With BT members being brought back home in early March, much of our plans for the year had to be scrapped. Nonetheless, despite being located all across the globe, our team of undergraduates gathered together and persisted in executing all our programs, from conferences to content and fundraising to recruitment.
For many student organizations around the world, they’ve also been tasked with a question of how to adapt their programs to digital. We launched Inside BT as a podcast series to reflect on how Business Today, a nonprofit that's entirely run by undergraduates, has adapted to the new digital normal created by COVID and share our lessons learned with undergraduates confronted with similar challenges.
Managing a Global Content Team
In the few years before COVID, Business Today had already begun transitioning to a stronger online presence, as opposed to its traditional print magazine. In 2020, our move to explore digital content creation reached new heights, though facing the challenge of leading a team residing in different places all around the globe. Amy Wang, Director of Content, speaks to her experience leading this team and what it means for the future of BT content.
Corporate Contacts, Business Today's flagship internship program, is key to BT's finances and operations. Traditionally an internship program that takes undergraduates on road trips across the country to pitch to CEOs for sponsorship and participation, this summer's program was transitioned into a virtual format. Vignesh Panchanatham, this year's Director of Corporate Contacts, speaks to the frustrations he faced and takeaways he learned.
Maintaining Accessibility & Equity in Virtual Recruiting
We sit down with Katie Dykstra, the Director of Human Capital for Business Today, and hear about the changes Business Today has made towards preserving accessibility and equity in recruiting new members.
Founding Boost & Building Networks
We speak with Emily Cheston, the Director of Boost, a new program she started within the club early this summer. Boost seeks to elevate Black executives and provide mentorship for Black students. Emily speaks to the significance of such a program for the BT community and the students we serve at large.
Expanding a 300 Student Conference into the Digital Realm
The International Conference is one of Business Today's oldest programs and is in its 46th year of operation. We chat with Felipe Bickenbach, the Director of this year's conference, on his experience transforming the flagship event into a weeklong digital event to serve three hundred students across the globe. Felipe shares the challenges and tribulations he encountered while also providing advice for students thinking about hosting digital events themselves.
Design Nation and the Challenges of Organizing an Online Conference
We sit down with Alyssa Nguyen, the Director of Design Nation, to discuss the process of moving the DN 2020 conference online as well as her broader vision for the conference this year.