As an iMentor partner program you have access to a unique set of resources and supports. The examples below can be used to communicate the nature of your partnership with iMentor. The contents of this article are applicable for grant proposals and other fundraising materials. They may also be useful to communicate the nature of the partnership within your organization and with board members or other stakeholders.
Partnership Model Summary
iMentor’s national partnership program brings iMentor’s innovative mentoring model to communities nationwide. We partner with organizations and schools that share our goal of empowering youth from low-income communities to graduate high school, succeed in college, and achieve their life ambitions. Our partners utilize all aspects of the iMentor model, including our college-success curriculum, mentor training and screening materials, technology platform, and program analysis tools. Partners also have exclusive access to the best practices gathered from research, iMentor's direct-service program, and the national iMentor partner network. iMentor staff assists each organization with program design, staff onboarding and training, and ongoing program implementation and evaluation. Combining the expertise and talents of our local partners with the innovations and best practices of the iMentor model, iMentor’s national partnership program is helping young people nationwide succeed in college and beyond.
Summary of Resources for iMentor Partner Programs
iMentor provides partners with the information, tools and support they need to run a successful program in their community. All partners receive a full toolkit of resources, including:
Programmatic Resources: Partners have access to a full set of programmatic resources including curriculum, mentor training and screening, pair support, and evaluation tools.
Best Practices: Partners have access to the best practices gathered from research, iMentor's direct-service program, and iMentor partner programs nationwide.
iMentor Platform: Partners use iMentor’s technology platform to foster strong mentor-mentee relationships and to manage and evaluate the effectiveness of the mentoring program.
Community: iMentor partners make up an active community of organizations and schools across the country with a common goal of empowering youth from low-income communities to graduate college. The iMentor Partner Program network shares expertise throughout the year and convenes at an annual gathering.
Support Channels: Since everyone learns in different ways, iMentor provides deep support through a variety of channels including:
The Learning Center: An online repository of our best resources in an easy to search format.
iMentor Academy Courses: Interactive e-learning courses teach program staff everything they need to know to partner with iMentor and run a successful program.
Strategy Sessions: These bi-weekly calls are standing appointments between program staff and their Partnership Manager to discuss successes and opportunities in the program.
Expert Office Hours: Throughout the year iMentor’s resident experts make themselves available to provide deeper knowledge within a subject area.
In-person Site Visits: In addition to partners visiting iMentor's office as part of orientation, iMentor staff members conduct site visits to each partner program to continue training, observe the program in action and deepen individualized support for each partner.
Detailed Resource Descriptions
iMentor Platform
iMentor has developed a safe, secure, closed technology platform that facilitates communication between each partner’s mentors, mentees, and staff. The iMentor Platform includes comprehensive tools for mentors and mentees to foster strong relationships as well as a set of tools for staff to manage, monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the mentoring program. The tools include a mentor-mentee matching algorithm, secure email system, real-time program data, and program evaluation tools. iMentor offers full technology maintenance and support, including a helpdesk.
Proven Programmatic Resources
iMentor has spent more than a decade developing and refining the iMentor model and accompanying programmatic resources in our direct service program, and through our national partnership program we are able to share these resources with partners. iMentor partners have full access to our research-based curriculum, mentor recruitment, training and screening materials, pair support tools, best practice documentation, program impact surveys developed by independent evaluators, and automated evaluation and reporting tools.
iMentor’s research-based curriculum focuses on helping pairs build strong relationships as well as providing students with the opportunity to develop the non-cognitive skills and college knowledge that they will need for post-secondary success. iMentor provides partners with the curriculum they need to facilitate a baseline of conversations and experiences for each pair, helping to create greater consistency and quality across thousands of mentoring relationships and ultimately allowing mentors to be more effective.
Staff Support
Each iMentor partner program is assigned a Partnership Manager -- a mentoring expert-- to assist with all aspects of program launch and implementation, as well as to address challenges and questions on an ongoing basis. Partnership Managers provide vital programmatic and technology training, including an in-person onboarding at the iMentor office to prepare partners to launch their program, site visits to each partner organization, and online office hours facilitated by iMentor’s content area experts. Partners also engage in biweekly strategy sessions with Partnership Managers to address pressing challenges and issues. Partnership Managers provide additional time to each partner, as needed to maximize their program’s success.
Community of Support
Through a partnership with iMentor organizations become an active part of the national network of organizations running the iMentor model. Partners are connected to other high-performing non-profit organizations through training opportunities and individual introductions. iMentor partners also convene at an annual gathering and participate in periodic webinars and group discussions. Through engagement with iMentor staff and other partner programs, iMentor partners have access to the best practices, insights, and connections they need to increase the impact of their programs. iMentor partners form a community that supports one another to empower students in low-income communities to graduate high school, succeed in college, and achieve their ambitions.
