All About the SCC Mentoring Programme
We all need some extra help from time to time with the running of our organisations. A smiley face, a safe space to talk things over and throw ideas around.
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Mentoring is a one-to-one, non-judgemental voluntary relationship where a mentor gives their time and uses their experience to support and encourages you towards an identified goal. Like a project, the relationship is usually conducted within an agreed time period in order to keep it focused. The Mentor’s principal role is to manage the relationship towards the goal, usually drawing on their own experience to provide direction and insight.
People usually seek mentors at times of transition, and the relationship can last for a significant and/or sustained period.  Mentoring is a future-focused relationship that concentrates on giving you direction towards your goal, offering solutions and advice based on the mentor’s knowledge, skills, and experience.
What is the SCC Mentoring Programme?
We match small charities up with a person or organisation that can help with a problem or challenge.
​As a small charity leader you might not always have the resource or specialist knowledge to tackle this. You might be working on a funding bid (we’ve all been there), a strategic review or are unsure of the best way to grow your reach. That’s where we come in.
The mentorship can be as flexible as you need to make it work for you. It might be a pairing that lasts three months, or may last much longer than this. SCC will supervise matches for up to 6 months, conducting check-ins on a regular basis.
SCC’s key focus will be on brokering a great match and providing the tools to form a relationship that works well for both mentor and mentee.
You can find out more in our Further Information for Mentees and Further Information for Mentors pages
The FAQs will be updated regularly.
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Why get involved?
At its best, mentoring is a highly impactful and rewarding way to learn and grow, personally as well as professionally. Mentoring is for everyone, and we can make matches on so many different skills, for the short term or for the long term.
Becoming a mentee allows you to get things done with the help and support of someone who has been there and done it before. The benefits include learning new skills, building your confidence, accelerated development and the chance to gain a fresh perspective. The programme is free for our members.
Many mentors also report gaining significant (and unexpected) personal benefits – not just the wellbeing generated from supporting others, but the insights they gain into their own experiences and in learning about the different contexts and challenges of other professional sectors, improved self-confidence through advising and supporting others and the chance to develop communication and management skills. SCC mentors are also invited to join monthly meet ups where they are given the opportunity to reflect on the programme and network with other volunteers.
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Are you interested?
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Mentees
 We are always happy to hear from our members seeking a mentor to guide them through a particular challenge or period of transition. Examples of situations for which you might want a mentor include wading through a governance issue, building and implementing a business plan or rolling out a new service, and much more.
If you would like to register your interest please do so via this form.
Mentors
We are looking for experienced volunteer mentors who want to use their skills and experiences to help the small charities that keep our communities going. Becoming a mentor gives you the chance to advise and guide a small not for profit  through a challenging area of work. The rewards, not only for the small not for profit but for you, can be huge!
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If you would like to register your interest please do so via this form.
The mentoring programme operates a waiting list.
What happens next?
In completing a registration form you are helping us to understand your motivations, expectations and boundaries in seeking a mentor, as well as any practical needs you may have in establishing and sustaining this kind of relationship. We may need to follow up with you to clarify some details, but otherwise we will contact you once we have a potential match in mind that we’d like to discuss with you.
Please be aware that finding and brokering a great match can take time. We’re always on the lookout for new mentors to add to our pool, but there’s no guarantee we’ll be able to find the right mentor for you immediately. We are a small staff team whose focus is to broker the best possible matches, so you can form and manage a relationship that works for you and your mentor. 
Whilst we process your registration you may like to review the Further Information pages – it might answer some of your wider questions about mentoring and this programme.
Keep an eye on our Events and Training programme for updates on our regular Mentoring Q&A event and mentor matching events.
If you have any further questions please contact Amy Walton on mentoring@smallcharities.org.uk
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