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Sponsor Kit — [project-name]

Copy-paste sponsor kit template. For the how-and-why guide, see docs/sponsor-kit.md. All rate figures come from templates/rate-card.md and are estimate / reference only — not a quote, not a guarantee.

How to use this template

  1. Replace every [bracket] placeholder with your real data.
  2. Every $ figure is estimate / reference only unless you cite a publicly-disclosed source URL inline (citeable anchors live in docs/case-studies.md).
  3. GitHub Traffic is admin-only. Only maintainers with push access can read /repos/{owner}/{repo}/traffic/* — the API returns 403 to everyone else. Any traffic numbers you publish here are therefore self-reported and not independently verifiable by a sponsor. Traffic also rolls on a 14-day window (visitors/clones update hourly; referrers/popular content update daily; all UTC) — it is a short-term snapshot, not a lifetime total. State this plainly; hiding it erodes trust.
  4. Star count is a popularity proxy, not a pricing metric. The real drivers are unique monthly visitors (GitHub Traffic) + package downloads (npm/PyPI/Docker) + audience-to-sponsor fit. If you can't show traffic or conversion data, price at the low end of the range and raise after the first 3 closed deals.

1. Repo snapshot

Template

Metric Value Source / notes
Stars [N] github.com/[owner]/[repo]
Forks [N]
Watchers [N]
Open issues / PRs [N] / [N]
Contributors [N]
License [MIT / Apache-2.0 / …]
Primary language [TypeScript / Python / …]
Latest release [vX.Y.Z] ([YYYY-MM-DD])
Age [N] years first commit [date]

GitHub Traffic (admin-only, 14-day rolling, self-reported — see caveat above):

Metric (last 14d) Value Endpoint
Unique visitors [N] GET /repos/[owner]/[repo]/traffic/views
Total views [N] (same)
Unique cloners [N] GET /repos/[owner]/[repo]/traffic/clones
Total clones [N] (same)
Top referrers [list] GET /repos/[owner]/[repo]/traffic/popular/referrers
Top content [list] GET /repos/[owner]/[repo]/traffic/popular/paths

Requires push/write access; a fine-grained PAT needs Administration:read. Fetch with gh api repos/[owner]/[repo]/traffic/views if you have access. A sponsor cannot verify these numbers — they are self-reported.

Worked example — "fastgraph" (fictional 1,000-star repo)

fastgraph is a TypeScript graph-layout library (@fastgraph/core on npm). 1,012 stars, 124 forks, 48 watchers, 31 open issues, 9 open PRs, 67 contributors, MIT license, latest v2.4.0 (2026-05-30), first commit 2023-02.

GitHub Traffic (14-day snapshot, self-reported, admin-only): 8,400 unique visitors / 14,200 views; 1,180 unique cloners / 1,950 clones; top referrers github.com, npmjs.com, dev.to; top path /README.md.


2. Package downloads

Unlike GitHub Traffic, these are publicly verifiable by the sponsor — cite the registry endpoint so they can check.

Template

Registry Package Window Volume Source
npm [pkg] weekly [N] api.npmjs.org/downloads/point/last-week/[pkg]
PyPI [pkg] monthly [N] pypistats.org/api/packages/[pkg]
Docker [image] total pulls [N] hub.docker.com/v2/repositories/[image]

Worked example — fastgraph

@fastgraph/core (npm): ~182,000 weekly downloads. fastgraph (PyPI, Python bindings): ~9,400 monthly. fastgraph/core (Docker): ~22,000 total pulls. A sponsor can verify each at the endpoint above.


3. User persona

Template

  • Who: [developer role — e.g. frontend engineer building data-viz dashboards]
  • Why they install: [one-sentence job-to-be-done]
  • Where they come from: [top referrers / search terms]
  • Geography: [regions — sponsor-relevant; e.g. EthicalAds pays ~$2.25–$2.75 CPM for EU+NA traffic, estimate / reference only]
  • Buying intent nearby: [adjacent tools/services they also adopt — the sponsor fit]

Worked example — fastgraph

Frontend/BI engineers building interactive node-link dashboards in React/Vue. They arrive from npm search, a "react graph visualization" blog post, and the Vue ecosystem docs. ~60% EU+NA traffic (per Traffic referrers + npm region breakdown). Adjacent spend: diagramming UIs, observability dashboards, graph databases — a clean fit for a graph-DB or observability vendor.


4. Repo positioning

Template

  • Category: [where this sits in the OSS landscape]
  • Differentiator: [one line]
  • Comparable projects: [names + their star counts]
  • Maturity signal: [release cadence / used by / starred by]

Worked example — fastgraph

Category: client-side graph layout. Differentiator: sub-millisecond incremental layout (no full recompute on a data tick). Comparable: d3-force (~28k★), cytoscape.js (~9k★), vis-network (~12k★). Maturity: monthly releases, used by 3 named enterprise dashboards, sponsored by [list].


5. Sponsor slots inventory

Slot taxonomy from data/sponsor-types.yml. Mark availability per slot.

Slot Location Value Available? Notes
README top banner top of README, above fold high [yes/no] 1–2 logos max
README bottom logo grid bottom Sponsors section medium-high [yes/no] dynamic SVG, never edit README — see readme-sponsor-block.md
README bottom text line bottom Sponsors section low [yes/no] BACKERS.md style
Docs site ad docs sidebar/banner medium [yes/no] traffic-driven, ~$2.50 CPM (estimate / reference only)
Release note GitHub Release / CHANGELOG medium [yes/no] per-release
Demo/landing site demo footer / "powered by" medium [yes/no]
Newsletter email / classified high [yes/no] highest $ per impression if you have a list
Community channel Discord/Slack pinned low-medium [yes/no] bundled, rarely standalone
Sponsor page project.tld/sponsors medium [yes/no] where tier ladders live

Worked example — fastgraph

Available: README top banner (1 slot), README bottom logo grid (Gold/Silver/Bronze), docs site ad (sidebar), release note (per release), sponsor page (fastgraph.dev/sponsors). Not available: newsletter (no list yet), community channel (Discord <400 members).


6. Price card

Full tiered rate card with derivation is in templates/rate-card.md. All figures estimate / reference only — not a quote.

Template (1,000-star row, from data/pricing-benchmarks.yml)

Slot Monthly (est. / ref only)
README top banner $400–$1,000
README bottom logo $200–$600
README bottom text $100–$300
Docs site ad $50–$200
Release note $200–$600
Newsletter / issue $200–$500

Deal-model modifiers (estimate / reference only): one-time 12-month display ≈ 8–10× monthly (15–20% off vs monthly); annual paid-yearly ≈ 10–12× monthly (15–20% off); affiliate-pure = $0 fixed + 10–30% recurring or $5–$50 flat per converted user; fixed+affiliate = 50–70% of slot base + commission. See data/sponsor-types.yml.

Worked example — fastgraph

Gold logo (bottom grid): $450/mo (est. / ref only, mid of $200–$600). README top banner: $700/mo (est. / ref only). Docs sidebar ad: derived 30,000 pageviews / 1000 × ~$2.50 ≈ $75/mo at 70% revshare (EthicalAds, estimate / reference only — see data/pricing-benchmarks.yml). Annual Gold paid yearly: $4,500/yr (10× monthly, est. / ref only).


7. Case study paragraph (4–6 sentences)

Template

[Sponsor name] sponsored [project] at the [tier] level for [N] months to reach [audience]. During the period the [slot] received [impressions/clicks], driving [conversions/signups] measured by [method]. [Sponsor] saw [outcome — e.g. X qualified signups, Y% lift in brand-search]. The partnership cost [amount] (est. / ref only) and ran from [date] to [date]. [Optional quote from sponsor]. Reproduce: [how a new sponsor gets the same placement].

Worked example — fastgraph (fictional)

GraphDB Co. sponsored fastgraph at the Gold logo tier for 6 months (2026-01 to 2026-06) to reach frontend engineers building graph dashboards. The bottom README logo grid was viewed an estimated 14,200 times in the last 14-day Traffic window (self-reported, admin-only — see caveat in §1), and the sponsor page logged 88 click-throughs to graphdb.co via a tagged link. GraphDB Co. attributed 12 trial signups and 3 paid conversions to the placement (their internal UTM tracking). The partnership cost an estimated $2,700 over 6 months ($450/mo, estimate / reference only — see rate-card.md). Reproduce: a new Gold sponsor gets the same bottom-grid placement plus a sponsor-page listing within one release cycle.


8. Mockup (logo-in-README)

Describe the placement a sponsor's logo receives, so they can picture it before signing.

Template

  • Where: [README top banner OR bottom Sponsors grid OR docs sidebar]
  • Size: [e.g. logo 240×60 top; 120×40 bottom grid]
  • Link: [logo links to sponsor URL]
  • Generated how: [dynamic SVG from sponsors.json endpoint — README never edited] (see readme-sponsor-block.md)
  • Tier label: [Gold/Silver/Bronze — lives on sponsor page, rarely in README]
<p align="center">
  <a href="[sponsor-url]"><img src="[sponsors-endpoint].svg" alt="Sponsors"></a>
</p>

Worked example — fastgraph

A Gold sponsor's logo (120×40, light + dark variant) appears in the bottom Sponsors grid of README.md, rendered from https://fastgraph.dev/sponsors.svg (regenerated from sponsors.json on each sponsor change — the README itself is never edited). Gold logos sit in the first row above Silver/Bronze. The tier ladder and full descriptions live on fastgraph.dev/sponsors, linked once from the README header.


9. Cooperation terms

Template

  • Term: [1 month / 3 months / annual] (annual ≈ 10–12× monthly, 15–20% off — estimate / ref only)
  • Billing: [monthly via GitHub Sponsors / Open Collective / direct invoice]
  • Invoice: [who invoices, currency, net-15/30, tax form W-9/W-8BEN if US fiscal host]
  • Cancellation: [notice period — e.g. 30 days; monthly tiers cancel at next cycle]
  • Exclusivity: [none / same-category-exclusive / fully exclusive]
  • Logo approval: [sponsor supplies; maintainer reserves right to refuse]
  • Placement guarantee: [slot + duration; NO impression guarantee — Traffic is self-reported]
  • Fiscal host (if collective): [Open Source Collective 501(c)(6) / regional host]

Worked example — fastgraph

Term: monthly or annual (paid yearly ≈ $4,500/yr Gold, estimate / ref only). Billing: GitHub Sponsors (personal, 0% platform fee) for individuals; Open Collective via Open Source Collective (501(c)(6)) for company sponsors needing invoices/tax-deductibility. Invoice: OSC issues USD invoices, net-30, automated 990 tax forms. Cancellation: 30 days notice; monthly cancels at next cycle. Exclusivity: category-exclusive on request (e.g. one graph-DB vendor in the Gold row). No impression guarantee — Traffic figures are self-reported (§1).


10. Contact

Template

  • Sponsor page: [project.tld/sponsors]
  • Email: [sponsor@project.tld]
  • FUNDING.yml: .github/FUNDING.yml (see funding-yml-example.md)
  • Response SLA: [e.g. 3 business days]
  • Preferred first contact: [short email with budget + goal]

Worked example — fastgraph

Sponsor page: fastgraph.dev/sponsors. Email: sponsor@fastgraph.dev. .github/FUNDING.yml lists GitHub Sponsors (@fastgraph) + Open Collective (fastgraph) + a custom sponsor-page URL (see funding-yml-example.md). Response within 3 business days; preferred first contact is a one-line email with target tier and goal.


Checklist before sending