FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Sponsorship
Thanks for your interest in Cannondale.
Although we greatly apprciate your inquiry, please understand that we get a ton - literally thousands - of requests each year for sponsorship. The sheer volume of requests makes it impossible for us to discuss individual inquiries over the phone. And of course, the huge number of requests we receive also means we're forced to say "thanks, but no thanks" to the overwhelming majority of people and organizations who approach us for support. With that said, please read the information below that is most relevant to your interest in sponsorship and by all means, contact us if you think this would be a good match:
- I'm a RACER and I want to be sponsord. What do I do?
- I'm an ORGANIZER for a race / fundraising event. What is your policy?
- What's your policy regarding ADVOCACY
1. I'm a RACER and I want to be sponsored. What do I do?
- If you are a bicycle racer interested in sponsorship… Besides our pro bike racers, we also sponsor the Bear Naked Cannondale Mountain Bike racing team.
We also occasionally work with Cannondale dealerships to sponsor shop teams. Consider checking with your local dealership to see if they sponsor a cycling team. Aside from the above information, please consider the following when applying for sponsorship...
Resumes must include:- Cover page / letter of introduction.
- Complete chronological history of race results for the 2006 season and 2007 season, including class raced.
- A complete list of races you plan to do in the 2008 race year, and your racing goals.
- Details of what you are expecting from sponsorship.
- Details of what you contribute to the sport of cycling besides racing. (trail maintenance, lead group rides, bicycle advocacy, etc.)
- Copies (not originals) of any press you may have received during the 2007 or 2006 season, if available.
- Races photos (not originals), if available.
- Bike and clothing sizing information. (bike, short, jersey, glove, helmet, t-shirt, jacket)
- What bike are you riding now?
- Are you affiliated with a bike shop?
- Do you have any current sponsorship for the coming year?
- Complete contact information, including E-mail address.
Resumes can be sent to:
Cannondale Attn Athlete Sponsorship Committee
16 Trowbridge Rd.
Bethel, CT. 06801
*All of the above information in typed format is required for consideration. Please mail hard-copies. E-MAILED resumes will NOT be considered.
- If you are a cyclist participating in a charity or fund-raising ride… We do not sponsor individual riders participating in charity rides. Instead, as detailed below, we work with ride organizers at selected events. Working with ride organizers allows us to leverage our involvement in such a way as to motivate ALL ride participants, thus having a more positive impact on the event and the charity it supports.
- If you are participating in a cycling expedition… As a rule, we no longer sponsor cycling expeditions. We have sponsored numerous expeditions in the past, including trips that have circumnavigated the world and covered the length of the African continent. Without exception, whatever press coverage resulted from these expeditions focused exclusively - as it should - on the expedition's participants and their experiences and adventures. Because little (if any) mention is ever made of the equipment used on expeditions, we have decided that expedition sponsorship is not an effective tool for promoting Cannondale or our products.
2. I'm an ORGANIZER for a race / fundraising event. What is your policy?
- If you are an organizer of a charity fund-raising ride, auction, or other event… Charity, it is said, begins at home. In order to be good corporate citizens within our community, we limit our charitable support to local groups and events. Groups we have worked with in the past, and those we currently sponsor, include the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Habitat For Humanity, Boys' and Girls' Club, Ronald McDonald House and many other worthy causes. The one non-local group we work with is Trips For Kids, who receive our spare and obsolete bicycle parts and equipment. Trips for Kids is a non-profit group that rehabilitates bikes and uses them to take inner city kids on bicycle outings. They do fantastic work.
- If you are a race organizer… Unfortunately, our race sponsorship budget is very limited. For the most part, we confine our race sponsorship to supporting two bicycling events, the annual Tour de 'Toona which takes place near our Pennsylvania factories, and the Housatonic Valley Classic which takes place near our Connecticut headquarters.
