Encore Fellowships program sponsors are committed to the fellowship program design and mission and provide financial support, leadership, mission alignment and enhancement. They can include corporations (HR, marketing and philanthropic departments), philanthropy, membership associations, nonprofits, public agencies and individuals.

Roles

• Provides some or all of Encore Fellow compensation
• Funds program operations, evaluation, communications and other activities
• Supports Encore Fellows that align with their interests or other organizations they support
• Opens doors to other potential supporters

Sponsorship Models
Encore Fellowships can be adapted to different social needs, organizations and communities, as long as they stay true to the core elements and principles and reflect good practices. While still in the early stages of implementation, many different possibilities are already being explored and several of these ideas could be combined into a single program:

• Corporate: Blends social sector talent needs with corporate interest in new philanthropic, marketing or work-force management strategies. The Silicon Valley Encore Fellows Program showcases this model with highly skilled former corporate employees applying their marketing, finance, human resources, strategic planning and management expertise to education and environmental nonprofits. The Hewlett Packard Company (HP), a key corporate sponsor, provides half of the fellow compensation for its former employees and has integrated Encore Fellowships into its HR, social innovation and marketing activities.
• Foundation: Provides a new way for grantmakers to increase the effectiveness of organizations they support. For example, a community or family foundation might create a team of Encore Fellows to work with its grantees on specific capacity building needs or issue areas. Fellows might not only work one-on-one with individual grantees, but also link with other organizations and fellows to share experience, reinforce institutional change and strengthen working relationships across the field or community. In the process, fellows would gain invaluable encore career preparation.
• Education reform or other issue-specific organization: Targets Encore Fellowships to areas of high need and specific roles that require the depth of experience and specific skills a fellow brings. For example, a school district or educational reform organization could engage former corporate executives and managers in Encore Fellowship assignments that effect transformational improvements for school districts in critical areas, such as leadership coaching, community outreach, budget analysis and performance management system development and execution. Fellows would accomplish high-impact work as they consider future roles in the education, public or nonprofit sector.
• Community-wide encore partnership: A community-wide initiative might build on its mission and collaborative approach to engage boomers to tackle community needs. It could work with its existing partners from the nonprofit, public and private sector, higher education, social services, work-force development, volunteering and service, community leadership and other arenas to identify needs and opportunities. It could also reach out to new ones – work hosts, corporate sponsors, public agencies – to develop a comprehensive Encore Fellowship program.
• Nonprofit-based program: Could offer a cost-effective way to engage encore talent in specific roles and to develop encore careerists in a single national or local nonprofit organizations that focus on a wide range of issues, such as health, environment or education. For example, a national health organization might develop a team of Encore Fellows to work in its regional offices, chapters or affiliates to fill gaps in functional areas.
• Nonprofit network or association: Could add to an existing portfolio of professional or organization development services that are offered to members. For example, a nonprofit alliance might serve as a program operator, helping nonprofits assess their needs, develop high-quality Encore Fellow assignments, make an effective match and facilitate fellow learning. In another case, a professional association might serve as a hub for connecting its members and chapters to fellowship opportunities that are aligned with their skills and experience (e.g., human resource specialists, financial managers, engineers, scientists, journalists).
• Higher education: Alumni and continuing education programs might be accompanied by Encore Fellowships as an experiential pathway. For example, a university could re-engage its business school alumni or extend classroom adult learning programs through Encore Fellowships.
• Others: As a new strategy for bringing encore talent to social needs, these possible scenarios are just a start. As Encore Fellowships are put into practice in more places by different players, new models will emerge.