Nominations, references, mentor ambassadors, and information sessions are effective ways to leverage your mentor community and drive mentor recruitment. Below are some helpful tips and language to use when recruiting mentors using your mentor community.

Nomination Email

At the beginning of mentor orientation, participants receive Champion Circle cards and are asked to nominate at least three friends to volunteer with iMentor. The following nomination email is sent to nominees:

Hi <XXXXX>, 

My name is <XXXXX> and I work with volunteers at iMentor NYC. <Referral’s name> is a fantastic supporter of iMentor and thinks you would make a great mentor! I’m not sure how much you know about our program, but we match college-graduated adults with low-income high school students, and mentors help mentees build soft skills like communication, time management, and optimism in their future (you can find a short description of being a volunteer mentor here). 

To get started I need you to fill out the online application – that’s how we would match you with your mentee. Would you be willing to submit an application to become a volunteer mentor in the next day or two? 

We’d be happy to have you! Let me know if you have any questions – happy to help.  

Have a great day,

<XXXXX>

Reference Email

During the mentor screening interview process, references are asked about their interest in volunteering with iMentor. The following email is sent to references who are interested in becoming mentors:

Hi <XXXXX>, 

My name is <XXXXX> and I work with volunteers at iMentor NYC. I heard you gave a great reference and are interested in becoming a mentor yourself! I’m not sure how much you know about our program, but we match college-graduated adults with low-income high school students, and mentors help mentees build soft skills like communication, time management, and optimism in their future (you can find a short description of being a volunteer mentor here). 

To get started I need you to fill out the online application – that’s how we’ll match you with your mentee. Would you be willing to submit an application to become a volunteer mentor in the next day or two? 

We’d be happy to have you! Let me know if you have any questions – happy to help.  

Have a great day, 

<XXXXX>

Mentor Ambassadors

Consider identifying 3 – 5 dedicated mentor ambassadors to support mentor recruitment efforts. Establishing this opportunity is a fantastic way for mentors to get more involved with the iMentor community. 

Here are some ways ambassadors can support mentor recruitment: 

• Create recruitment goals
  • For example, ambassadors nominate 5 new people per year
• Set-up information sessions at their workplace 

Information Sessions

Info sessions are a great way for communities to learn about your program and opportunities to get involved. These sessions are typically held in offices or community centers.  During the info session, prospective mentors participate in an hour-long presentation where they learn the ins and outs of mentoring with iMentor. Participants receive a follow-up e-mail the next day, which includes highlights from the presentation and a link to the online application. The presentation leader serves as a point of contact for the prospective mentors, assisting with the application, answering questions, etc.

Here are some tips for sourcing info session hosts:

• Reach out to your mentor community
  • Connect with mentors during events and tell them you're interested in hosting an info session at their workplace. If the mentor is receptive, ask to be connected to an HR contact.
• Cold outreach
  • Focus on start-up - mid-sized companies with 50 - 500 employees
  • Leverage LinkedIn to reach out to HR professionals within these companies
  • Send an initial email to the HR contact requesting a phone call. In addition, tell them about iMentor and explain the info session.
  • Once you have secured a phone call, proceed to tell the HR contact more about iMentor and the info session
    • The goal of this phone call is to schedule a date for an info session 6 weeks - 1 month in advance (no more than 2.5 months).

The following email is sent to mentors who are interested in passing along information about an iMentor info session to their HR contact.

Hi XXXX,

I wanted to tell you all about a great organization that I recently got involved with, called iMentor. If you aren’t familiar, iMentor is a mentoring organization that pairs NYC professionals with low-income youth in order to develop skills for college readiness.  Mentors and mentees maintain their 1-to-1 relationships through weekly online communication + monthly meetings, so this opportunity is rewarding and manageable. 

I've really enjoyed my time as a mentor so far, and I think that many others at <COMPANY NAME> would enjoy this volunteer opportunity as well.  I was hoping we could bring iMentor's Recruiter into the office for an hour-long info session. These take 1 hour and are a great way for those who are interested, to learn more.

For your reference, I've attached an iMentor one-sheeter. You may also reach out to iMentor's recruiter, <IMENTOR CONTACT NAME AND EMAIL>. 

Thanks in advance,

XXXX

Additional Resources

• Sample information sheet – Become a Champion In Your Community
• Sample information sheet – Join a Network of Professionals Who Give Back
• Sample info session presentation - iMentor Info Session