"Her professional mentor and she meet one-on-one regularly to talk over a more structured quest for insight and knowledge."

Often materialized as a membership directory with a list of topics of expertise listed by each member's contact information, the skills bank alerts members to others with a demonstrated success record  in some area of volunteer program management.  DOVIA of King County (Washington State) includes a list of activities, such as recruiting and recognition, and special knowledge areas, such as risk management and working with youth, that members are asked to checked when joining or renewing.  This added information about each member is entered into the member database and printed and distributed to all members twice a year.  Those facing a challenge or simply wanting to learn more may then independently contact a fellow DOVIA member to ask questions.

2.  ADOPT A NEW MEMBER

DOVIA of King County also has tried to develop a program where members with special skills volunteer to have new members who request a mentor assigned to them.  The mentor contacts each new member to whom s/he is assigned and offers help.  They establish a mentor-mentee relationship and keep in touch.  The difficulty the group had was that while mentors initiated contact, none of the mentors reported any follow up from their mentees.  See the next model.

3.  MENTOR NETWORKS 

While not part of their DOVIA's program, Mary Lou McNatt of Denver DOVIA reports that a mentor network she is involved in is more effective.  Her professional mentor and she meet one-on-one regularly to talk over a more structured quest for insight and knowledge.  But they also meet regularly with other mentors and their charges in a social setting.  McNatt observes that the opportunity to see other mentor-mentee relationships reminds her that she and her mentor are in an official relationship and not simply a one-way confidante relationship.  It helps her feel more comfortable with their respective roles.

4.  KNOWLEDGE FOR THE ASKING

Mentorship can take a less interpersonal shape by the establishment of a collective library of the knowledge of network members.  A quitter accessible form can be a web site with short pieces on volunteer program management by successful members available not only to inform newer members but also invite follow up with the authors if desired.  A printed booklet distributed to all members accomplishes the sane effect but at greater expense and with less flexibility to add new material.

Please use the message boards to share other models for network mentor programs.