Our mentoring is short-term (usually 4 to 5 months duration), strategic – all projects involve challenges at the strategic level, and specific. We set clear goals with the mentee so that we can work towards pre-agreed outcomes. We work with not-for-profits of all sizes and with leaders from many different backgrounds, with a wide range of experience and confidence.
Who we work with
We work with anyone involved at the strategic level of the organisation including chairs, trustees, managers and directors. We always seek permission from trustees before becoming involved. Please note, our service is only available for organisations based in Oxfordshire. Some of our mentees have been very experienced (possibly even acting as mentors for other people themselves) and some of our mentees have been people just starting out in the not-for-profit sector.
Issues we’ve covered
Decisions about the future development and direction of the organisation
Decisions concerning organisational structure and staffing
Exploring how an organisation might move to the “next step” in terms of growth and sustainability
Positioning and purpose of an organisation to enable strategic focus and better funding applications
Support with strategic plans given changes in the funding environment
Working with trustees more effectively or using volunteers more effectively
Being new in role as a manager or CEO. Helping to think about change and focus
Governance issues
Team building and support
From 2019, in response to demand from charity leaders, we now offer a JOINT mentoring service for chairs and CEOs together. This mentoring is specifically aimed at working together on the organisational strategy: Clarifying roles, processes and content generation. We think it might be particularly useful with the arrival of a new chair or new CEO. It provides an opportunity to openly discuss and clarify roles and boundaries at the beginning of this vital relationship and helps to set expectations and a sound working relationship for the future.
How the process works
CONNECT
Contact Charity Mentors and arrange a telephone conversation with the Executive Director to establish whether your project is suitable and, if so, outline what your objectives might be.
SHARE
If you are the CEO/manager of the organisation, we ask that you share the fact that you are thinking of working with us with your trustees/board. If you are a trustee/chair, share with your fellow trustees. It makes sense in an organisation with collective responsibility that everyone is aware of support at a strategic level. We ask your permission to contact your chair, or other trustees, to explain our role. We need email confirmation from them that they are on-board before we move forward.
SELECT
We will then help you find the best mentor for your needs so that you can arrange a meeting. The aim of this first meeting is for you and the mentor to decide if you would like to work together on a project and to clarify your goals. You are not committed to working with Charity Mentors until after you have had this meeting.
FOCUS
If you both feel that you can work together productively, you then have a period of around 4-months in which to complete the mentoring project. This might entail just a couple more meetings, or five or six. The whole project is designed around you, your organisation and your needs. The important thing is that you use your mentor whilst you have them!
REVIEW
At the end of the project we ask you to complete a feedback form and we arrange to check-back with you after a period of around 6-months.
REFER
The service is free-of-charge and completely confidential between yourself and Charity Mentors; although we do ask if you would help us to spread the word and, at a minimum, that you summarise the project outcomes back to your own trustees.
Some Specific Examples
-
Yellow Submarine
The challenge for Yellow Submarine was to become a more sustainable social enterprise and to reduce its reliance on grants and trusts whilst trying to grow and to increase services for their beneficiaries.
Running a social enterprise meant that the CEO found it very difficult to devote time to achieving this aim. Our mentor was asked to help the CEO to focus on this challenge and to assess and redefine the strategy of Yellow Submarine.
-
Reducing the Risk
Reducing the Risk was looking to make a step-change in their service development, moving from a small charity to developing an enterprise with training ‘packages’ and national networks. The challenge was to bring all their ideas together in an effective way.
Our mentor’s role was to help the trustees articulate their shared values and to develop a sense of shared ownership in their strategic direction and goals.
-
South Oxfordshire Food and Education Alliance (SOFEA)
SOFEA’s primary motivation for working with a Charity Mentor was to get help with governance and with its structure in bring two companies together. Our Charity Mentor worked with SOFEA on strategies to bring the two companies together and combine the Board of Trustees whilst successfully dealing with the governance issues surrounding the change.
-
Talking Shop
The Talking Shop project was only four years old when Charity Mentors got involved. It was at an exciting but demanding stage of growth. There were so many new things they wanted to develop but never enough hours in the week to achieve the new developments and improve the running of their existing services. Our Charity Mentor worked with the chair of Talking Shop to help her with the task of leading the team and achieving the focus and development desired.
“Charity Mentors’ service provides confidential support to charities that find themselves facing an uncertain future. The initiative will help clarify problems and pinpoint the right support in terms of training, leadership or funding.”