Be a Program Sponsor

Partner Fellows sponsors are visible local, regional and national leaders, spearheading social innovation that also contributes to the core mission of their organizations. Candidate sponsors may include corporations, member associations, foundations, or other organizations engaged in community philanthropy. “Hewlett-Packard is proud to be offering this exciting new program as one option for employees in transition to a new chapter of their career,” said Gabi Zedlmayer, Vice President, Office of Global Social innovation, HP. “Encore Fellowships build on the long HP tradition of encouraging social innovation and community engagement through the immense talents and commitment of our employees.”

Sponsor Benefits

Sponsoring organizations can benefit in many ways from their participation in the Partner Fellows Program.

  • Employee engagement: Corporate-sponsored Partner Fellowships provide an attractive option for employees nearing the end of their midlife careers. A Partner Fellowship offers a proven transitional experience into an encore career – which combines social impact, personal meaning and continued income – in the nonprofit or public sector. Partner Fellowships fit well with other programs, such as early retirement, corporate volunteerism or outplacement services.
  • Community engagement: Corporations and corporate foundations have long been important supporters of community-based nonprofits. Partner Fellowships provide a unique, new opportunity for corporations to provide direct, high-leverage assistance to those organizations. Now, along with direct cash contributions and employee volunteer programs, corporations can provide experienced, committed Partner Fellows who will work within nonprofits doing a variety of high impact assignments. The value-to-cost ratio of a sponsored fellow can easily exceed a cash contribution by a factor of four or more. Increasingly, foundations and other funders are recognizing the value of providing grantees with human capital in addition to traditional financial support.
  • Market engagement: Most leading corporations have found ways to leverage their social responsibility efforts with their core business missions. Partner Fellowships allow companies to target specific sectors that will be most relevant to their customers, such as education, health care, environment, arts and culture, or even the boomer market itself. Direct benefits to the core business can take many forms: brand goodwill and public relations, product evangelism, the opportunity to engage in deep customer dialogue and technology/application capacity development.

Sponsor Responsibilities

  • Fellow recruitment: Nominate Partner Fellow candidates from the ranks of employees who have already or will soon complete their midlife careers in the corporate world.
  • Nonprofit connection: Identify potential nonprofit sponsors that would benefit from having a Partner Fellow.
  • Financial support: Provide funding for stipends and program administration costs.
  • Co-branding: Gain additional visibility in branded encore fellowships programs.

For information on joining our growing list of sponsors:


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