Innovation and Thought Leadership

A key component of our work at Community Sponsorship Hub is making sponsorship more accessible to communities welcoming refugees and other displaced people. We do this by generating and advancing bold, smart policies with the government and other stakeholders that allow communities to sponsor; and by connecting community partners at the national and local levels with the knowledge and financial resources they need to ensure that sponsors and those they are welcoming are set up for success.

We shape and coordinate a community sponsorship system that leverages the power of welcoming Americans. This includes activities such as sponsor mobilization, sponsor vetting and certification, sponsor training and support, identification and matching of refugees to waiting sponsors, monitoring evaluation, and research.

Successful sponsors are the key to successful community sponsorship programs.

When sponsors feel engaged, prepared, and empowered, they provide the most robust support to the refugees they welcome. That is why Community Sponsorship Hub is focused on sponsor acquisition and success.

Smart investments in technology and design are pillars of our strategy to attract and empower sponsors. We leverage technology and design to continuously improve every aspect of our programs—from ensuring that the language we use is consistent and accessible, to streamlining our processes, to leveraging human centered design principles to ensure the sponsor’s needs are anticipated and supported at every step in their journey.

User research is a key component of effective technology and program design. Over the past year, we have learned from scores of user research interviews—feedback that is critical as we iterate and improve on everything from webpage layouts to overall program design. By centering our programmatic and technical decisions on the sponsor, we ensure they feel informed and equipped to be the best sponsors they can be.

Our investment in technology and design capacity is expanding. In 2024, we will roll out a first-of-its-kind direct integration between CSH’s application portal and the U.S. Department of State’s case management systems, which will pave the way for process efficiencies across the entire U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.

Ongoing innovation enables greater sponsor success. By supporting meaningful and empowering experiences for sponsors and newcomers, Community Sponsorship Hub seeks to unlock the transformative potential of community sponsorship.

Support CSH

Your support of the Community Sponsorship Hub keeps programs like the Sponsor Circle going. It also supports continued leadership and innovation in this space.