I’m forever grateful to Charity Mentors. It is clear to me that our small charity would not be where it is today without the support, encouragement and expertise of their experienced mentors over the years. On behalf of our clients, their families, and the staff who rely on us, I would like to say a heartfelt thank you.

Lee Gray, CEO

The support of my mentor has been invaluable to help me see through the busy everyday running of our small charity and focus on what’s important for the future.

I like to talk around challenges but don’t usually get the time or opportunity to step back and reflect in this way. My mentor, with his wealth of experience, provided me with the sounding board I really needed to find a way forward.

Lucy Crittenden, Centre Director

Thank you, Charity Mentors, for such a great match. I really enjoyed meeting with my mentor. I felt really well supported by her, and she did an amazing job of balancing guidance with recognition of the skills and experience I already bring to my work. I valued her encouragement, her understanding, and the gentle challenge she gave me.

Katy Isaac, Charity Manager

I think mentoring is hugely valuable and always important. As someone who is committed to continued learning and personal improvement, I really love spending time with people that help me do that and inspire me to do better.

Having a Charity Mentor is a valuable opportunity to work with someone experienced and accomplished in their field. Plus, someone who is kind and supportive for those of us in the -sometimes lonely - CEO role!

Lauren Kendall, CEO

Heartfelt gratitude for all that you and your team do at Charity Mentors Oxfordshire. This was such a positive and impactful experience, for myself, my Board and for our organisation as a whole. My mentor was an absolute joy to work with, and we were very expertly matched... thank you!

Sreeja Bhaskaran Brown, Charity Manager

Having a mentor gives you the benefit to talk and work with someone not connected to the charity, enabling you to look at things from a different perspective. 

My mentor provided open and honest feedback and a clear pathway to take on any suggestions we explored together.

Mechelle Harris, Founder

The scheme does what it claims to do: provides a sounding board in a considered and non-judgemental way.

I needed the perspective of a mentor with significant Chair experience which my mentor had, together with excellent inter-personal skills.

I am confident that his impact will continue to be reflected in the development of our charity into the future.

Richard Eve, CEO & Clerk to the Trustees

It was particularly important for me to have a mentor with whom I could build a strong rapport and sense of trust, as this created a safe space to be open and honest about the challenges I was facing. Having that connection meant I felt comfortable discussing complex or sensitive issues and could fully engage in the process. It was equally valuable that my mentor had experience within the charity sector, as they understood the specific pressures, constraints, and opportunities that come with working in this environment.

Lisa Warne, Director

I found my mentor to be supportive, a great listener, hospitable and welcoming.  He was also non-judgemental and genuinely interested in what we were doing and how he could assist. He was local to our office which made getting together in person straightforward, and communication was smooth. 

We are a charity in evolution, and so now I know that CMO exists, I would love to be able to approach again as we navigate the way ahead.

Dr Beckie Lang, Chief Executive

At the start of my leadership in the charity sector, Charity Mentors gave me exactly what I needed: space to reflect, strategic clarity, and the extraordinary calibre of a mentor whose insight and challenge were transformative.

I’m so grateful for the experience - it strengthened my confidence at a pivotal time and will stay with me throughout my career.

Catherine Flutsch, CEO

Having the support of a Charity Mentor was a great opportunity to air your plans and views and have them questioned and challenged in a way that tests how robust your thinking is and what lies behind it. Also, very helpful to be asked questions that you might not otherwise have been asked. And huge benefit for this to be done from someone outside of the organisation – with no vested interest and ensuring objectivity.

Rowen Smith, Director of Training

Mentoring provides a great opportunity to think through current problems and challenges, to voice doubts, and to gain clarity about priorities and direction. It also encouraged me to celebrate positive progress, to gain confidence and to appreciate the benefit and positive impact of the work we are doing.

Jane Lightfoot, Chair of Trustees

Having the opportunity to discuss ideas with an experienced mentor—and to gain an external perspective from someone not directly involved in the project—has been so useful in supporting my role and decision-making.

Carol Richards, Children and Families Services Manager

Charity Mentors came at the right time for me - my mentor had relevant expertise and provided a safe, neutral space to explore leadership challenges in a new role.

Andrew Grillo, Chief Executive

My mentor was a skilled listener. He was able to ask the right questions and make suggestions in a way that challenged my thinking but also supported it.

Having a Charity Mentor has been such an insightful and fulfilling experience and I'm really grateful for the opportunity.

Dani Martin, Founder

My mentor's support has been outstanding. I have felt well supported while also pushed to extend and develop my thinking and also to consider other approaches to solving problems.  My first year as a charity leader has been a bit of a rollercoaster and I have very much appreciated having the support of an experienced mentor throughout. Mentoring has allowed me to talk openly about my experiences and reflect on myself as a leader - both on my strengths and areas for improvement - in a supportive, positive space.  Thank you, Charity Mentors Oxfordshire!

Louise Sansom, Senior Manager

I knew that I would benefit from mentoring to provide space for greater reflection on how to lead International Tree Foundation. 

Working with a Charity Mentors mentor has provided an opportunity to have a sounding board and wise head when thinking about important areas of our charity’s future and how to navigate them.

James Whitehead, CEO

I can only say good things about Charity Mentors. Nothing has ever been too much trouble for my mentor, Peter.  He has assisted me, and consequently our whole Board of Trustees, to start to think more strategically about how we run our charity. I cannot speak for other Charity Mentors but if each mentor is as dedicated to their charity as Peter has been, the potential benefit of becoming involved with Charity Mentors is endless.

Kirk Wheeler, Charity Manager

Having landed my first CEO role 20 years ago, I know no two roles are the same; each brings unique challenges. Balancing staff, board and stakeholders’ requirements means navigating highs and lows while staying steady, so mentoring is something I believe offers vital support to CEOs no matter your experience.

My mentor was great, she listened, supported, encouraged; never judging, highly experienced and professional. We reflected, debated and laughed loads while exploring solutions together.

My key takeaway: having a mentor alongside you makes the journey far more rewarding; ideally be available throughout a tenure wherever practical. Thank you, Charity Mentors; keep up the great work.

Jacqueline Adusei, CEO

Charity Mentors has enabled me to reflect on the very purpose One-Eighty was set up, and think about the motivations and aims we wanted to achieve in addition to acknowledging how far we have come in a short period of time. That has supported me, as the CEO, to be re-fuelled with enthusiasm and motivation to inspire my growing team in order to achieve our goals and ultimately change the lives of more young people and families we work with through our services. Having a Charity Mentor is a great way to help you to re-focus on the priorities of your organisation, and help you to plan and organise your ambitions for your organisation in an inspirational and structured way from a perspective of someone who has experience and the understanding of a growing organisation.

Susie Besant, Co-founder and CEO

Working with Charity Mentors has enabled a step change in how we approach our charity. With fresh perspective and broad experience the mentor has supported us in recognising our value in the local community and how we can best articulate it to our partners, parents and individuals we support.

The mentor’s approach was careful, supportive and forward thinking and enabled me to take a step back and see a bigger picture. It has given me more clarity about our Charity direction. In addition I feel more empowered and confident in driving the Charity forward.

Mark Heelis, Strategy Manager

I found having a mentor very useful when I was in a mess and it calmed me down.

Mentoring opened my eyes that there are ways to plan ahead. I highly recommend it AND it’s free!

Rana Ibrahim, Director

I think it was important that my mentor had an understanding of working for a small charity from a CEO perspective, but it was equally important that she had knowledge and experience of how charities and boards should function, as it was in this area that we lacked understanding. She perfectly combined both perspectives.  The mentoring absolutely helped me to improve my self-confidence, feel supported, address priorities and make changes. I am so grateful for everything Charity Mentors and my mentor, have done for us.

Caroline Colclough Moss, CEO

My mentor was a great match for me both professionally and from a personal perspective. It’s been invaluable to have the opportunity to talk to someone who is experienced and has been through many of the same challenges that I face as a CEO, and someone who can probe and ask questions to help me find solutions.

Chris Higgins, Executive Director

Being able to have the confidential space to talk through issues and explore approaches with someone who will not judge you has been invaluable for me.

Nicola Leavesley, CEO

Having the opportunity to work through issues with an expert and supportive mentor who sits outside the organisation and can offer different perspectives and insights is very valuable.  The role of a CEO can be a bit lonely and having someone to support you and to listen is a great opportunity.

Thalia Jervis, CEO

Mentoring helped me to prioritise and address key challenges in my role as Chair of our board of trustees.  My mentor provided safe, effective and confidential support.

Dr Judy Shakespeare, Chair of Trustees

I think I’m more confident in my leadership and am clearer about my responsibilities to myself as well as the organisation. My mentor has helped me to process and therefore put to one side the emotional impact of challenges. This helps me perform better strategically and as a line manager.

Dr Karen Bateson, CEO

You would have to be a little bit crazy, as the leader of a small charity, not to want to take advantage of the free input of someone with this level of experience and skill. Even if your charity is working brilliantly, a fresh pair of eyes might help you see what you have missed. All leaders need to be open to learning and growth; this will benefit both your charity and you as a leader. If you’re too busy to consider it, you need it even more!

Jayne Joyce, Project Lead

Before working with my mentor, I often felt that we lacked momentum and that the same issues kept coming up with no sustained strategy for dealing with them. The Project is constantly evolving, and while some of the major issues have not been entirely resolved, I feel that we now have a better sense of direction. I would particularly emphasise the opportunity mentoring gives to discuss your aims and objectives in a thoroughly exploratory way, and how much confidence it gives you to have someone reflect back to you what you have actually achieved.

Liz Horn, Chair