Company Sponsorships

A Free Program

One of our program’s biggest goals is to increase the accessibility of a computer science education to women. As a result, our program is free of charge to participants and we depend on sponsors to keep CS Kickstart running. Without our sponsors, there would be no way we would be able to host students and provide an experience that will positively impact their pursuit of computer science and the tech industry.

Creating Sponsorship Packages

Template

Sponsorship Level	Donation Amount	Benefits
Field Trip Sponsor	-	- Funds field trip for 100 participants - Company logo on CS Kickstart website and participant T-shirts - Host a 3-hour field trip during the week of 8/6/23 - 8/11/23
Gigabyte Sponsor	$2,500	- Company logo on CS Kickstart website and participant T-shirts - Distribute company promotional materials during KickStart Week - Feature a company representative in the KickStart Week Industry Panel
Terabyte Sponsor	$5,000	- All perks associated with Gigabyte Sponsor - Conduct a company workshop with CS KickStart alumni during the 2022-2023 school year - Receive a compilation of resumes from CS KickStart alumni who are current UC Berkeley students graduating from 2023 to 2026
Petabyte Sponsor	$10,000	- All perks associated with Terabyte Sponsor - Conduct an additional company workshop during the school year (2 workshops total) - Establish a long-term relationship with past and future CS Kickstart students - Sponsor a mini event during Kickstart Week (e.g., Scavenger Hunt, Hackathon, Company Infosession)
Other - Custom Donation	Custom amount	- Contact us to customize a sponsorship package that suits your company's interests
Other - Custom Event	-	- Contact us to discuss hosting a specific event instead of a monetary donation

Sponsor FAQs

1. When is the week of CS Kickstart in 2023?

   • The week of CS Kickstart is scheduled from ___ to ___.

2. Is CS Kickstart in person?

   • Yes, the program is fully held in person. Participants will stay in UC Berkeley freshman dorms during the program week.

3. My company is donating! When and where do we send the money?

   • We accept donations year-round. Please email [e-mail] to express your interest, and we will provide you with further instructions.

4. When is the Industry Panel?

   • The Industry Panel will take place during the week of CS Kickstart. Detailed information regarding the event logistics will be released as the date approaches. In 2022, the event was held at the UC Berkeley Faculty Club, followed by a catered meal where panelists could answer additional questions from participants.

5. What should we expect from the Industry Panel?

   • Ideally, panelists will share their journey into the computer science field and discuss their specific positions within their respective companies. Professional tips, life advice, and career interests are encouraged topics. The CS Kickstart organizers will prepare questions about professional and personal experiences, and then the panel will be open to questions from student participants.

6. My company wants to send a panelist! What do we do next?

   • Please inform your CS KickStart contact about your company's interest in sending a panelist. As spots on the industry panel are limited, priority is generally given to our sponsors. Let us know how many representatives from your company are interested and provide their contact information.

How to Contact Industry Sponsors

Email Template

Dear _______,

I’d like to introduce myself - my name is _______ and I am a part of CS KickStart, an undergraduate program for women in Computer Science at UC Berkeley. Last summer, I participated in CS KickStart. I would love to seek your financial support to fund the 12th generation of this program.

CS KickStart is an intensive one-week program at UC Berkeley designed to help incoming freshmen women explore computer science in hopes of recruiting them into the field. Our program includes programming labs, faculty speakers, an industry panel, a field trip to a tech company in the Bay Area, and networking opportunities. We were able to launch CS KickStart for the 11th consecutive year in August of 2020 and recruited ~40 participants. After the completion of our program, we found 97% of participants agreed that CS KickStart had a positive effect on their confidence to pursue computer science

• 91% of participants said they felt more prepared to take their first computer science course at UC Berkeley

• 97% of participants agreed that CS KickStart had a positive effect on their confidence to pursue computer science

• 100% of participants agreed they began their freshman year with friends who are also interested in computer science

• 100% of participants thought CS KickStart gave them a better sense of what computer science is

With your help, we hope to continue expanding this successful program in August 2023 and prepare 150+ women for a career in computer science. Our program costs roughly $30,000 per year to cover housing, food, transportation, and staff for participants. Additionally, this year we hope to expand the program to support even more girls interested in pursuing computer science.

We would like to ask for your support in the form of a monetary donation to strengthen this effort and increase the participation of women in computer science. We are extremely happy to announce that we have created sponsorship packages in order to offer many more perks to partnering companies at each level of sponsorship. Our sponsorship packages can be found here and are attached as a PDF to this email.

Among many other things, as a sponsor, _______ will be prominently featured on our materials and website, have access to resume books including the resumes of five years of CS KickStart members, and establish long term relationships with CS KickStart members through frequent on-campus events, depending on sponsorship level. We hope that these sponsorship packages add more value to our partnership, and we hope to start a partnership with _______ and welcome your input and suggestions.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, wish to see a copy of our budget, or would like to set up a time to chat! For more detailed information about the program, please visit our website.

Thank you for your consideration!

Looking forward to hearing from you,

_______ & the CS KickStart Organizers [DO NOT FORGET TO ATTACH PDF SPONSORSHIP PACKAGE TO THE EMAIL]

Company Sponsorship Essentials

• Create CS Kickstart Resume Book at start of school year (August) --> use Google Form and put into giant PDF with a cover page

• Create a Sponsorship Package that best suits your school's needs, this usually is 1-2 pages in PDF format

• Brush up on how your school's donation process/policy, at UC Berkeley we have nonprofit status, so companies ask us to fill out forms related to this, we also accept both check and online portal donations

• Reach out on a massive scale (500+ emails)

  • Ask your school's DEI or Department Chair for a list of school specific industry contacts (some schools have specific company reps as well that can be of assistance)

  • Learn how to use YAM/mail merge service to send mass emails

  • Utilize LinkedIn messaging