Mentoring Program

New members are teamed with seasoned members. The mentor-mentee relationship can take a variety of forms. A mentor may make introductions so the mentee can participate in the Society's professional network, offer suggestions on work-related issues, provide career guidance, give feedback on the mentee's work, help with educational resources, or work with the mentee in other ways agreed upon by both parties.

Members can become mentors upon completion of their first year of Society membership.

The Role of the Mentor:

• Commit the time and energy needed to establish and maintain a productive mentoring relationship.
  
  
• Share the knowledge and experience they have gained during their career and their Society membership.
  
  
• Be flexible and be responsive. Remember what it was like when you first joined the Society and weren't sure how to utilize all of its benefits.
  
  
• Help the mentee establish a network of contacts within the Society and its chapters.

The Role of the Mentee:

• Contact mentor to introduce themselves.
  
  
• Commit the time and energy required to establish and maintain the mentor-mentee partnership.
  
  
• Identify and share their needs.
  
  
• Search for ways to achieve objectives; contribute ideas for Society events and knowledge sharing, become active in their local chapters and/or committees.
  
  
• Follow through on commitments and seek help when necessary.

Getting started:

• A new member will received an e-mail welcoming him/her to the Society. The e-mail will ask if the new member would like to be a part of our mentoring program. Once mentors and mentees have been tentatively matched, they will receive an e-mail informing them of their mentors' availability.
  
  
• The program begins with the new member's initiation to the Society and ends upon the new member's renewal date.

How much time will it take?

In many instances, it will only take a few minutes for a mentor to answer a mentee's question or to introduce him or her to another Society member. But this will vary depending on the mentee's needs.

If a mentor does not have the time to offer a full response shortly after receiving an e-mail message, we ask that the mentor send a short message saying they will be in contact when they have the opportunity.

Do mentors and mentees ever meet?

Mentors and mentees will have several opportunities to meet, i.e. National Conferences, seminars, Fall Regional Conference, and local chapter meetings.

But it is also possible that mentors and mentees will develop their relationship via telephone and e-mail, never meeting face-to-face. Each mentor-mentee pair will find their own way of handling this.

Is everyone matched with a mentoring partner?

Anyone who requests a mentor will be matched.

How are mentors recruited to participate?

We asked our members to join the mentoring program. We received an overwhelming response of members willing to volunteer.

Is there an additional charge for a mentor?

No, there is no charge.

Can I be a mentor?

Upon completion of your first year of Society membership, you will be eligible to become a mentor.

Would you like to enroll for our mentoring program or become a mentor?

Please click here to fill out our mentoring form. For further information regarding our mentoring program, please send an e-mail to mentor@governanceprofessionals.org