Build Your ACM-W Student Chapter: 7. Company Relationships

Step 7 – Company Relationships

The Ohio State University Student Chapter of the ACM-W was chartered on May 13, 2003 and is one of the oldest continuously operating ACM-W Student Chapters. This chapter annually hosts 40+ events that include trips to the Grace Hopper Celebration, the Ohio Celebration of Women in Computing, company visits, tech talks, socials, and workshops. They have around 50 active members, and they serve a total community of about 200 students. They often send more than 50 Ohio State students to the Grace Hopper Celebration, and can provide financial support for travel and registration costs to 35 of these through chapter fundraising efforts.

Learn how to build, maintain and grow a strong ACM-W chapter from The Ohio State’s ACM-W Chapter Leaders.

In this segment, ACM-W OSU Chapter Officer, Amy, talks about building relationships with company partners. She explains that companies benefit from having a partnership with your ACM-W student chapter, so the relationship is beneficial to you and them both. One way to get started is to invite recruiters to give a tech talk, resume review or career planning workshop. If the first session is a success you can invite them back the following year and ask them to provide swag or food sponsorship.

When you are looking at companies, don’t feel like you need to just talk to the major tech firms like Microsoft and Apple. Remember that IT is a part of every company. In Columbus, there are many insurance companies that hire many CSE students every year.

And remember to reach out to your alumni members. They are often working with companies that would make good partners. They may want to come back to your chapter and do an event.

What companies are in your area? Does your school do a job fair? Have you ever invited a recruiter to talk to your chapter? Can you think of reasons why a company would want to partner with your ACM-W Student Chapter?

Let us know by interacting with us on Twitter, Mastodon or Facebook. Use #BuildYourACMWChapter and our handle @OfficialACMW Want to know more about how to start an ACM-W Student Chapter at your school? Here’s the quick-start guide.

This series continues. Please read the other tips in this series: