How to Build a Digital Corporate Sponsorship Program for Your Career Center (feat. Leonelle Thompson and Harold Bell)

Career Everywhere

With institutions across the country facing funding cuts, many career services leaders are reinforcing their budgets by getting corporate sponsors for their career centers. And employer partners, eager to connect with the next generation of talent, are stepping up.

For example, Spelman College’s career center has been sponsored by Carrier, Salesforce, Wells Fargo (and others); University of Washington’s has been sponsored by Alaska Airlines, AT&T, Starbucks (and others); and Langston University’s has been sponsored by Dell, Boeing, Hormel Foods, and more.

While corporate sponsorship programs are not necessarily new to many career centers—with employers traditionally sponsoring events like career fairs, info sessions, and interview rooms—the continued emphasis on digital engagement means many of those traditional programs are losing their shine. The time is ripe for career services teams to launch corporate sponsorship programs for their virtual career centers.

In this episode, you'll learn how Leonelle Thompson, former Director of Career and Professional Development at Langston University, and Harold Bell, Director of the Office of Career Planning and Development at Spelman College, created robust corporate sponsorship programs for their virtual career centers.

They share tactical advice and guidance on:

• How to get started
• What types of sponsorship opportunities to offer
• How to grow your program once it’s up and running
• And more

Resources from the episode:

• Spelman College’s virtual career center
  • Sponsors page
• Langston University’s virtual career center
  • Sponsors page
• Leonelle’s LinkedIn page
• Harold’s LinkedIn page
• Digital corporate sponsorship playbook (includes sponsorship package examples)

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