Mentorship Program

1. Purpose: To provide individual gift planners and professional advisors with guidance and support from experienced mentors in the area of gift planning.

2. Mentorship Committee: The Mentorship Program is managed by the Mentorship Committee. The Mentorship Committee shall be made up of the Mentorship Committee Chair (“Chair”), the Mentorship Committee Vice Chair (“Vice Chair”) (selected by the Chair) and the volunteer mentors. The Vice Chair will serve as the Chair in the year following his/her service as Vice Chair. In order to qualify as the Chair or as the Vice Chair, an individual must have previously served as a mentor in the program.

The Committee shall meet twice per year (this may be by conference call). The first meeting shall be during the summer to review evaluations of the program from the prior program year, make recommendations for the coming year, and assign mentors to mentees. The second meeting shall be in January to review mid-year evaluations of the program and make additional mentoring assignments.

3. Assignment of Mentors to Mentees: The Committee will assign mentors to mentees in September at the start of each year. If additional mentees request mentors over the course of the year, a mentor-mentee relationship is problematic, or a mentor must resign from the program, the Chair and Vice Chair shall assign a new mentor to the mentee if one is available. If no mentors are available, the Chair and Vice Chair will attempt to solicit additional mentors so that all mentees can be matched with a mentor.

NCGPC cannot guarantee that every mentee will be assigned a mentor, nor can NCGPC vouch for the experience or advice provided by any mentor, although every effort will be made to provide only experienced mentors to mentees.

4. Mentor Qualifications: Each year-end in June, the Vice Chair shall put out a call for mentors for the coming program year through the NCGPC e-mail list and by announcement at the regular meeting. Each potential mentor must be a member in good standing of NCGPC and is required to fill out a registration form, indicating level of experience. Mentors must have at least 5 years of experience in development and/or gift planning.

5. Mentor Responsibilities: Mentors provide professional and career advice to their assigned mentees, without providing tax or legal advice. The mentor will:

a. Arrange a one-on-one, in person meeting with the mentee within one month of being assigned to coordinate how the two will be in contact for the year. At this meeting, the mentor and mentee will determine how the mentor can best assist the mentee. Both the mentor and mentee should be respectful of each other’s time constraints. Some ideas include:

i. Project: Define a discreet project and work together to plan and implement it (i.e. start a professional advisors group; develop a gift planning website; create a training program for development staff; or increase board knowledge of gift planning)

ii. Networking: Increase contacts in the field; or,

iii. Education: Learn more about financial planning, estate planning, investing, insurance, life-income gifts, donor-centered philanthropy.

b. Attend as many regular NCGPC meetings as possible and sit with mentee at lunch for at least two meetings.

c. Take and respond to at least one contact (phone, e-mail, text message etc.) from the mentee each month, and more if possible.

d. Share materials, experiences, contacts in the field, and other information that might be helpful to the mentee.

e. Fill out the mid-year “Mentor Feedback Form” in December and submit it to the Mentorship Committee Chair.

f. Encourage the mentee to fill out the mid-year “Mentee Feedback Form” in December and submit it to the Mentorship Committee Chair. At the same time, engage the mentee in an informal discussion about how the mentorship is progressing.

g. Meet with the mentee at the end of June to obtain feedback for future years (may be by phone or in person). At this meeting, agree on any next steps with the mentee. The presumption is that the formal mentoring relationship will cease at the end of the June.

h. Fill out the year-end “Mentor Feedback Form” in June and submit it to the Mentorship Committee Vice Chair.

i. Encourage the mentee to fill out the year-end “Mentee Feedback Form” in June and submit it to the Mentorship Committee Vice Chair.

6. Mentee Qualifications: Each May, the Vice Chair shall put out a call for mentees for the coming program year through the NCGPC e-mail list and by announcement at the regular June meeting. Each potential mentee must be a member in good standing of the NCGPC and is required to fill out a registration form, indicating level of experience. Mentees may be admitted to the program other than at the start of the year by contacting the Chair directly.

Mentees may have any level of experience but must have a strong commitment to the field of gift planning and a desire to have a mentor relationship to enhance their gift planning acumen.

7. Mentee Responsibilities: Mentees should be respectful of their mentor’s time (and vice versa). Mentees will:

a. Attend a one-on-one, in person meeting with the mentor to arrange their working relationship for the year. Identify specific ways or projects for which the mentee would like his/her mentor to provide guidance during the year.

b. Attend as many monthly NCGPC “Nuts and Bolts” sessions and luncheon meetings as possible, and attend the annual Planned Giving Days Conference. The mentee will sit with the mentor for lunch for at least two meetings when the mentor is also in attendance.

c. Contact the mentor when assistance is required or desired, but limit those contacts based upon the agreement reached with the mentor in the first meeting.

d. Engage their supervisor and obtain the supervisor’s approval, if needed, for activities/training that would occupy normal working hours.

e. Fill out the mid-year “Mentee Feedback Form” in December and submit it to the Mentorship Committee Chair. Optional: Also provide a copy to the mentor.

f. Meet with the mentor at the end of the year to offer constructive feedback about the program. At this meeting, agree on any next steps with the mentor. The presumption is that the formal mentoring relationship will cease at the end of the June.

g. Fill out the year-end “Mentee Feedback Form” in June and submit it to the Vice Chair. Optional: Also provide a copy to the mentor.

1. August:

a. Convene a meeting of the Committee (in person or by conference call) to

i. Review feedback forms for the prior program year;

ii. Implement any changes required by the feedback;

iii. Update policy documents for the program to reflect changes to the program;

iv. Review and qualify mentors;

v. Review and qualify mentees;

vi. Assign mentors to mentees;

vii. Recruit additional mentors as required; and,

viii. Select a Vice Chair, who will assist the Chair for the current year and serve as Chair for the following year.

b. E-mail each mentor-mentee pair to provide contact information and the link to the portion of the NCGPC website that defines the respective roles of the mentor and mentee.

2. September:

a. Hold an optional in-person group meeting for mentors and mentees to discuss the program in a group setting.

b. E-mail each mentor-mentee pair to ensure that initial meetings have taken place.

3. December:

a. E-mail each mentor with link to mid-year evaluation form, and

b. E-mail each mentee with link to mid-year evaluation form.

4. January:

a. Compile results of mid-year evaluations;

b. Convene a meeting of the Committee (in person or by conference call) to review mid-year evaluations;

c. Provide feedback to mentors-mentees as appropriate, regarding information from the mid-year evaluations; and,

d. Put out a call via NCGPC e-mail list for additional mentees who wish to join the program mid-year, provided mentors are available.

5. May:

a. Assist the Vice Chair in sending out year-end evaluations; and,

b. Assist the Vice Chair in sending out request for mentors-mentees for the coming calendar year.

6. June/July:

Assist the Vice Chair in compiling year-end evaluations.

1. August:

Attend the organizational meeting of the Committee to help organize the Mentorship Program for the coming year.

2. January:

a. Assist Chair in compilation of results from mid-year evaluations;

b. Attend Committee meeting (in person or by conference call) to review mid-year evaluations; and,

c. Provide feedback to mentors-mentees as appropriate, regarding information from the mid-year evaluations.

3. May:

a. Send out year-end evaluations and

b. Send out requests for mentors-mentees for the coming calendar year.

4. June/July:

Compile year-end evaluations.