Four Reasons Nonprofits Need to Use Mentoring To Connect

Mentoring can have a significant impact on for profit and nonprofit organizations, whether it is career guidance, emotional support, or skill development. Organizations have many missions and each mission requires a different focus. Mentoring can be a great way to provide a safe space for members to share and receive support, celebrate successes and give and take advice. A study by Olivet Nazarene University found that 76 percent believe mentors are important. However, only 37% of people have one.

These are just four reasons why nonprofits are using mentoring to foster human development.

1. Mentoring Provides Support

A mentoring program can help your members navigate new jobs or provide the emotional support they need. A strong support network is essential when you want to achieve your goals and improve your mental health. Mentors can help members discuss their challenges and help them overcome obstacles, personal or professional. Mentoring can help build a sense of belonging. It can improve self-esteem, reduce stress, and allow for better decision making. Participants will be more able to concentrate on their tasks, goals and actions if they have the right mentor to share their experiences and answer questions. Members are more likely to have positive experiences that will lead to organizational success.

2. Skill building is improved

The ability to build their own talent is a key component of any company’s success. Mentoring can be a great way for subject matter experts to connect with people who are looking to develop those skills. Mentorship programs allow organizations to facilitate knowledge transfer and experiential learning by pairing employees, volunteers, students, or other workers together. Mentoring creates a culture of continuous learning for professional development. People can grow and improve productivity by learning from one another and sharing their knowledge. Employees and members will be better equipped to carry out the nonprofit’s mission and achieve organizational success if they have access to higher levels of knowledge and skills.

3. Promotes Future-Ready Development

Many non-profits are focused on helping a specific group of people to prepare for their next venture. These could include helping veterans secure jobs or helping students to get into college. These transitions can sometimes be hard. Mentoring can provide extra support to participants and help them find their feet. Mentoring programs for future-ready growth can be built with the right structure and intentional action. They can guide careers and build professional networks. Mentors are a great resource to help members find the support and motivation they need for their next venture.

4. Mission Impact – Showcases

It is essential to communicate the impact of a non-profit’s mission in order to increase brand awareness, attract more members and win over supporters. Nonprofits should show clear metrics to demonstrate the impact they are making. It doesn’t show how programs are changing lives by simply reporting on the number of people served or the amount raised. Structured mentoring programs are a great way to highlight impact. The outcomes of mentoring programs and the feedback they receive can be used to establish benchmarks and goals. This allows nonprofits to highlight the “wins” and make improvements that are a sign of success. Nonprofits can increase visibility and effectiveness of their mentoring programs by using KPIs (numbers of participants, matches, surveys, and general participant feedback). Mentoring can help to show the importance of numbers to increase awareness and support nonprofits.