About Roberta vigilance
My Philosophy
Win-Win Mindset is at the Core of What I Do.
Roberta Vigilance is your trusted partner, simplifies the sponsorship process, provides step-by-step guidance, is reliable, and focused on your success.
Event Sponsorship Educator & Consultant
Since 2005, Roberta Vigilance has been on a mission to bring event sponsorship awareness to active leaders and organizations that are on the frontlines, helping their communities thrive.
In 1999, Roberta established an event planning business to educate and showcase talents, leveraging her sales skills to attract companies to support her events. She later discovered that her approach was classified as sponsorship.
Roberta has successfully secured sponsors for her fashion and talent shows, showcases, contests, and seminars, and has also helped clients and her audience secure sponsors for their own events.
In addition to teaching sponsorship seekers how to become skilled at securing sponsors, Roberta also provides sponsorship services, and is the author of the book series How to Secure Sponsors Successfully.
Blurb | Write-Ups | Mentions | Press
Roberta Vigilance is an Event Sponsorship Educator & Consultant. She is also the author of the book series How To Secure Sponsors Successfully. Since 2005, Roberta Vigilance has been on a mission to bring event sponsorship awareness to active leaders and organizations that are on the frontlines, helping their communities thrive. Contact Roberta.
why choose roberta vigilance
Roberta's event sponsorship timeline
She began as an Event Planner
Driven by a passion to help college students break into the entertainment industry without compromising their values, she began her journey by planning events for them and seeking money to implement her events. Her goal was to educate and network these young individuals, and she thought a networking event could make that vision real with the necessary funds.
Started with No Connections
Beginning with no connections and no money, she built her expertise in securing sponsors from the ground up. Her experience showed that anyone with passion and the right knowledge could secure sponsors for their events.
Self-Taught
She did know about sponsorship. Her relentless drive to get funding for her events led her to sponsorship and securing sponsors for all of her events. She built her reputation as an innovative sponsorship expert and frontrunner across the globe.
Teaching to Build a Better Future
Her mission is to continue to share her knowledge worldwide, helping event planners and organizations secure sponsors to support events that help their communities thrive. By showing them how to secure sponsors for their own meaningful events, she empowers people to turn ideas into reality and make positive changes in the world.
Why Roberta
Her proven techniques, practical guidance, and passion for helping her audience achieve success, empower organizers to confidently secure sponsors and elevate their events to new levels of success. With a purpose to educate, support, and find solutions, she is here to help you succeed.
Fund Your Event with Sponsors
Whether it's your first time securing sponsors, you feel unsure about qualifying for sponsorship, or your team needs guidance, she is here to guide you. She’ll teach and advise you on building win-win sponsorships for truly successful outcomes.
Learn more about Roberta in her own words
Hi! I'm Roberta Vigilance. My story of learning how to secure sponsors is unorthodox.
It began in the late 1990s. I was working in B2B sales, a volunteer-turned-project manager for a celebrity in hip-hop calendar, a single mom who was a functionally traumatized younger person facing countless battles - including losing the father of my child during my pregnancy, a returned college student, and a member of a club at the college.
In the club I belonged to, there were students who wanted to enter the entertainment industry without compromising their value. Being the underdog, I understood the frustration and strength it takes to stand firm in what you believe in, even when it's not supported.
I "jumped-in" to planning an event called (EINS) Entertainment Industry Network Seminar. The event showcased and educated emerging talents. Some of the greatest and legendary leaders in the industry supported the event, including Bowlegged Lou of the iconic music group Full Force. I had no experience in planning events and needed money to fund the event.
Using my skill set in sales, I sold my event to businesses in my neighborhood by asking them to invest in exchange for providing visibility for their business and getting up close and personal with their target audience. They all said yes! I wanted to plan EINS 2, needed more funding, and decided to ask corporate brands in addition to the local businesses.
Corporate brands kicked me out of their offices. My experience in sales was the cushion I needed to buffer the consecutive nos. I had learned while working in sales that 'no' could mean different things including, in this case, my pitch was off. I was literally using the wrong word. At some point in my search for funding, someone pointed me in the direction to sponsorship!
I revised my pitch to include 'sponsorship' and voilà, corporate brands said yes to sponsoring my events.
While I used to step in more directly, I now focus on providing the knowledge and services that enable sponsorship seekers to confidently secure sponsors for events and causes they care about. My strategy focuses on establishing long-term win-win sponsorship partnerships between events and sponsors.
Explore the Archive: My event sponsorship journey.
Throwback from my event planning era - Why I Do What I Do
Guide by Passion: A Journey to Sponsored Events & Securing Sponsors
This photo was taken in 2001 at the 'Teen Fashion & Talent Show,' an event that attracted many sponsors. Looking back, I realize that my belief in the purpose of these events and my unwavering passion were the driving forces, even before I fully grasped the concept of sponsorship. Though I didn’t have a mentor or a clear roadmap, my conviction in the value of my events kept me going. It wasn’t just about asking for money—it was about offering something valuable to brands that resonated with my audience. My journey was shaped by persistence, trial and error, and a deep sense that I was being guided by something bigger than myself. There were setbacks along the way, but I kept moving forward, fueled by a vision I couldn’t ignore.
roberta highlights
Fun Facts
Best of Both Worlds
Best of Both Worlds
I love music!
I enjoy comedy!
I'm a vegan!
I am the first person of color to write books on planning sponsored-events and securing sponsors!
I watch Christmas movies all year round!
Best of Both Worlds
Best of Both Worlds
Best of Both Worlds
I was born in New York City and raised in a village in Guyana!
Favorite Quotes
Best of Both Worlds
Favorite Quotes
"Each One, Teach One."
African-American proverb
"Who Feels It, Knows It."
African and Caribbean cultures
"Love All. Trust A Few. Do Wrong to Noone." William Shakespeare, All's Well That Ends Well
Beyond Sponsorship
My Impact
I'm not just a bridge for financial support. I'm empowering events to be more meaningful, brands to be more human, and audiences to feel more connected—one sponsored-event at a time. It’s a legacy of win-win.
event sponsorship speaker EDUCATOR
Empowering Event Planners
Speaking Topics to Enlighten and Drive Success. Talks are tailored to the unique needs of your audience.
Signature Talk
- The Three Foundational Pillars to Securing Sponsors: Helping Your Community Thrive
- Helping Others While Managing My Own Mental Health
Our Sponsors
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