sponsor signs for little league

[slappy]

so they are getting these signs done for $85 each.....
i dunno what to say

 

[Pat Whatley]

Please say you're not the one doing them.

 

[Billct2]

I say, "You're getting a great deal"
and under my breath I say "You're idiots for spending all that time to make $45 for your league and the guy doing the signs is a bigger idiot for doing them that cheap"

 

[slappy]

no, i'm not. I feel like i should since it's local, but i also feel like it's going to be very time consuming with little profit?. I will however go and see how they are done after they are hung up on the fence to see what materials were used.

 

[slappy]

I say, "You're getting a great deal"
and under my breath I say "You're idiots for spending all that time to make $45 for your league and the guy doing the signs is a bigger idiot for doing them that cheap"

he feels that in this area, business's/sponsors wont pay more then that. The profit they make will be next years since the signs will already be made. But that's with "no commitments" that they will sponsor again. But next year it will be $25 cheaper to renew the sponsorship

 

[OldPaint]

i have another l.l. ballfield near me. they do 4'x 8' 4 mm coro signs and the person doing them PAINTS THEM.... for $100 EACH!!!! doesnot effect how i do my signs or how i charge for them.
in these cases YOU AS THE SIGN MAKER should have some input as to what you get for doing them. they cant expect you to work for free and since its a NON-PROFIT, community organization doing this FOR THE KIDS.... you might reconsider giving back a little to the community that SUPPORTS YOU!!!!!!
like i said before, i been doin them for this ballfield for last 8-10 years. i look forward to volume of work in the spring and fall for football. i do not LOOSE MONEY on these signs, i gain NEW CLIENTS for what $$$$$ i dont get from the signs i make for the KIDS!!!

 

[Ken]

Yes..a dilemma...
I third the motion that these should be coro signs. It's short term signage..aluminum not necessary. Use a dimension that fits nicely into a 4x8 sheet. (2x8feet, 16x32, 24x32, 4x4' etc) We all get people asking for 18 x 36..grrr...
Art work extra. If the sponsor want a nice logo on the sign..be prepared to pay for your time.
Yes, as OP states..this can be your part of community service..but all those sponsors are actually buying advertising. When you buy advertising..thats cost real dollars.
Good luck.
Ken

 

[OldPaint]

ken, most of the "sponsors" who buy the advertisement, are either PARENTS OR FAMILY to the kids USING THE FIELD!!!! if not then they are BUSINESSES that these parents/kids/family frequent. as for most logos i do are national brand names. WENDY'S, BURGER KING, MIKEY D'S, CAR DEALERSHIPS or just local small companies who kids are playing ball.
like i said, i get to speak to most "sponsors" because of how they want the sign done. this in turn gets me known to THEM......and they see the work i did on their sign, then they usually call me when they need something.
getting a wendys, mickey d's LOGO is no big problem. and all i got to do is cut the vinyl.
the LOCAL COMPANIES....now i call them for CAMERA READY if they have it. if not i will build the logo. all in all i make a good bump in the spring just in time for buying garden stuff and more fruit trees)))))

 

[SAS]

I did about 60 18x24 on alum. for a local high school's booster club. They sold the signs for $300 for the year they are all on a large fence as you walk in the gate.

They need to go up on the price even if they can only sell six or so. They would make more money in the long run.

 

[FatCat]

...but i also feel like it's going to be very time consuming with little profit?.

This is your answer. Don't waste any more time thinking about it, thank them for considering you and let them move on. I really used to beat myself up over major differences in pricing, but I've come to realize it is the world we live in. There is always some jackwagon out there ready to give things away just to get the business.

The reality is the youth league is really missing the boat to spend $85 to make $40. They have to sell 10 signs to make $400??? Worse yet is the "sign person" selling them for $85. I GUARANTEE, start to finish, each one of these signs takes a minimum of 1 hour to produce, probably more. My hourly shop rate is a modest $65, so when I add in the cost of materials I would be LOSING money to do these.

Little league or not, no thank you.

 

[OldPaint]

fatcat, again you miss the main reason these type of organizations exist...
FOR THE KIDS!!!! OF THE COMMUNITY........in which you are part of. since profit is all you have an interst in then follow your own advice. as far as what some gets paid to make a simple sign you say would take an hour, then you need to stay away from this type of work.
like i said, i didnt give any dollar # to what i do these signs for because people like you would call me crazy for losing all that money you woulda made. again i say, i do em, and have done em for 8-10 years, and they provide a GOOD BUMP TO MY BOTTOM LINE, OF PROFIT!!!! if you are proficient with time, know what your doin, you can make good money doin these and i alway do.

 

[Mosh]

Your sign should say "WE DO FREE SIGNS" I know you think it is for the kids, but it is for the over zelouse parents who think their kid is one step away from the major leagues. Guess what, when MY KIDS want to do something I don't go out and "begg" local businesses to pay for it. I take care of it, or with my 15 year old, I make her pay for it. Life lesson right there, work for what you get! Hell I was in the sign game when I was 15 making money, not f"ing around with a ball!!! Guess that is why I am where I am at in life, not out begging for sponsors.

 

[OldPaint]

good tude "bud man."hehehehehehehe

 

[FatCat]

fatcat, again you miss the main reason these type of organizations exist...
FOR THE KIDS!!!! OF THE COMMUNITY........in which you are part of. since profit is all you have an interst in then follow your own advice. as far as what some gets paid to make a simple sign you say would take an hour, then you need to stay away from this type of work.
like i said, i didnt give any dollar # to what i do these signs for because people like you would call me crazy for losing all that money you woulda made. again i say, i do em, and have done em for 8-10 years, and they provide a GOOD BUMP TO MY BOTTOM LINE, OF PROFIT!!!! if you are proficient with time, know what your doin, you can make good money doin these and i alway do.

OP, as I re-read my last post I understand where you might think I'm a little too focused on the bottom dollar. So, I do understand where you're coming from. However, I cut a check 2 weeks ago to my local league for $400 to help sponsor a T-Ball team and that is ON TOP of the generous discount I give them for printing their field banners. And no, my son doesn't play baseball.

HOWEVER, here are my two main points;

1. This other league only charging $125 for a 3x4 sponsor sign and then paying $85 to make only a $40 profit seems not well thought out. (In my area an umpire gets paid at least $20-$30 per game depending on the level.) They will have to sell a lot of signs to make any real money for the league.

2. By the time you get the order for the sign, call/email the sponsor to request artwork and info, play the resolution/file format game with the sponsor's logo/art, then finally whip up the design, proof to sponsor, make any changes or corrections needed by sponsor, re-proof, get approval, load vinyl in printer or cutter, print or cut vinyl, laminate or mask said vinyl, cut down aluminum sheet, clean/prep aluminum sheet, apply cut or printed vinyl and type up an invoice you WILL LIKELY have about an hour of your time wrapped up in doing it. Maybe a little more, maybe a little less but not much.

 

[Steve G.]

We do signs for 3 fields and this is how they do it.

All signs are 4 x 8 on Alumilite and stay out all year.
Clients pay for the sign outright to sign shop (of their choice). They range from 350 (one color cut vinyl) to 500 (typically). Clients pay an annual fee of 150 to have the sign on the field.

The reality is at those prices, that is relatively low cost advertising. Little league is non profit.
Every field we service is filled up with a (small) waiting list for people to get on.
It's a win win for everyone.
Tell them to charge more rent and price the signs at what they actually cost. It IS worth the money to the end user!

 

[Marlene]

it's all about what you sell the signs for and not what they sell them for. if they don't feel sponsors can pay more then offer up an option with no logos, just copy and limit that to name, location, tagline and phone number.

the real question is are you willing to be dragged into this a company that donates materails as that prety much is what you are doing. if you are OK with that then go for it. if you are treating this like another job, give them your price for it and that's that. there's is no money in this kind of work but most of us do something like this in one form or another for our communities. so it's about about are you willing to add this to your community based sign work at no profit or not.

 

[Pat Whatley]

By the time you get the order for the sign, call/email the sponsor to request artwork and info, play the resolution/file format game with the sponsor's logo/art, then finally whip up the design, proof to sponsor, make any changes or corrections needed by sponsor, re-proof, get approval, load vinyl in printer or cutter, print or cut vinyl, laminate or mask said vinyl, cut down aluminum sheet, clean/prep aluminum sheet, apply cut or printed vinyl and type up an invoice you WILL LIKELY have about an hour of your time wrapped up in doing it. Maybe a little more, maybe a little less but not much.

Bet you that doesn't happen. I'm willing to bet they use whatever artwork they're given just like it is. All you've got it a business card with your logo? No problem, scan it, scale it and print it. It will look "okay" from the 150'+ viewing distance outfield signs have.

 

[john1]

Sounds to me like you just need to stop wasting your time with this. It's obviously little to no money profit and they don't understand how to properly run a sponsorship. You don't wing out some random number before knowing what sign shops will charge for signs like this.

I'm doing 2 2x8' aluminum sponsor signs for a local dragway and they pay $1,000 a year for the sign to be placed at the track PLUS whatever the sign shop (me) charges for the signs.

If you want to take on this job still, i would offer a banner and if they didn't take that i would tell them off.

 

[OldPaint]

pat got it down........ PAT)))))))) i got 5, 32" x 48" all cut vinyl, 3 no logos, 2 with. iam gona use a time clock to see how time i expend on these. and since ibeen doin em for 8-10 years, i got it down to MINUTES not hours.)))))))))

 

[timandmikki]

I had a ball league come to me this year. They have sold banners in the past and brought me their price list that they charged their sponsors. The sold 2X4 banner for $25.00 for the year and a 4X8 for $100.00... The lady about feel off her chair when I told her the banners alone would be more than she had been charging. Apparently they have been getting their banners off the internet. I am still not sure how they were making any money, and where they were getting their banners so cheap.