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Chapter Mentoring
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Mentoring is defined as "A supportive and nurturing relationship between an experienced professional, a mentor, and an aspiring protege, the adult learner." Mentoring is a partnership your chapter can create between experienced chapter members and new members, resulting in better membership retention and a more active chapter.
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Benefits of Mentoring--
In order to insure the success of the Chapter Mentoring Program, it is important to understand the benefits of being a mentor:
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- Enjoying the satisfaction of helping others achieve their goals within the organization.
- Assisting an individual to gain new experiences and foster personal and professional growth.
- Opportunity to increase one's influence within the chapter by sharing skills and knowledge.
- Ability to give something back to the chapter.
- The excitement of learning from those being mentored.
- New members benefit because they quickly become active, participating members of NOVA. They feel satisfied, recognized and welcome; they possess a more complete knowledge of the chapter than new members who are not mentored.
- Chapters benefit because they have satisfied, knowledgeable members who understand the purpose of the organization. Chapters also receive the benefit of future leaders.
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Role of the Mentor--
A mentor makes the new member feel welcome and helps her/him become familiar with the chapter's structure, procedures and activities by giving guidance, instilling a sense of purpose, and nurturing leadership potential. Qualities of successful mentors include:
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- Generosity - Mentors are willing to share their time and knowledge with others.
- Empathy - Mentors know what it is like to be "the new kid on the block" and are willing to help.
- Equality - The mentoring partnership should be based on interdependence, respect and mutuality.
- Integrity - Communication should be based on honesty.
- Trust - The relationship should be one in which mistakes are viewed as a step in the learning process.
- Enthusiasm - Mentors enthusiastically embrace the mission and vision of NOVA.
- Bravery - Both members are taking risks, one of teaching and one of learning.
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Role of the Mentee (Person Being Mentored)--
Mentoring is not a one-way street, with the mentor giving and the mentee receiving. Mentoring is a partnership, with both parties freely contributing to the discussion as equals working together, based upon mutual respect. The mentee makes an effort to assess, internalize and use effectively the knowledge, skills, insights, perspective or wisdom offered by the mentor. Qualities of mentees include:
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- Being willing and able to share their needs with the mentor.
- Articulating their needs clearly.
- Feeling comfortable with the mentor.
- Being willing to trust and open up.
- Choosing to change and develop themselves.
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The mentor helps and the mentee does--or the relationship is a failure.
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Steps to Mentoring--
Mentoring is a three-phase process: Lead, Follow and Get Out of the Way.
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- Lead: The mentor, the experienced NOVA leader, passes down to the mentee knowledge, stories, and lessons learned from experience in the organization. The mentor plays a very active role, teaching, coaching and explaining.
- Follow: There is a gradual transition as the lead moves from the mentor to the mentee. Through advice and counsel, the mentee moves from doing something under the tutelage of the mentor to doing it on their own.
- Get Out of the Way: A mentoring relationship ends in recognition that the mentee has gained the maturity and judgement to make it on their own.
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To implement a mentoring program, chapter leaders need to take the following steps:
Talk to new members - Find out what they hope to achieve as members of your chapter. Use that information to assign mentors to new members.
Assign a mentor - Devise a formal structure for assigning mentors; give every new member an opportunity to work with a mentor.
Train your mentors - They will need guidance on the type of information to be discussed, how to assess the new members' progress and how to encourage new members to be candid with their concerns and needs. Mentors also need to know how to benefit the most from the mentoring relationship. Guidelines for success:
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- Do not smother new members. Show them what to do, then step back and let them do it. Be careful not to be patronizing or manipulative.
- Provide the big picture. New members need to know where they are going before they start out. When you understand the reason for a particular approach, you are better equipped to relate to the process.
- Encourage the new member to think creatively. Hearing new ideas will refresh the chapter.
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Follow through - Follow up with new members and mentors; assess how the program is working. Ask them what is successful and what is not.
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Engaging New Members--
Get the entire chapter involved in helping new members feel welcome and find their place within the chapter. Think back to your first chapter meeting. Was it a positive experience or a stressful one? If it was positive, it was probably because other members went out of their way to make you feel welcome and help you understand the structure and processes of the chapter. Here are some tips for alleviating the stress of being a new member:
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- Use nametags - do color-coding or use ribbons to identify new members. Chapter Board Members should make it a priority to focus on new members and make introductions to other members.
- The mentor could call the new members prior to chapter meetings and events and attend the meeting with the new member. This will boost attendance and help to retain senior members.
- Have a reception or orientation for new members before a chapter meeting. This allows new members to meet one another and chapter leaders and ensures they will not sit alone at the meeting that follows. Use this opportunity to talk about upcoming activities and recruit volunteers.
- After the first few months, do a survey of new members to determine their level of satisfaction and their needs.
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Ensure Continued Success--
As engaging and effective as these activities may be, your efforts should not end here. Successful retention of members relies on three actions that form the foundation upon which new members build a personal connection and long-term relationship with your chapter.
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High Touch - Most members will need help in understanding and taking full advantage of their membership and your chapter's programs and services. A personal telephone call when the member joins can be invaluable. Ongoing contact after the first few meetings is also important.
High Active - Begin to draw the member into participating in the chapter as soon as possible. The more actively engaged new members are, the greater the chance they will recognize the personal value of the organization. You may want to consider incentives to encourage participation, such as paying for their dinner at a chapter meeting, or giving them a coupon to attend a chapter educational event.
High Inform - New members will require special information during their first year. They need to understand both local and national policies and events. Consider putting together a new member kit that includes:
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- Names and contact persons from the Board of Directors
- Past local and national newsletters
- A chapter directory
- A calendar of events, local and national
- Pertinent legislative information
- A current list of chapter members
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Information Available--
The following items are available for your chapters to use when implementing your mentoring program:
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- The NOVA Chapter Mentoring Kit.
- A PowerPoint Slide Show entitled: "NOVA Mentoring: Lead, Follow and Get Out of the Way".
- A bibliography on mentoring.
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Please contact National Office at 202-296-0888 for any of these items.
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