SBA's YAA Blog

Sample Sponsorship Letter for SBAA Conference

Many people have asked for resources to help defray the costs of attending the SBAA 2005 Annual Conference.  One way to earn some money toward conference costs is to solicit sponsorships from people and organizations in your community. 

Beth Bryant, an individual with spina bifida and a member of the YAA, was gracious enough to share her successful fundraising letter she sent out seeking funding for the IF International Conference in Oslo, Norway in September, 2004.  Although this letter has already been somewhat tailored to the SBAA National Conference, you should further tailor this letter to fit your individual needs and send it to individuals and organizations in your community for funding.  The letter will only be successful if you personalize it with why attending the conference will be meaningful to you.

Remember: always be thankful and respectful of people’s time and resources.  You should send a handwritten thank you note to anyone who sponsors you as well as a second handwritten note after attending the conference detailing what you learned and experienced.  You are an ambassador of the spina bifida community — always be respectful and thankful.

Greetings:

Allow me to introduce myself.  My name is ___________ and I am an adult living with Spina Bifida, born during what many refer to as the age of survival.  Prior to this time the survival rate for Spina Bifida was about 10%, today that rate is 90% or better.  With survivorship has come years of stereotyping by society.  Physical impairment by no means dictates mental retardation.   While society in general has made strides in improving the quality of life for those impaired,  there is still much to be accomplished.

I have an opportunity to attend an International Conference in June, 2005 co-sponsored by the Spina Bifida Association of America and the International Federation for Hydrocephalus and Spina Bifida (IF).  This international conference will truly be a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to meet and discuss with individuals from around the world the difficulties and successes of those in the spina bifida community.  I know that many European countries have far surpassed us in providing equality of opportunities, choice, independence and basic human dignity and I am anxious to help bring these issues forward in my community for consideration and adoption.

I am currently coordinator for adults with spina bifida in ___________, a member of the Youth & Adult Alliance (YAA) with the Spina Bifida Association of American and have had the opportunity to represent the State of __________ as Delegate to the SBAA National Conferences for the past _________ years.  I have been invited to discuss the findings of this conference with my local spina bifida support organization as well as with other civic organizations upon my return. The adult Spina Bifida population is quite interested in learning about the social effects of Spina Bifida in other countries.  By attending this National Conference, I would have the opportunity to collect data on the Life Quality Studies of Adults with Spina Bifida worldwide, as well as attending seminars on sexuality, urology, and neurological issues.  The data collected would then be shared with constituents not only on the state level but also nationally through the Youth & Adult Alliance group of SBAA.

Details on the National Conference can be found on the Spina Bifida Association of America website — http://www.sbaa.org.

The cost of the Conference will be roughly $_________, with registration and hotel at $1,500.00 and transportation at $1_______.  Unfortunately the Spina Bifida Association of ___________ does not have a program to assist me financially, and I am on my own when it comes to fund raising.  To date, I have received $__________ in sponsorships, mainly from people such as you.  I am fortunate to have one sponsor that will match my total sponsorships dollar for dollar, but this still leaves me several hundred dollars short of my goal.  A sponsorship from you in any amount would be greatly appreciated.  Hopefully, I will be able to partner with you on this venture and become the liaison between the national spina bifida movement and _______(your locale)________.

Sponsorships should be made payable to _______________ at the following address:

Spina Bifida Association of ______
Attn. _____________ Conference Fund
Addresss
City, State ZIP

I welcome the opportunity to discuss your sponsorship and answer any questions you may have.  Thank you for your support.

Respectfully,