iMentor provides partners with guidance and resources on fundraising specifically for the mentor2.0 model. Below are the most frequently asked questions about our fundraising support.

As additional context, iMentor continues to work towards sustainability for the Partner Programs model. Our partnership fees currently do not cover all partner support expenses and we rely on national iMentor funding to fill the gap. As such, many of our national funders support iMentor’s efforts nationwide, inclusive of our work with partners.

Frequently Asked Questions

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• Can you introduce us to your existing funders? 
• How do you help partners pitch this model to potential funders? 
• What resources can I use to strengthen my grant applications for mentor2.0?
• Do you jointly fundraise with partners?

Can you introduce us to your existing funders? 

• Upon a funder’s request or based on their interest areas, we can make an introduction. There are several ways that we share information about Partner Programs to inform funders of our partnerships:
  • As we work to develop new corporate partnerships, we will proactively share a list of our Partner Programs with corporations and solicit feedback on whether they would be interested in a direct introduction.
  • As part of our work with institutional funders and individual donors, we gain an understanding of the funding areas and regions that our existing donors care most about and if there is alignment, we will share additional information about Partner Programs.

• We are not able to provide introductions to existing funders upon partners’ requests. We do not make these individual introductions because 1) our number of partners could lead to an influx of introductions and conversations that becomes difficult for a funder to manage, and 2) many of our national funders’ support is intended to support iMentor’s efforts nationwide, inclusive of our Partner Programs work, and these funders’ focus areas do not align with funding local, region specific-programming.

How do you help partners pitch this model to potential funders?

• We offer a training on Pitching the iMentor Model and we provide resources that partners can leverage in creating their own pitches.
• We are available to join funder calls to provide an iMentor perspective.

What resources can I use to strengthen my grant applications for mentor2.0?

• We provide an iMentor Master Grant Proposal and example language for how to describe our partnership and the program model.
• We can provide letters of support, serve as a reference, or join a funder meeting in support of a partner’s grant application(s).

Do you jointly fundraise with partners?

• We are open to exploring joint fundraising opportunities for partner programs growth, particularly if the grant could have a large impact on our partnership.