Social sponsoring
What it is
In social sponsoring the company funds a project that serves the community and receives in return a visibility tied to that project. The counterpart is written: a logo on the associations' websites, a profile, a dedicated page, a thank-you campaign. The company buys a visibility service, it is invoiced with VAT, and it handles the expense as marketing. Nothing is left to interpretation: the contract says what is delivered, where and when, and the final report proves it.
The word "social" does not refer to social networks. It says that the visibility rests on a result that benefits people: a better equipped association, a better informed public, help that is easier to find. That result is what gives the logo its value.
What sets it apart from patronage and classic sponsoring
Patronage and donations expect no proportionate counterpart: you support because you believe in it, you are thanked, and that is all. Classic sponsoring attaches to an event or a club: the visibility lasts as long as the festival or the season. Social sponsoring attaches to a result that stays: a website online for years, an association that cites its sponsor in its own communication, a campaign relayed by those who benefit from it.
The line with patronage is judged by the proportion between what is given and what is received. A mention in an annual report against a contribution is patronage. A logo on five websites, a dedicated page and a thank-you campaign against a pack is sponsoring. The article Patronage, sponsoring,donation details the three frameworks with their tax consequences.
Why a company chooses this format
- Duration: an advertisement disappears when the budget stops, a logo on an association's website stays for years
- Credibility: an association that thanks you publicly weighs more than a message the company signs itself
- Proof: an end-of-cohort report gives facts that can be reused in an ESG questionnaire or CSR communication
- Scale: a small local company gains as much as a group, at the measure of its public
In Kern4Good
Companies feed a cohort's solidarity pool through packs from 500 to 10 000 EUR, or a free amount. KERN-IT builds the websites at cost, the associations relay the campaign, and the end-of-cohort report shows the use of every euro. Counterparts are written pack by pack, from the name cited in the thank-you campaign to the dedicated page and the consulting days: they are on the Companies page.
A point of honesty: the sponsored cohort depends on the companies that answer. No website starts before its funding is gathered, and the programme commits to no date and no number of websites before. The pack is invoiced when the cohort it funds starts.
Further reading
Is social sponsoring tax deductible?
It is handled as a marketing expense, with an invoice and VAT, deductible as any professional cost. It is not a donation: no tax certificate is issued. Your accountant will confirm the treatment suited to your company.
What size of company can sponsor?
Any. Packs start at 500 EUR (the Friend pack, for freelancers, named without a logo on the websites) and a free amount is possible. A small local company has as much to gain in visibility as a large group, at the scale of its public.
Can we choose the association we support?
The solidarity pool funds the whole cohort, which guarantees fairness between associations. An association sponsor can however be more visibly associated with one structure of the cohort, in agreement with it, and a company funding a whole cohort chooses its region or theme.
What does the company receive at the end?
An end-of-cohort report: the euros committed, the websites delivered, the associations supported, the visibility obtained (visits, mentions, content). It is a document the company can reuse as is in its communication or in an ESG questionnaire.