The Outreach Toolkit offers a step-by-step process for you to refer to when planning your outreach events. Begin with the Event Planning Worksheet, which provides a step-by-step process for you and your team to follow for your Outreach Events.
Looking to plan a virtual outreach event?
Due to the pandemic, there has been an increasing need for best practices on virtual outreach. Provided below are a few resources to help with your next virtual program.
- Quick start guide for virtual outreach
- Performing Outreach in a Virtual World (on-demand webinar)
1. Prepare for Your Program (Funding, Partnerships, & Training)
Grant Funding – Below are funding sources.
- SWE Program Development Grants
- National Girls Collaborative Project
- STEMfinity’s List of STEM Grants
Making the Most of Partnerships – Finding partners to help with networking, materials, cooperation, or funding. When looking for local partners to help, register for your event. When others outside SWE request SWE speakers, role models, or mentors, refer them to the Fabfem database.
Insurance Coverage Questionnaire – Use this form to determine if extra insurance coverage is needed.
- Role Models Matter 101 – Who Are Role Models and Why Do They Matter
- Leading Hands-On Engineering Activities with NASA and DESIGN SQUAD
- Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
2. Create Your Team
Organizing an event requires Project Team members. Use the Roles and Responsibilities resource to help with facilitating area tasks.
If you are a naturally “task-oriented” person, there is always a temptation to “do it yourself.” However, pulling a team together to assist can make your event less stressful for you and more successful in the end. Seek out those who are willing to help with various tasks, but those with a skill that you may lack yourself and are best suited for the specified tasks needed. Consider the following when creating your team:
- Availability
- Willingness to assist
- Special talents
- Reliability/commitment
- Ability to lead others
You can expand or reduce the size of the team where necessary and combine roles if you feel they may complement each other to work together.
When you invite someone to join your team, remember to:
- Share the vision of what you hope to achieve for the event.
- Please share why you chose them for that particular role.
- Share your expectations of them in that particular role.
- Discuss an estimated time commitment.
3. Plan Your Program (Select Activity, Open Registration, Templates & Resources)
Select an activity for your program. A variety of activities are located here for your use.
Register Participants using Eventbrite. Refer to the Eventbrite Best Practices for a step-by-step process, including required forms and waivers.
- Permission Form for Minors
- Student and Parent Educator Program Track Acknowledgement
- Please visit the Resource Center under Volunteer Forms for media forms to use for your outreach events:
Create Volunteer Shifts Using Volunteerlocal. Refer to the Volunteerlocal Resource for additional information. Volunteer Match is a volunteer resource that does background checks.
- Certificate of Completion template
- Check-In Sheet for Outreach
- Event Flyer template
- Press Release template
- Promote SWENext (SWENext Resources for SWE Members and branded resources)
- Schedule/Agenda template
- SWE Store
- The Role Model Impact
- DiscoverE helps unite, mobilize, and support the engineering and technology volunteer communities. There are various resources available, including 10 Reasons to Love Engineering, Conversation Starters, and Activities.
- EngineerGirl.org’s website is designed to bring national attention to the exciting opportunities that engineering represents for girls and women.
- Howtosmile.org benefits from a prestigious and diverse array of national organizations dedicated to STEM.
- Tryengineering.org has resources for Students and Teachers.
- Managing Connections
- Become a role model
- The Connectory connects STEM learning opportunities that inspire young people to explore, discover, and create.
4. Secure Your Speaker/Panel
Use the Sample Panel Questions resource that includes two-panel questions for two topics: Why Engineering? And Preparing for Engineering Success.
Feel free to add, remove, and/or edit the questions to better align with your panelists’ personalities. It is recommended that you review the ‘chosen’ questions with your panelists in advance.
5. Implement Your Program
Follow the steps within this toolkit to implement your Outreach Event. Be sure to use the Event Planning Worksheet, which provides a step-by-step process for you and your team to complete your Outreach Event.
6. Assess Your Event & Share on Social Media
Are you planning to host an outreach program soon? Do you have photos from a previous outreach event that you want to share with SWE HQ? Use hashtag #SWEOutreach to tag your Outreach Event photos on social media. Don’t forget to encourage your volunteers and attendees to post photos from the event.
Invite them to tag SWE on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, while using the hashtag #SWEOutreach.
