cheques, period.)

The best sponsorships create mutual value: the organization gets funding and legitimacy, while your company gains visibility, audience reach, and brand affinity with people who share those values.

Today, there's a high expectation of corporate social responsibility. Organizations that demonstrate credible support earn increased loyalty from customers who want to align with companies that reflect their values. It's also one of the most effective ways to engage your employees and stakeholders — giving them something to feel genuinely proud about when they say where they work.

This isn't opportunism. It's smart business wrapped in the warm blanket of genuine impact.

Truth #2: A solid CSR strategy rooted in your brand values is vital to maximizing impact — for the causes you support, and your reputation.

Random acts of corporate kindness might make you feel good in the moment, but they don't build or bolster a coherent brand. A strategic approach to sponsorships means defining your audience, your corporate values, and your reputation priorities first. Then you evaluate opportunities against those criteria.

This approach transforms sponsorship decisions from anxiety-inducing judgment calls into straightforward assessments. Your team gets a roadmap for making difficult decisions. The charities and organizations you regularly support gain planning predictability. Everyone wins.

A well-crafted strategy also establishes a hierarchy: which opportunities deserve major investment versus which merit smaller contributions? Where should your logo be largest, and where is a supporting role more appropriate? These decisions should flow from your strategic priorities, not from whoever asks first or loudest.

Truth #3: The pitfalls are real — and avoidable.

Without strategy, companies stumble into predictable traps. They sponsor causes that don't align with their brand values and generate public backlash. They chase high-profile opportunities that sound impressive but fail to reach audiences relevant to their business. They secure sponsorships but fail to activate them properly, generating zero awareness for all that investment.

The antidote? A framework that evaluates both the intangible elements (brand alignment, values fit, reputational impact) and the tangible ones (audience size and demographics, visibility, activation opportunities, competitive landscape).

Doing good is good business — when you know what 'good' looks like

Sponsorships absolutely deliver value. But only when you know what value you're looking for, how to measure whether you're getting it, and how to say no to opportunities that don't serve your strategic goals.

The organizations winning at corporate social responsibility aren't just writing bigger cheques — they're writing smarter ones. They've moved beyond reactive decision-making to proactive strategy. They've accepted that expecting ROI from community investment isn't crass — it's responsible stewardship of their brand and resources.

If your team is stuck in the cycle of anxiety-driven sponsorship decisions, it's time for a different approach. Reach out to us to talk about building a sponsorship strategy and scorecard that makes these tough calls considerably easier — and more effective.