Understanding sponsorship and sponsorship relationships—multiple frames and multiple perspectives

It is widely recognized that many arts, sports and charitable organizations rely heavily on income from sponsorship. This paper selectively discusses the literature examining sponsorship, following the approach of Lynall et al. ( 2003 ) and the life cycle literature, following Quinn and Cameron ( 1983 ). The paper adopts a meta‐framework making use of multiple framing to develop complementary theoretic views and perspectives of the nature of sponsorship relationships in the non‐profit sector. Using a New Zealand arts sponsorship as an illustration, we suggest that insights about the nature of the sponsorship relationship can be better understood through the employment of multiple frames and the development of multiple theoretical perspectives. A future research agenda is also proposed.