Fund Development Tips and Tricks

Fund development can be a tricky topic for many sections, especially those without a strong history of sponsorship. If your section is trying to kick the notch up on sponsorship, here are a few tips and tricks to help get you started.

1. Use your internal networks. Your section is full of amazing women who are already enthusiastic about SWE – give them the resources to advocate for your section! Send out sponsorship packets and/or links to sign up for corporate email lists to your section leaders at the beginning of the summer. As they go off to their internships, they can share this with the HR reps they work with. While not everyone is going to feel comfortable doing this, encourage your section to advocate for itself. This is a fantastic way to grow your sponsor network, especially as the company will already know how great your SWEople are!
2. Market your section just like you would market yourself. Do you have members of your section who already have jobs or internships lined up before the career fair comes around? Create a brochure that advertises opportunities within your section that members can hand out at the career fair. If a few members can go around during the career fair and share information with recruiters on campus, you may be able to pique the interest in sponsorship.
3. Partner with other student groups. Everyone is always looking to get the most value out of their time and partnering with other student groups can be a great way to allow companies to meet the most students in the time that they spend on campus. This is also an excellent way to advertise your section to other groups on campus who may be like minded.
4. Do not be afraid to use the normal tactics. Cold emails or LinkedIn messages still work and are a great way to share information about your section.
5. Leverage your alumni! Many work at the same companies that already know how great SWE is – so use them to help you get in touch with HR or other groups at those companies (for instance – does the company have a Women in Engineering group? They may be able to sponsor you!).

And remember take it slow and be patient–there are a lot of external factors that go into deciding to sponsor student groups. Just because you have not contacted the right person at a particular company yet does not mean those sponsorships may not come in later. Keep trying and stay motivated.
 
Written by: Emma Lovett