Corporate Sponsorship Kit

The Brief

Đà Nẵng Rising W.F.C., the first women-led soccer team in Vietnam, needed to secure $10,000-$80,000 sponsorships from U.S. corporations for a cause with significant barriers: an unknown team, in a distant country, serving women's sports—historically underfunded globally. The challenge: convince American companies to invest in Vietnamese women's soccer by making the opportunity feel strategic, not charitable.

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My Strategy

I repositioned sponsorship from "helping women in Vietnam" to "ground-floor investment opportunity in a rapidly professionalizing market." Instead of leading with need, I led with timing, market positioning, and business value. Key strategic decisions:

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• Lead with urgency and opportunity: Opened with "The Time Is Now" highlighting Vietnam Football Federation's 2025 professionalization push backed by UEFA and AFC—framing sponsors as early investors, not donors.

• Business case first, social impact second: Structured benefits around market access, brand positioning, and CSR value before discussing gender equality—speaking the language of corporate decision-makers.

• Stark pay gap data for credibility: Used shocking salary comparisons (women make $57-$200/month vs. men's $380-$1,450) to establish legitimacy and urgency without being preachy.

• Tiered sponsorship with naming rights: Created Gold/Silver/Bronze packages ($10K-$80K) with tangible benefits like naming rights, VIP experiences, and media features—making investment feel valuable, not charitable.

• Founder's personal story: Positioned founder Jenny Lê as "daughter of war, work, and women who made everything out of nothing"—connecting Vietnam's past to women's empowerment narrative that resonates with American values.

• ROI for corporate sponsors: Emphasized Gen Z/Millennial appeal, employee engagement, Southeast Asian market access, and CSR reporting value—showing how sponsorship serves business objectives.
   

Results

• Successfully positioned a complex international ask as a strategic business opportunity rather than pure philanthropy, making it compelling for corporate sponsors who need to justify investments to stakeholders.

• Created a replicable framework for approaching U.S. corporations about international women's sports investment, with clear ROI articulation and tiered entry points.

• Elevated the narrative around women's soccer from "charity case" to "market-entry strategy" and "brand positioning opportunity," increasing perceived value of sponsorship.

• Professional design + strategic copy package gave a nascent nonprofit the polished materials needed to approach Fortune 500 companies and compete for six-figure sponsorships.