Work host sponsors, typically nonprofit or public agencies, create Encore
Fellow opportunities for highly skilled former corporate employees who have
significant work experience and a desire to contribute to the greater good
and to learn through hands-on involvement.

Work Host Responsibilities

• High-impact work: A work host identifies work for the fellow that advances
  the work host’s mission and impact and responds to high-priority organizational
  needs. The Statement of Work clearly defines roles, expectations and milestones,
  and aligns with the fellow’s skills and abilities. A Statement of Work process
  guides the definition of the work and outcomes. It also allows flexibility
  to incorporate new opportunities and learning during the course of the fellowship.
• Leadership and commitment: The work host integrates the fellow into the
  senior leadership team, provides a strong working relationship with its executive
  director, ensures organizational buy-in, and commits personnel and resources.
• Fellow selection and support: The work host participates in the fellow selection
  process to ensure a good fit and provides support throughout the fellowship.
• Structure and flexibility: Together, the work host and fellow determine
  a work schedule that ensures the fellow has time to achieve results for the
  nonprofit and develop expertise in the social sector. The ideal fellowship
  is a year long and part time, with flexibility to accommodate the needs and
  circumstances of the fellow and the work host.
• Financial support: The work host contributes a significant portion of the
  fellow’s compensation, reinforcing the value of the fellow to the work host.
  For example, nonprofits in the Silicon Valley Encore Fellow program pay $12,500
  per fellow, half of the fellow’s stipend of $25,000. Corporate sponsorship
  or foundation support covers the other half.

Work Host Benefits

Encore Fellowships provide a high value-to-cost ratio for work hosts by bringing
experienced, affordable talent to accomplish the work of nonprofits and improve
their effectiveness through sustainable contribution to capacity.

• High-quality results: Encore Fellows carry deep and broad skills that can
  be deployed in many ways with high-impact, sustainable results. Their assignments
  have included developing brands and messaging, redesigning human resources
  systems, designing performance management systems, defining strategies for
  new ventures, developing new partnerships, leading strategic planning exercises,
  stepping in as interim executive directors, and transitioning directly into
  key management staff positions during or after the fellowships.
• Capacity building: Fellows bring far more than an extra pair of hands. They
  come with new perspectives, deep experience and specific talent to boost the
  ability of work hosts to do their work and do it well. The fellows’ impact
  goes beyond their specific marketing, human resources, strategic planning or
  management expertise. Fellows have become role models for other staff members,
  and work hosts have turned to them as executive coaches and mentors. One director
  likened the value of having an Encore Fellow to winning a “golden ticket of
  maturity, work ethic and experience” that expanded his organization’s accomplishments.
• Transformative contributions: Encore Fellows have proven to be uniquely
  suited to contribute to organizations during periods of significant growth
  and change, assisting in launching new initiatives, restructuring, strategic
  planning, internal assessment, leadership transitions and other kinds of organizational
  transformation. Beyond specific areas of expertise, their corporate backgrounds
  and years of experience bring analytical thinking and maturity that strengthen
  work hosts to reach a new level of performance.