Communications Consulting
Positive community impact through applied learning is central to the mission of our graduate program. Through our Consulting program we provide communications support to mission-driven organizations, local government and small businesses at a rate that meets their needs.
These partnerships offer applied learning opportunities for our students and alumni that also create lasting social impact.
To date we have served 130 clients, with an emphasis on projects that advance community well-being, equity and representation.
Our Approach
Depending on your communication needs, we can work together in several ways.
Client Consultation
We listen, question, and offer direction for small business, university, and mission-driven organizations to help them navigate communication trends and challenges.
We focus our consulting services on minority owned businesses, and community organizations
that align with our values and our students’ passion for social impact.
Client Projects
We pair talented students and alumni with client organizations to complete communication-focused deliverables, from strategy, to storytelling, to social.
Our students test out new skills, develop leadership capabilities, and gain valuable career experience, while serving the community through these paid and volunteer opportunities.
Class Partnerships
Applied learning is core to our curriculum. Our faculty seek clients whose needs align with their teachings, so students can take on real world challenges in each class.
The projects span the length of the academic quarter (three months) and draw on the expertise of our professional communication faculty.
Public Workshops
We nurture our client, student, and alumni relationships through events and workshops that bring our program’s communication expertise to the public. Our events, held online and in-person, are opportunities for skill sharing, networking, and career development in our industry and beyond.
Fill out our consultation form to get started:
Rates and Fees
We want to make sure all community partners have the opportunity to work with us and offer students compensation for their commitment wherever possible. We offer initial client consultations for free, then determine rates and fees based on the amount of work you need.
Initial Consultations are free
Projects are billed by academic quarter, at a rate of $3,271 for off campus and $2,898 for on campus entities. These projects are 10-12 weeks long at roughly 7.5 hours per week for a total of roughly 75 hours.
There’s no charge for acting as a class client.
| Duration | On Campus Partners | Off Campus Partners | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Consultations | 1 hour | No charge | No charge |
| Small Projects | ≤ 50 hours | $37/hr | $43/hr |
| Long Projects | ~ 75 hours | $2829 | $3271 |
Fee waivers are available to partially, or fully cover these rates.
Waivers are awarded based on organizational need, values alignment, educational value. Fee waiver requests are evaluated by a committee of students and staff.
For questions about rates and fee waivers, contact Alex Stonehill at stonehil@uw.edu
Our Team
We have assembled a team of talented student staff and volunteers to help organizations with their communications needs.
Resources for Clients
We have put together guides, tutorials, and key takeaways from our experiences consulting to help you learn to navigate some of the most common communications challenges we’ve faced working with our clients.
University of Washington
Department of Communication