MIT Alumni Volunteers
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Volunteer to Volunteer Mentoring
Sample Mentoring Plan
Assigning mentorship pairs can enhance both the onboarding of new members and accelerate their familiarity with a new role as well as enrich the experience of the current or outgoing volunteer.
Volunteers can be asked in their offboarding survey or conversation if they’d consider being a mentor to a new member in the upcoming year. By gathering this information, mentorship pairs can be created based on similarities in background or experience if applicable. Remember, mentoring is about what both the mentor and mentee can teach each other.
Ideally, the mentor would be in their final term on the committee or be experienced in their role and the mentee just beginning theirs. Pairs would be established before the first meeting of the board or committee or at signature events like Alumni Leadership Conference or Tech Reunions.
Below is sample text for introducing mentor/mentee matches and steps:
Dear {Outgoing Member} and {Incoming Member}: Thank you for your service on the/as {Committee or Role}. By way of this message, please allow me to introduce you to each other. {Outgoing Member}, {Incoming Member} starts their service on the/as {Committee or Role} on July 1, and {Incoming Member}, {Outgoing Member} will be completing their term at that time. I’ve attached a short brief that details each of your backgrounds and MIT service. We’ve paired you as mentor ({Outgoing Member}) and mentee ({Incoming Member}). An important part of our {Committee or Role} Orientation process is the mentorship program between current/past members and incoming members. A widely hailed best practice in the industry, mentorship helps fully onboard new members and accelerate the speed with which they are able to participate meaningfully in volunteer activities and provide an engaging offboarding experience for current or outgoing members. As part of the mentoring process, plan to: Have a phone or Zoom call before the first {Committee or Role} meeting. Use this time to bring the new member up to speed on {Committee or Role} activities, conversations and initiatives, and allow the new member time for questions. After the meetings of the year begin, touch base periodically to check in. Should you both be on campus at the same time in the future, please feel free to meet in person. You may also find that travel brings you near to the other’s locale, though as we know now Zoom is a great way to see each other virtually. The topics for your monthly phone calls and/or emails will likely include such things as what to expect through the year, the ins and outs of serving in the position, meeting/event preparation, travel and logistics, where to go with questions, and discussion of meeting topics. Please consider this email introduction your invitation to reach out to one another! We hope this mentorship connection is meaningful and helpful. Please contact us with any questions or suggestions, as we welcome feedback to make the {Committee or Role} mentoring process even more robust. Kind regards, {Your Name}
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