5 considerations to get the most out of your sponsorship participation in 2020
Sponsorships are an important part of strengthening relationships with law schools and highlighting your firm in the minds of law students. Sponsorships can come in a variety of forms from affinity groups, to law journals, to practice area expo’s, and more. In 2020 these groups are more important than ever, and can offer great ways to connect with students in the absence of in-person events.
Here are 5 key considerations when choosing the sponsorships your firm might want to pursue this year:
1. Strategize which schools your firm wants to focus on this year. Find out the bidding periods for those schools and focus on making connections around those dates.
2. Stick with sponsorships that offer opportunities for small group interactions. Large meetings or receptions are not as conducive to conversations with students in the virtual environment. Perhaps plan practice group discussions over the course of a week, rather than one large gathering with hard to manage break outs.
3. Invite your former summers and share with schools the events your firm is already doing. Things like CLE panel presentations, heritage month events, diversity roundtables, trivia nights, etc are free and easy ways to showcase your firm’s commitment to these causes even outside of recruiting events. Consider focusing on a different core school for each event to get even more strategic.
4. Plan to follow up. Get a list of participants and a plan to get in touch after the event. Whether it’s to point students to an online portal to apply or if it’s a general thank-you response, do a bit more legwork after the event than you normally would to continue connecting and keep your firm top of mind.
5. Budget Considerations: Most law schools and sponsorship groups are cutting the cost of their virtual events this year due to the format, but even if they don’t it’s still worthwhile to consider paying full price based on your overall goals. The firm will be saving money this year in regards to in person events like dinners, catering, event space, and swag that otherwise would have been spent on recruiting expenses.
With that in mind, sponsorships might be the best place to spend to counter-act that loss.
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