Commerce Night External Associate

Job summary

The External Associate assists the VP Externals with securing in-kind and monetary sponsorships for the Commerce Night gala. They also act as a liaison for donors and support the planning and execution of event initiatives.

Job details

Commerce Night’s External Associate will assist the VP Externals with outreach to companies and coordination of in-kind and monetary sponsorships. \n Time Commitment First semester: 2-4 hours/week Second semester (prior to Commerce Night): 4-6 hours/week Term of Employment October 2026 - March 2027 Main Responsibilities Assist Commerce Night’s VP Externals with the following: Secure in-kind and monetary sponsorships supporting Commerce Night giveaways, gift bags, and event initiatives Maintain a strong and professional relationship with all potential sponsors and external parties through phone calls and email communication Act as a liaison for the invited donors and sponsors and ensure a positive experience throughout the gala Associates are also expected to: Attend all Commerce Night GMs and department meetings Respond to all Slack communications within 24 hours Take ownership of assigned tasks and meet set internal deadlines Provide ideas and support for the overall vision and planning of the Commerce Night gala Assist with the overall planning and execution of the Group & Individual Awards Information Session and the Awards Night Gala alongside the team Participate in Commerce Night boothing activities to promote awards Qualifications Personable, comfortable connecting and building relationships with new people in professional and non-professional settings Proactive communicator with good communication skills, both verbal and written Reliable and responsible with good self-management Familiarity with sales, cold outreach, and calling will be considered an asset Anticipated Learning Outcomes Gain strong relationships with professionals in a variety of industries Improve communication and outreach skills by communicating with many companies Experience in organizing sponsorships and various sponsorship events/booths including: Gaining in-kind and monetary sponsorships Organizing potential sponsorship events like booths, both pre-gala and during gala Communicating with sponsors to maintain good relationships for future years Experience in supporting sponsor partnerships for a large scale event of over 400+ attendees \n Submit the following information on Lever: A one-page resume outlining your most relevant experiences A cover letter describing: Why do you want to be involved in the CUS Commerce Night? Why do you think you would be an excellent candidate for the position? What new element would you bring to Commerce Night, and how would you make it happen? Applications are due September 23 at 11:59 PM. Save your resume with the naming convention "FirstNameLastName_ExternalAssociate”.

What you’ll do

The External Associate assists the VP Externals with securing in-kind and monetary sponsorships for the Commerce Night gala. They also act as a liaison for donors and support the planning and execution of event initiatives.

Requirements

Candidates should be personable, proactive communicators with strong relationship-building skills. Familiarity with sales, cold outreach, and professional calling is considered an asset for this role.

Listed skills

• Time management · Preferred
• Collaboration · Preferred
• Sales · Preferred
• Communication · Preferred

Other relevant skills

Identified from the job description. Confirm important requirements above.

• Outreach
• Sponsorship coordination
• Relationship management
• Communication
• Sales
• Cold outreach
• Event planning
• Public speaking
• Time management
• Professional networking
• Collaboration
• Task ownership
• Slack (Software)
• Planning
• Management
• Coordinating

Job areas

• Sales
• Management & Leadership
• Creative & Media
• Consulting
• E-Commerce Associate
• Event Promotions Marketing Associate
• Business Services Agents Not Elsewhere Classified
• Advertising Sales Agents