Dealing with partnership packages means creating tailored offers

A few questions to Davor Ljubenkov on what it means to be the Outreach & Partnerships (OuPa) Officer of the Board.

What do you work on as the OuPa Officer ? What skills are required in these works?

Dealing with partnership packages means creating tailored offers towards our potential sponsors and achieving new business relationships that create and capture new benefits for our Alumni ecosystem. Constant screening of our community and maintaining organic relationships with our members requires an agile and well-informed approach.  In the outreach department, it is all about being bold, creative and always on the lookout for connecting with interesting parties around the world, while consulting with other officers when it comes to design, events and finances. Being knowledgeable about EIT Digital organization structure, having good negotiation skills and knowing how the Alumni community breathes is a plus.

What have you achieved in your mandate 2019-2021 as the OuPa Officer?

As Flixbus is one of our most used features on the website, I was over the moon when negotiations with the Flix team secured a new partnership deal to be uncovered as soon as pandemic circumstances allow for more relaxed measures when it comes to travelling. In addition, creating the sponsor package with our Marketing & Communications Officer, as well as co-creating the online Tuesday Afterwork series were all achievements that really made a huge impact on our community. I’ve also expanded my horizons when it comes to networking abilities and mapping out the possible external guests when it comes to the planning of our in-house events (hackathons, online talks, Annual meetings, mini-workshops). Last but not least, having a close and dynamic relationship with the rest of the Board members is the key to success.

What could you have done better or differently during your mandate?

As much as it was impossible to predict what 2020 had in store for us, I would have wished to have been more resilient in my planning. Words of advice for my predecessor: create foolproof plans, always follow-up with your contacts on a regular basis and always have EIT Digital Alumni community engagement on your mind.

Interested in this position? Apply now to be the next Treasurer or ask Davor Ljubenkov for more information!