A few words about the importance of engaging externally (yay, Qorporate!)
What is a Community Partnership?
We are stronger together! This is why we encourage you to reach out beyond your tech bubble to make friendsies with non-profits, schools, STEAM education and enrichment programs.
A community partnership presents an opportunity to give back to your local community. This can take any form or frequency.
Okay, so you have a few ideas of local groups you'd like to learn more about and see if there's an opportunity to support. Dope.
Examples of strong initial outreach:
- Saw on your website that you do "x" — we admire your work because reason 1, reason 2
- Tip: Set your outreach apart by showing you did some light research. Can only help!
- Looking to understand how we can mobilize our company's resources in support
- Hoping to understand how you typically partner with companies (e.g. sponsorship)
- Wondering if you're ever looking for in-kind support like venues and food
Examples of poor initial outreach:
- Our chief diversity officer or CEO will be in town next month, we'd like to do an event with you
- Tip: establish a relationship first, it's presumptuous to think the calendar is wide open and that partnering with your company is an organizational priority for them, especially a group focused on direct service delivery to marginalized populations
- Please respond with your availability to talk today or tomorrow
- Tip: perhaps gauge interest in having a conversation first. Or if you're a fan of timeframes, try 2 weeks instead of 2 business days — community orgs are often stretched thin, overworked, and underpaid — if paid at all, many are comprised solely of volunteers so their calendar management may work differently than yours
- We'd like to hold an event with you during Pride month. What dates work?
- Tip: do we even need to explain this one?
Note: these are all actual examples of outreach we've seen. Zoinks!
Suggestions of other underrepresented groups in tech