Earlier this year, we wrote to this list [1] to let you know that ISOC had secured the services of Joe Abley to work on raising sponsorship funding for the IETF. Although Joe’s contract has recently come to an end, he is continuing to stay involved with IETF sponsorship fundraising on a volunteer basis, and continues to serve as the point of contact for IETF sponsors (reachable at jabley@ietf.org). Concurrently, we are seeking to contract with a dedicated person to be responsible for IETF sponsorship fundraising.
Please find below a copy of the job posting for an Interim IETF Sponsorship Fundraiser. This is an interim position in recognition of the fact that the IASA 2.0 work may impact the nature of the sponsorship fundraising role going forward.
If you know a qualified candidate, please encourage the person to apply per the instructions below. And please share the position description broadly within your professional network!
Many thanks,
Kathy Brown
ISOC CEO
Alissa Cooper
IETF Chair
[Posted by Olaf Kolkman on behalf of Kathy Brown]
[1] https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/msg/ietf/HmCl-H7cTnBcYP_ajg4ZTFCuMHg
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Position: Interim IETF Sponsorship Fundraiser
Organization: Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
Position type: 12-15 months contract
Contract Scope of Work:
The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is a technical standards-setting organization responsible for developing and defining the standards and protocols that make up the Internet. The IETF was established in 1986, and has since then been the center of development for core Internet technologies.
The IETF is seeking an interim sponsorship fundraiser to serve for an anticipated minimum duration of 12-15 months. The IETF is currently reviewing its administrative structure and this is likely to have an impact on how IETF fundraising efforts are staffed at the conclusion of the interim period. The successful interim sponsorship fundraiser candidate will neither be required to nor precluded from applying for any future position.
The IETF currently has three sources of funding: corporate sponsorships, meeting registration fees, and contributions from the Internet Society. Corporate sponsors have typically contributed $1.5 to $2 million annually towards the IETF’s $7 million operational budget in recent years. The IETF meets three times per year, typically once in North America, once in Europe, and once in Asia. Sponsorships have historically been meeting-focused, with opportunities for organizations to serve as meeting hosts, make smaller-value contributions associated with a particular meeting, sponsor meeting-related events (welcome reception or hackathon, for example), or make in-kind contributions, such as circuits used to support the IETF’s networking needs. Current sponsorship program opportunities are described at https://iaoc.ietf.org/host-and-sponsorship.html. Historically, technology companies and other Internet technical organizations from around the world have been the primary corporate sponsors of the IETF.
The primary responsibilities of the interim sponsorship fundraiser will be to successfully secure IETF sponsors for 2018 and 2019 as well as manage and cultivate longer term, multi-year sponsor commitments. Success in this role will require understanding and working with the IETF’s open, participant-driven culture and partnering with participants in the IETF community. The ideal candidate will also be capable of working with IETF leadership to develop and document a more comprehensive strategy for engagement and sponsorship to support the IETF’s work through the coming decade.
Relocation is not a requirement and will not be paid for as part of this contract.
The IETF is organized as an activity of the Internet Society (ISOC). ISOC is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. The IETF's administrative support services are provided primarily by contractors, with support from ISOC staff and IETF participants. The interim sponsorship fundraiser will work under a subcontracting arrangement administered by ISOC.
Major responsibilities:
Identify, cultivate, and acquire corporate sponsors to support the IETF in 2018 and 2019, as well as long-term sponsors (known as Global Hosts). The interim sponsorship fundraiser would be expected to both generate his or her own sponsorship leads independently and collaborate with the IETF administrative staff, contractors, IETF leadership, and ISOC staff in managing existing leads and developing new ones.
Manage relationships with existing Global Hosts as well as those already committed to sponsor the IETF in 2018. The interim sponsorship fundraiser would serve as the point of contact for these sponsors, maintain ongoing communication with them, and incorporate their input into the IETF sponsorship program.
Prepare pitch decks, proposals, and stewardship materials needed to secure corporate sponsorships, working collaboratively with IETF communications staff.
Contribute ideas and insights from sponsor engagements to discussions within the IETF about sponsorship strategy. These discussions take place primarily within the sponsorship subcommittee of the IETF Administrative Oversight Committee (IAOC). Recent subcommittee discussions have focused on developing non-meeting-based sponsorship opportunities, for example.
Maintain and update records about prospects and sponsors on an ongoing basis. This information would be shared on a regular basis with IETF administrative staff, contractors, and the IETF Chair to ensure coordinated communications and sponsorship fulfillment.
Coordinate with ISOC to ensure that to ensure mutual donors and prospects are approached and coordinated in an efficient manner.
Minimum requirements:
Prior experience and record of success in corporate sponsorship acquisition, ideally in the technology sector.
Strong relationships with a network of contacts within technology companies and Internet technical organizations.
Ability to persuasively communicate the value of the IETF and sponsorship benefits to potential sponsors in oral and written communications.
Ability to manage sponsor relations in a way that makes sponsors and potential sponsors feel valued and respected.
Willingness to work openly and cooperatively with IETF administrative staff, contractors, IETF leadership, and ISOC staff to communicate about sponsorship targets, re-assess sponsorship goals, and ensure sponsors have benefits fulfilled. This would include joining regularly occurring conference calls (currently scheduled bi-weekly) and documenting sponsor status information using collaborative tools.
Ability to travel to all IETF meetings while serving as a sponsorship fundraiser, plus additional meetings as appropriate to connect with sponsors.
A thorough understanding of the IETF's mission, current standardization work, and positioning within the overall Internet technology landscape is strongly desired.
Due to the nature of the services requested, we expect that some components of the interim sponsorship fundraiser’s work will be performed on a daily basis.
Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and CV to fundraiser-applications@ietf.org. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled and will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
