If you're doing your ride as a 'benefit' ride - donating proceeds or
percentage of the proceeds, you can make presentations to WalMart, even Susan G.
Komen Foundation has a 'Ride for the Cure' group - most are 3 day eventers, but
who says WE can't do an endurance style Ride for the Cure. I have a sister
with breast cancer and have been considering putting on a Ride myself, but life
has intervened, so I do volunteer and committees for Race for the Cure...but as
my sister said, I'd rather ride my horse than walk!
Sponsorships are nothing new to rides. What many
ride managers have found though, is that when they go after sponsorships from
companies that would benefit from the advertising they receive at the ride,
that these businesses are approached quite often by other horse events,
and just can not sponsor another one. We always would go to the local
tack, feed, and other horse related businesses. And, indeed, some would often
donate items, but rarely would we get cash sponsorships. And, maybe this
is the wrong approach, I don't know. Maybe rides need to look at non-horse
related companies for monetary sponsorships. I know we went after Cliff
bar once at our ride, and they sent us boxes of Cliff bars.... nice for the
riders, but does nothing to off set the costs, if that is what you are trying
to do. So if someone has ideas as to how to get larger sponsorships, I'm sure
some managers would be open to suggestions.
