Nine mentoring schemes for fundraisers
Howard Lake | 1 March 2012 | Blogs
The number of mentoring schemes available to fundraisers is growing, a most encouraging development.
Here are those that I am aware of, but there are bound to be more. Feel free to add and link to others in the comments below.
Arts Fundraiser Mentoring Programme 2012/13
This one year programme from Arts & Business “offers mid-career arts professionals working in fundraising the opportunity to gain knowledge, skills, and best practice advice from senior executive in the field”. Mentors in the past have included those working at The National Portrait Gallery, The Sixteen, Chichester Festival Theatre, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and Kettle’s Yard Gallery & House.
Applications are now being accepted for 2012/13 and must be returned together with a CV by 19 March 2012.
Institute of Fundraising London region mentoring scheme 2012/13
This will match up to 28 people. Those taking part will attend an initial introductory half day (all), one day of training (mentors only), one day of matching (mentors and mentees), and will take part in an end of scheme evaluation process. The scheme is supported by Harris Hill.
Applications to be a mentor or mentee close on 13 April 2012.
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Institute of Fundraising North East region mentoring scheme 2012/13
The application process closed on 23 February 2012.
Institute of Fundraising North West region
Applications are currently open.
Institute of Fundraising Northern Ireland
The mentoring programme has been designed to offer junior and middle management fundraisers access to the experience and knowledge of senior fundraisers and individuals to help them over a twelve month period on a range of work related issues.
The deadline for expressions of interest is 25 April 2012.
Institute of Fundraising South West
Their mentoring scheme was trialed in 2010/11 and has been successful so is continuing.
Institute of Fundraising Corporate Fundraising SIG
The Corporate Fundraising special interest group are planning to offer a mentoring programme.
The Black Fundraisers Network
The Black Fundraisers Network runs an informal mentoring scheme
Fundraising Ireland
Fundraising Ireland launched a pilot mentoring programme in 2010.
Other mentoring for fundraisers
There are other sources of mentoring and of course opportunities to mentor fundraisers. For communications and digital skills try The Media Trust.
There are organisations offering mentoring on a range of topics that might also be relevant to fundraisers or fundraisers at particular organisations, such as The Small Charities Coalition.
Various providers offer paid-for mentoring as one of their commercial services, including Lesley Hynes Fundraising and Wootton George Consulting
In addition many of the above groups and others, both formal and informal, share advice and information online via various networks such as Yahoo! Groups and LinkedIn. This isn’t formal mentoring of course, but these fora provide a useful source of advice and encouragement. UK Fundraising’s forum has served fundraisers since 1996, and its LinkedIn group for fundraisers is busy with conversations amongst its 2,945 members.
I’m sure I’ve missed other key mentoring networks. Feel free to add them below in the comments. If there is a deadline for applications in 2012, do include that.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.