Kemi Olafare shares her thoughts in this special guest-blog post for Charterpath.
I’ve recently had the privilege of helping to celebrate the end of Charterpath’s first mentoring scheme. I call this a privilege as I’m always grateful that Alice and Alex trust me with their vision. During the lockdown we’d spoken about the possibility of running a mentoring scheme and seeing it come to fruition was incredibly rewarding.
Why Mentoring?
We could all benefit from a mentor at some parts in our lives. However, there are specific reasons that make mentoring beneficial for finance professionals. As finance volunteers we’re frequently privy to confidential and sensitive information. In addition, many charities are small so it’s rarely possible to be assigned a ‘buddy’ or have someone to discuss matters with informally. This brings complexities should we need to explore ideas with someone off the record who understands and will keep the information confidential. Mentoring can fill an essential gap.
We approached the Honorary Treasurers Forum about partnering on the initiative, knowing they had many members with experience both as finance professionals and volunteers. With further support from the fantastic Marks Sattin team we had a huge response for both mentors and mentees.
Kemi the Matchmaker!
I was tasked with matching mentors with mentees. Rather like a dating agency I had to decide who would pair well with each other based on their CV, LinkedIn profiles and preferences as per their applications. It was a fun albeit challenging task.
We held three virtual sessions: to introduce pairs and the mentoring scheme, a mid-programme check in and motivation boost and a final celebratory session. In between this, we kept in touch with mentors and mentees via email and a dedicated WhatsApp group.
Exciting discoveries...
What was striking was the level of positive feedback and enthusiasm. Mentors and mentees alike spoke and wrote of their enjoyment of sharing their knowledge, having someone to ask advice of and hold them to account. The testimonies were overwhelming and demonstrated that mentorship is needed and valued. It’s humbling to think that we’ve helped to create a community of dedicated volunteers.
Success and learning has been in many forms:
Getting on with it; we spoke at length about our plans for the programme and produced various guidance documents but ultimately we needed to just start to get the best learning.
Being specific; we received many great applications, but some CVs and applications were difficult to read. Whilst we were open to flexibility, there was some set criteria we put in place for mentors and mentees.
Being thorough; There were some applications that raised an eyebrow; online searches and Companies House checks (yes I’m that person) often validated my suspicions and helped with the sifting process.
Life can get in the way; some people had unexpected changes in their professional, voluntary or personal lives which meant they couldn’t participate in the way they wanted. This of course can happen.
Back up plans; we produced guidance on how the scheme would work and informally had mentors and mentees on standby in case anyone needed to drop out.
Check ins: we made a point of contacting people mid way through for both us and them.
Was The Effort Justified?
All of this was worth the effort - with 9 out of 10 pairs completing the programme and 100% of candidates saying that it was a beneficial experience. The stories shared by both mentors and mentees validated the need for this programme and have motivated us to launch a second cohort. Thank you to all those who participated and supported. We’ll continue to keep in touch with this amazing cohort of changemakers.
For those interested in getting involved in our future mentoring programme (whether as a mentor or mentee) please get in touch with us at info@charterpath.org.uk.
If the idea of volunteering your skills with a non-profit has caught your imagination - follow these 3 simple steps:
Follow Charterpath on LinkedIn for all the latest news, inspiration and roles
Have a look around our website at www.charterpath.org.uk for case studies, helpful resources and live volunteer opportunities
Sign the Charterpath pledge to show your support for our mission and volunteer your skills for at least 2 days each year
About Charterpath
Charterpath CIO is a UK registered charity (1207509) on a mission to chart a path between non-profits and volunteers with financial skills. Charterpath was co-founded by Alice Clementi and Alex Marsh, both chartered accountants with extensive volunteering and fundraising experience alongside their professional careers. They were inspired to start Charterpath in 2020, after seeing first-hand the unprecedented financial challenges facing the non-profit sector from the pandemic.
Inspired to support our mission? Follow Charterpath on LinkedIn and join our community at www.charterpath.org.uk to access our newsletter, exclusive events and volunteer roles!