mentoring programme

The BPW NZ Mentoring Programme
Membership Vice President Faye Gardiner and Young BPW Convener Andrea Panther

Vision
"BPW NZ will be known as the organization providing opportunities for women to develop and extend the skills and knowledge they need to move forward in their working life."

Rationale
Relevant BPW Aims -
To encourage women and girls to:

  • Acquire education, occupational training & continuing education
  • Use their occupational capacities and intelligence for the advantage of others as well as themselves.
  • To improve the position of women in business, trade and the professions, and in the economic life of their country.

The recent membership survey indicates that we need to do better in promoting these Aims.

  • 75% of respondents did not identify what their Club provides for them.
  • Less than 10% gained any career or business related benefits from BPW.
  • 36% of respondents wanted some form of mentoring for members.

Currently, there is no women's organisation that offers a formal mentoring programme for it's members (that can be identified!) so this would be an attractive point of difference for BPW, particularly for young women developing their careers, and for women re-entering the workforce after an absence.

Research has found that exclusion from networks, lack of mentoring and absence of women role models are the key barriers to women's advancement in firms, and mentors are critical for women managers seeking to find a style with which male managers are comfortable.

The Status Quo

BPW is in fact a mentoring organisation, but we are not seen from this perspective. The following is a summary of our activities as a Mentoring Programme Framework. The italics indicate gaps in our current programmes.

BPW NZ Mentoring Framework.

  1. Past Presidents and Executive Officers mentoring Executive
    Providing guidance and advice to new Officers
    Reviewing and advising on proposed programmes and projects
    Advice re events and activities from their own experiences
    Serving on task forces and advisory groups.
  2. Executive mentoring Clubs
    Club Manual
    Projects & Events Tool Kits
    Participation in Regional Training Days
    The Circular and monthly Mail Out
    Executive Training Day
    National President to Club President
    Exec Officer to Club Officer
    Annual Conference
  3. Clubs mentoring each other
    Exchanging ideas, information and handy tips.
    Supporting another Club using an Events Tool Kit for an event the mentor Club has already run.
    Club exchange visits (infrequent)
    Attending Regional Training Days
  4. Clubs mentoring members
    Self / career development speakers
    Providing opportunities for members to undertake responsibilities in a supportive club environment.
    Identifying, and referring members to external sources of learning and advice
    Role modeling - good meeting procedure, constructive problem solving and negotiating, collaborative and inclusive processes, professional / business protocols and courtesies.
    Supporting and facilitating the BPW NZ Mentoring Programme in their Club.
  5. Individual member/s mentoring another member.
    Buddying of new Club Officers by previous office holders
    BPW NZ Mentoring Programme
    Informal networking and exchange of ideas and advice at Club meetings

BPW NZ Individual Mentoring Programme

To fill the gaps in our membership services, it is proposed to implement a programme of individual mentoring for members. The programme is voluntary, informal, and based on utilizing the wealth of skills and experience available amongst our own membership.

BPW Mentoring is …

  • a mutually beneficial partnership between a mentor giving advice and a mentee seeking advice
  • a relationship characterized by respect, appreciation and trust
  • a programme that uncovers competencies in women and makes them visible.
  • a process that creates female role models for women.

Strategic Goals of the Mentoring Programme …
justify Research has found that different types of mentoring programs all share the following fundamental success factors: a link to business strategy, leadership commitment, devotion of adequate resources, supportive culture, and realistic participant expectations. With this in mind, the following goals have been identified -

  • A recognized culture of mentoring throughout the organization demonstrated by every BPW club registering with the mentoring programme by 1.9.06.
  • Executive leadership commitment demonstrated by inclusion in the BPW NZ Strategic Plan, Executive support for a Programme Convener, and provision of resources for the mentoring packs, by Conference 2006.
  • All new members will have an induction programme/pack and an induction mentor starting in May 2006, verified through the 6 monthly membership returns.
  • Every club will have at least one member using the mentoring programme by 1.12.06.
  • The programme will be promoted as a membership benefit on the BPW NZ website starting May 2006.
  • External recognition of the mentoring programme (e.g. NZQA) by June 2008.

BPW NZ's Mentoring Programme will be …

  • Open to any BPW member
  • Members sharing knowledge, skills and experience with members.
  • A self-development programme focused on goal setting, identification of options for achieving them, and guidance and advice from the mentor.
  • Flexible and needs based (could have more than one mentor depending on the skills and/or timeframe required)
  • Short term, Structured, Voluntary and Free

It will not be …

  • Counseling
  • Life coaching
  • A guarantee of sponsorship or employment

Our Mentees will be …

  • BPW members.
  • Women entering their first job, changing jobs, returning to the work force.
  • Women who want to extend their skills in a particular area.

Our Mentors will be …

  • Committed BPW members who volunteer to share their particular knowledge, skill and expertise with another member.
  • Motivated to support other women and thereby contribute to the goal of BPW to promote and achieve equal opportunities for women at all levels.

Proposed Participation Requirements for Mentees and Mentors

  • Must be a financial BPW member
  • Must have completed the club membership induction programme.
  • Participation is voluntary, honorary and therefore free of charge.
  • Expenses (e.g. telephone or travel costs) are paid by mentee.
  • Completion of a mentoring agreement to clarify expectations of the mentee and mentor.

Suggested Individual Mentoring Programmes

  • New member induction (required)
  • Moving into employment
  • Moving into self employment
  • Small business development
  • Speaking communication
  • Written communication
  • Leadership
  • Marketing/publicity
  • ICT Financial literacy
  • Others, as identified by individual members to meet their specific goals.

Recognition

  • Certificate from BPW NZ, signed by National President, confirming hours / date / topics covered etc.
  • Congratulations letter from NZ President
  • Recognition event by the club.
  • Published in Circular and in BPW NZ Year Book

Evaluation

  • Evaluation of individual achievement in each module by mentor & mentee. Form included in each pack.
  • Evaluation of mentoring programme by survey of mentors & mentees conducted annually by the Programme Convener and reported to the Executive.
  • Evaluation of the benefits gained from the programme by the club conducted annually by the Programme Convener and reported to the Executive.

Mentoring Programme Packs
Each mentoring programme will have a pack of information and guidelines -

  • Title & Contents Page
  • Objective & Expected Outcomes of the particular programme
  • Mentor /Mentee Goals Agreement form
  • Activities Record - phone calls, contact with mentor, activities undertaken
  • Guidelines for each activity including mentee actions, mentor support, & evaluation
  • Suggested reading list
  • Suggested sources of further information
  • Programme evaluation (copy to be sent to BPW NZ for certification)

Suggested content of Mentoring Programmes

Guidelines for Mentors
A brief handbook for members who act as mentors, to be read before undertaking a mentoring role.

New Member Induction Pack

  • Information about BPW history including Lena Madesin Phillips, BPWI, BPW NZ,
  • List of current NZ Executive, Club members and committee.
  • Club Handbook, or club history, information about meetings, club programme, information and resources available at each meeting etc
  • Club Constitution and Bylaws
  • BPW Mentoring Programme pamphlet.
  • Copy of Club Bulletin, most recent Circular, Update, BPW international newsletter.
  • New Member Profile form to fill in
  • Introduction to their induction mentor.

The induction mentor will buddy the new member for about 3 months and ensure that the new member has transport to meetings, meets other members, explains club protocols, encourages them to bring their friends and answers all their questions.

Spoken Communication
Read the Collect/Aims at the club meeting, introduce and thank the speaker, give a two minute personal profile, speak to an issue, give an impromptu talk on a topic, lead a club discussion, do a short presentation using visual aides.

Written business communication
Manage club correspondence, write club letters in business format, take minutes of the committee meetings, write a report or article for the club bulletin, write an article for the local media, write a memo, write a lobbying letter.

ICT skills
Basic word processing, using tables, Excel spreadsheets, emails, power point, internet searches, shortcuts, organize data, access advice re purchase of hardware, software & setup.

Leadership
Buddy with president/vice president, convene a meeting, lead a task force/sub committee, organize an event/project, be a mentor to another club member, chair a meeting, take on a club officer role.

Moving into employment
Interviewing skills, CV & application letters, appropriate dress, work experience provided by or arranged by BPW members, telephone skills, networking skills.

Marketing/Publicity
Work with the bulletin editor to produce the club bulletin, contact local editors to establish a relationship, write a press release about an upcoming event, write a press release following an event, develop a simple marketing plan for the club, assist the club membership vice pres with a membership drive, develop and maintain a club display board,

Financial literacy
Assist the club treasurer to - do the club accounts and annual balance sheet, club raffles, banking, develop a club budget, manage the accounts for an event (e.g. a fundraiser), read and understand a balance sheet.

Moving into self employment
Mentor needs to have experience as a self-employed person. Home vs premises work site, sources of legal and financial advice, time management, promoting the business, networking, maintaining skills, maintaining records as relevant, etc.

Small business development
Mentor needs to have experience as a small business owner. Home vs premises work site, sources of legal and financial advice, time management, promoting the business, networking, maintaining skills, maintaining records as relevant, etc.

Costs
The setting up of the mentoring packs will cost approximately $10.00 per pack. These will be purchased by the mentee at cost, although Clubs may choose to fund this. Other costs incurred by the mentee are at their own expense. Mentors are not paid a fee and there is no cost for the mentoring process itself.

Club mentoring goals for 2007 (PDF file 48kb)

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