How to Drive Non-Dues Revenue with Career Events

Read on to discover how to drive non-dues revenue with your association’s career events.

For most associations and membership-based organizations, member dues make up only a portion of total revenue. The top non-dues revenue drivers for associations are often events, sponsorships, and exhibitors. The last several years have been a rollercoaster for the association (and every other) industry. Events have shifted around from in-person to virtual to hybrid, and while many have returned to in-person, many organizations still offer a mix of the three options.

For all kinds of career events, it’s important to provide a variety of sponsorship options. These can provide immense value to members and to your non-dues revenue, with a high return on investment (ROI) for sponsors.

With these ideas in mind, here’s a list of sponsorship ideas for career events:

1. Branded spaces
   Personalized space for sponsors in the lobby, networking lounges, auditorium, or sponsor halls. You can take these spaces virtual as well and mirror what attendees would see at onsite career events.
2. Sessions
   Ask sponsors to moderate a session or show a brief sponsor video before a session.
3. Sponsor a lounge
   Offer sponsors the option to host a lounge with some entertainment or activity. For example, your sponsors could use the lounge to host live music that you could livestream for attendees to watch remotely.
4. Event bag
   Use a swag bag to provide your sponsors’ content and important event resources in one place. You can turn the bag attendees receive at an in-person career event into a digital event bag, too.
5. Recruitment guides
   Digital or printed recruitment guides can include paid ads from sponsors, plus relevant career development articles and resources for members.
   

   Recruitment Guide

6. Gamification
   Create a game with your sponsors, like a virtual or in-person trivia night, that all career event attendees can be a part of to encourage engagement.
7. Raffles/drawings
   Use sponsored raffles/drawings that are built into your career event schedule to attract attendees to various event activities.
8. Guest blog posts
   Offer sponsors the chance to provide a guest blog post that you can share on your registration website. This post can introduce potential attendees to the sponsors.
9. Email communications
   Include sponsor logos in email communications for your career event.
10. Event registration page
    Use banners on your registration page as a sponsorship opportunity to help sponsors gain added exposure.
11. Program guides
    Place program guides in the attendees’ welcome bags (you can do this virtually, too) and have a special thank you section for your sponsors.
12. Gift cards
    Give or email out a gift card provided by a sponsor to let attendees know the sponsor is a part of your career event. For example, a sponsor might provide a simple $5 gift card code to get coffee for those early morning sessions.
13. Social media
    Give your sponsors shout-outs on your social media posts so that members know the sponsors will be a part of your career event. Your followers just might see it and decide to register for your event.
14. Matchmaking and appointment scheduling
    Use attendee registration data and profile data to help sponsors/vendors research who is interested in their products/services and connect with them.
15. Branded booths
    Employers can sponsor branded booths where they can highlight job openings, company information, and other relevant materials.
16. Sponsored career resources
    Sponsors can host resume reviews and give your members an opportunity to speak with qualified career coaches in your industry. They can bring in industry experts to deliver career sessions or sponsor a professional headshot station.
17. Networking receptions
    Give career event attendees the opportunity to network with other professionals and employers in your industry at a sponsored networking reception.

These are just a few of the ways to incorporate sponsorship opportunities in your upcoming career events. Let our team manage a full career event branded to your organization and sponsored by top employers. Our career events are tailored to fit your needs and feature thought leadership on key hiring trends, resume and job search guidance, onsite branding and brochures, and great facilitation of meetings between job seekers and industry employers.