Who are we looking for?

Charity Mentors are senior leaders with strategic management expertise and a deep understanding of the diverse challenges facing today’s voluntary sector. Many also serve as trustees of local charities.

Our mentors will typically:

• have experience of management and will have held CEO-type roles with overall responsibility for organisational strategy

• have experience of Oxfordshire’s voluntary sector

• have experience of, and an aptitude for, delivering mentoring/coaching support

• be willing to operate within Charity Mentors’ model of a short-term project (usually 4 to 6 months), helping mentees to develop strategic and specific goals

• be available to complete at least two mentoring projects per year

• be able and willing to offer other help in support of our work.

We are also looking for a wide spread in terms of specific professional experience, skills, sector knowledge and interests. This ensures we have the capacity to meet different needs. We are seeking individuals who might not otherwise be accessible to mentees and who are willing to work with a range of organisations of different sizes and across different sectors, including health, education, social welfare and youth work.

Why volunteer?

Some of our mentors’ comments:

“It’s a great opportunity to use my skills and experience in a really direct way. This is a unique offer for the voluntary sector in Oxfordshire and it’s so rewarding to see the impact.”

“Because I’m free to arrange the meeting times and location directly with the person I’m mentoring, we can choose times that are mutually convenient. I love the flexibility of a monthly commitment which allows me to fit in other commitments alongside.”

“The mentees that I’ve worked with have been really interesting, entrepreneurial and creative people. They’re facing very tough times and it’s been a pleasure to be able to support highly committed charity leaders working in very difficult conditions.”

“It’s a really interesting and useful way for me to give back and I’ve met some great people – both charity leaders and the other mentors on the team.”

What is the time commitment?

• We aim to complete a project within 4 to 6 months, but duration may vary.

• Within the project, the number of meetings will also vary. Anything from 1 or 2, to 5 or 6. It is important to keep momentum up as the project progresses.

• Most meetings last between 1 and 2 hours, and may be online or face to face or a combination of both across the project.

• We ask that mentors try to take on at least 2 projects per year. The more you do, the more you will get out of this vital work!

• We also organise 4 mentors’ meetings per year. This is a chance to get to know your fellow mentors and to develop and hone approaches to particular issues.