Note: A covering letter and the information below can also be downloaded for printing by selecting the following link for the Alpine Saskatchewan Sponsorship Package.
Who is Alpine Saskatchewan, and Where Are We?
Alpine Saskatchewan is a not-for-profit organization operating since the 1960’s and is responsible for alpine ski training and racing within the province.
Alpine skiing – as an activity and sport within Saskatchewan – is stronger than most people realize. There are five active ski parks within the province (serving as our prime alpine ski centres), another just across the Manitoba border, and world-class mountain alpine ski resorts less than a day’s drive away. There are also many active businesses throughout the province providing alpine ski equipment and services.
Alpine Saskatchewan oversees ten clubs and two high-performance provincial teams servicing over forty Saskatchewan communities. This adds up to over nine hundred members comprised of over three hundred male and female members (from four to nineteen years old) receiving instruction and coaching, hundreds of family members volunteering for training and race events, and dozens of other members providing instruction, coaching, officiating, and other support.
What does Alpine Saskatchewan Do?
Our entry-level ski instruction starts with kids as young as five years, and provides certified instructors in an Alpine Canada nationally developed and recognized alpine ski training program called Snowstars.
But there is another path available for kids that want to strive for more. During the ski season there are two races for the entry-level skiers to be exposed to fun and mildly competitive race events based on a national training model called ‘Nancy Greene’. With more experience, intermediate ski racers can train to enter into four Saskatchewan races where all the teams from the Saskatchewan clubs compete for the provincial bragging rights. Further to that, there are also three incremental provincial programs to provide high-performance training and race opportunities to qualified athletes that lead to competing at Western region and national events. We also organize and train athletes for the Saskatchewan Winter Games and Canada Winter Games events.
All of our provincial races and officials are sanctioned by the national alpine ski organization (Alpine Canada) and the international alpine ski organization (FIS) which has strict rules, protocols, and requirements to be used by our race organizers to conduct a legitimate and safe race. As such, Alpine Saskatchewan is delegated the responsibility to provide approved training for our volunteers to achieve the incremental certification levels which allow our races to be recognized nationally. We also have Alpine Canada designated training and certification programs that all of our instructors and coaches must achieve – and these too are facilitated by our organization.
What are the Community Benefits?
The ski training, by itself, is a great benefit to the individuals and the community. It provides outdoor exercise and develops personal achievements for children and youth, and involves the whole family in an outdoor activity that is fun and accessible to all ages.
Stepping into the racing program produces youth that are fit, disciplined, focused, and have gained an appreciation of their capabilities and the effort needed to reach their goals. They also become leaders for many of the other children and youth in the alpine ski programs and their peer groups.
The adult volunteers gain valuable experience and confidence from the training and use of the learned skills. They are proud of achieving the certifications and those skills also translate to more confidence in the day-to-day activities. It also gives these adults an opportunity to participate in national and international sporting events as a proud Saskatchewan representative.
What Sponsorships Are In Place?
Supporting all the organization’s activities takes many volunteers many hours of time, a significant management of resources, and a healthy financial support from government grants and business sponsorship to make it all possible. Alpine Saskatchewan’s typical annual programming budget totals approximately $300,000. We receive a large portion of funds from a Sask Sport grant of just under $100,000 – but the balance of the $200,000 budget is generated from member registration fees, fundraising, and sponsorship.
Through Alpine Canada, Alpine Saskatchewan receives assistance and funding from national sponsors:
· Husky Energy is the sponsor for creating the learn-to-ski and skills development Snowstars program, and then distributing those materials to all the provincial organizations.
· GMC Pontiac provides a Pontiac G5 automobile bi-annually to raffle off for fundraising.
Alpine Saskatchewan also solicits provincial sponsors to supplement the national offerings. Last season the following sponsors were involved:
· Primrose Lawn and Garden (Saskatoon) provided in-kind sponsorship by supplying an enclosed utility trailer for our provincial team transport needs.
· Ronald Communications (Yorkton and Russell, Manitoba) provided in-kind sponsorship by supplying twelve two-way radios for on-hill communications during our race events.
· Outtabounds (Saskatoon) provided sponsorship funds to reduce the cost of the provincial team’s winter clothing.
· Ski Norquay (Banff) provided in-kind sponsorship through special season lift passes offered to our provincial teams while using Norquay as their training base through the season.
What are the Sponsorship Needs?
The following tables provide a list of the predefined sponsorship tiers, commitments, and the benefits. Please note that these are prepackaged guidelines, and if there is a sponsor that has unique offerings and a different structure need, a tailored sponsorship package can be considered.
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Sponsorship Tier
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Intended Funding Target
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Commitment
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Bronze
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Provides participation prizes and rewards for events.
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$500 or less
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Silver
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Supports provisioning the consumable equipment and enabling the logistical support needed during the season for training (such as instructor certifications, communications, transportation, accommodation, equipment, and use of ski facilities).
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$2,000
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Gold
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Assists in the promotion of the alpine ski sport and provisioning of the Nancy Greene and SaskCup race events (such as participation assistance, media awareness, race materials, facility logistics). Also applied to sport safety, sport facilities, and supporting the coaching and advancement of our athletes. Contributes to the Silver Tier Intended funding targets.
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$5,000
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Nancy Greene or SaskCup Race Series Title Sponsor
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Primary funding for the race series and promotion of the alpine ski sport in the public media through the season. Contributes to the Gold Tier Intended funding targets. Because of the investment to create materials that will persist for years (see benefits below), this sponsorship would need a multi-year commitment – typically three seasons.
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$12,000 Per Season
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Sponsorship Tier Benefits
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Benefit Item
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Bronze Sponsor
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Silver Sponsor
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Gold Sponsor
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Nancy Greene or SaskCup Race Series Title Sponsor
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Verbally recognized during the events and the awards ceremonies.
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Opportunity to contribute branding materials to event package handouts.
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Branding materials would be placed on the Alpine Saskatchewan web site, in our organization’s newsletters, and your contributions and their value will be announced during the events and awards ceremonies.
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Option of providing an appropriately-sized logo to display on the vehicles owned by the organization.
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Recognize contribution with a formal letter that can be mounted for public display
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Sponsor branding materials would be displayed on the home page on the web site with statistics provided on impressions and click-through tracking.
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Highlighted position in the Alpine Saskatchewan newsletter.
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Space provided to mount a finish corral banner at all applicable race events. The sponsor would supply an appropriate banner for public display (up to two metres wide by one metre in height).
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Space provided to mount several appropriate banners at the finish corral, the race start area, and at the awards ceremony venue. The sponsor would supply appropriate banners for public display (size and configuration to be negotiated).
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Sponsor’s name would be included in the race series name and would appear in all public communications; radio, television, newspaper, web site, newsletters.
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Sponsor’s name would be embedded into the public race documents; race notices, race results.
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(Note 1)
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Sponsor’s name and branding would be placed onto the race bibs and gate panels.
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(Note 2)
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Sponsor’s name and branding would be embedded into awards medals and ribbons.
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(Note 3)
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Notes:
- The race materials are referenced by all participants and spectators prior to, during, and following the race events. The branding would appear on all of these documents and provides a visible impression.
- All eyes are on the competitors when racing – and the racer bibs and gate panels are the most visible during this focus. The branding on the bibs and panels is a highly coveted location for sponsors. The bibs and panels are durable and would last through the three-year race series title sponsor commitment, and likely for years to come afterwards.
- Branding on the awards medals and ribbons is an especially attractive benefit because these artifacts are associated with proud accomplishments by the athletes, and are cherished by the athletes and their families for years afterwards.