Once I have funding and a community partner, what do I pay my partner?
Honorarium and Compensation Guidelines:
In many cases it is appropriate –and even essential—to offer financial compensation for the partner’s efforts, especially when you know you are working with small non-profits, neighborhood associations, or social enterprises. These organizations frequently have limited budgets (if any), and often the people you work with are not being paid for the time they spend with you. Please remember that arranging an honorarium or other forms of financial compensation can take time. Your visiting partner will need to provide you with information to get set up in the Georgia Tech procurement system. Check out the answer to the next FAQ, “How do I Pay My Partner?” for detailed instructions.
In addition to compensation, it’s always a great practice to thank partners via e-mail message or phone conversation, but an old-fashioned handwritten thank-you card also goes a long way! Getting your students involved in the process by asking them to write out their thanks to course partners is a reliable and effective way to nurture partner relationships.
Below is a listing of recommended compensation, based on the type of engagement that your partner has provided. Please remember that these are just guidelines! There will always be collaborations that don't fit clearly into these guidelines, or that cross categories, or require more work than seems rewarded by the suggested amount. Faculty should always feel free to contact us for advice.
| Type of Partnership | Suggested Amount | Additional Guidance | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class Visit/Presentation by staff from a partner organization | $150 - $350 | Payment will vary depending on whether the visit is virtual or in-person and amount of preparation and/or follow-up required by the presenter | A sustainability staff member from a food justice organization leads an online activity for a class. Suggested Amount: $150 A partner hosts a class at their site for a 1.5 hour visit. Suggested Amount: $350 |
| Student Project requiring limited student support from partner | $350 - $500 | Partner support entails minimal communication, meetings, and feedback. Payment will vary depending on the number of students/teams/projects the partner is supporting. $350 is generally appropriate for a class working on a single project, while $500 is appropriate if the partner is supporting several teams. | Students meet twice with the education liaison at the civil rights museum at the beginning and middle of the semester, and then the liaison reviews and sends two rounds of feedback on five teams' digital exhibits near the end of the term. Suggested Amount: $500 |
| Student Project requiring significant support from partner | $750 - $1500 | Partner support entails ongoing communication and/or multiple meetings with students or student teams over one or two semesters (All SLS-supported capstone projects fall into this category.) Payment will vary depending on number of students/teams/projects the partner is supporting. $750 is generally appropriate for a class working on a single project, while $1500 is appropriate if the partner is supporting several teams. | A single ISYE capstone team designs a food delivery and collection system for a food bank; partner is engaged over two semesters in both proposal development and design. Suggested Amount: $1000 (Arrived at in consultation with ISYE advising staff who were able to estimate time expected of partner in each semester of engagement.) |
| Service Event or Site Visit for students hosted by a partner | $750 - $1500 | Payment will vary depending on scale of event, number of students, and whether the event is organized specifically for the class (as opposed to a regularly held service event that students join) | A community garden hosts 25 students for a full day tour, presentation, and a harvest activity, guided by several garden staff. Suggested Amount: $1500, reflective of the class size (above 20) and the time required of staff (more than 8 hours of planning and active supervision.) |
*Although we offer some example amounts here, determining a payment amount that the partner and faculty member both feel is equitable should be done with attention to the specific demands of the project/s and the partner's stated bandwidth to support the work. Put simply: the more specific you are in your collaboration agreement/scope of work, the easier it is to determine a fair amount! You will find links to those tools - the collaboration agreement and scope of work templates - below!
Please note that these tools are for use in project-focused course collaborations; they typically aren't necessarily for a one-time engagement.