Interview with Itiwana's External Officer - Juli Ferenczi

Can you tell us a bit about your role as External Officer? What does your typical week look like?

As the external officer I deal with all the partnerships and sponsorships of Itiwana. For this I have to check my emails all the time and be up to date with the contracts we have. I renew all the contracts with our long-term partners and reach out to companies we would like to work with.

Besides this I also keep in contact with the alumni members of the association, and with my committee, the Alumni & Partnership Committee we are constantly thinking of how to involve them in the life of the association.

What kind of organizations or partners do you collaborate with, and how do you go about establishing those connections?

We have multiple partners, some require more communication than others. For example, we have a partnership with Burger & Shake Leiden, where members can get 20% off for in-store orders. If the contract requires promotional materials I am making those, but usually the most effort is the discussion before signing the contract. I am the one most of the time who reaches out to companies to work with us, and with their external manager I sit down, discuss the details about how we imagine working together. What can Itiwana offer and what we would like from them.

Can you share a challenge you’ve faced in your role and how you overcame it?

I believe that the biggest challenge is to look for partners who would benefit Itiwana as well as think about the benefits we can provide for their company. For this, it is hard to see the association from an outsider’s perspective, what we do is not that big, since our course does not have many people, therefore I have to see our strengths very well. I still face this challenge to this day, but it became easier by talking to many people about potential partnerships and also digging in old documents about what has Itiwana been up to before I was a member.

How do you make sure that external partnerships stay meaningful and beneficial for Itiwana and its members?

I always look up the partners’ websites to be familiar with how they work and what their values are, as well as before signing the contracts we always talk with my board members. They can bring in new perspectives and opinions which helps a lot.

Do you have any tips for students who want to get involved in Itiwana’s external life?

If you would like to be the new External Officer of Itiwana I would recommend coming to the alumni events, where you can network a lot with previous CADS students. They can bring in ideas for future partners, as well as familiarizing yourself with what are the strengths of an anthropologist and looking for companies, institutions which would benefit from us. Hearing other people’s opinions is always important, as I also do with my board members, you can talk to your family or friends. Looking up other study associations could also be beneficial, because sometimes they have partners which could be interesting for Itiwana as well. Online you can find similar companies which don’t have a study association partner yet, or for example Linkedin is really useful in this context.

What’s one thing most people don’t realize about the work of an External Officer?

It requires more thinking than you would assume. I was extremely lost in the beginning of my board year, stressing about how I would find partners. By now I can see more clearly what Itiwanacan offer and what are the values we are looking for in a company. Sometimes it is necessary to be creative by reaching out to potential partners, in order to be outstanding. But the good thing about this position is that there are very clear beginning and endings of the projects, and it helps in being able to see what you created.

How do you see the role of External Affairs evolving in the future of Itiwana?

I think it would be nice to find a few partners where the partnership is more long-term, since currently we have a few, however it would be nice to expand on this. In the context of alumni members, I would love it if in the future they would come to more events, and current students would be able to hear their stories.

And finally—any sneak peeks or exciting plans coming up in the external affairs world that our members should look out for?

Members can always get discounts in Burger & Shake and Joorit, however what is more exciting now for me, is alumni events. We are going to have a panel discussion with a few CADS graduates to hear what they have been doing since their bachelors. Besides this, we’re organizing the annual Iti-market where everyone will be able to buy books, hand-made jewelleries or thrift some clothes at a cheap price.