Tell us about a time you led a team or student organization through a challenging situation. What was your approach and what was the outcome?

Situation

In my final year as president of our university's junior marketing association, we were organizing our annual business conference. Two weeks before the event, our main corporate sponsor unexpectedly pulled out due to budget cuts, leaving us with a Php 150,000 shortfall.

Task

I had to secure alternative funding quickly while keeping my 15-person committee motivated and ensuring the 300-expected-attendee event would not decline in quality.

Action

I immediately called an emergency meeting to transparently explain the situation and invited everyone to brainstorm. We split into three teams: one pitched to smaller sponsors using a revised, modular sponsorship package I drafted; another negotiated with suppliers for deferred payment terms; and the third optimized the budget to cut non-essential costs. I personally led the pitch team, closed three new sponsorships worth Php 60,000, and convinced two existing media partners to extend additional promotional value in kind.

Result

We not only covered the funding gap but also reduced total event costs by 12 percent. The conference achieved a 92 percent satisfaction rate from attendees, and we ended with a net surplus of Php 20,000, which we donated to a student scholarship fund.