Become a mentor

Mentoring with On Purpose

Mentoring is a critical part of the On Purpose Associate Programme. Mentors guide and challenge Associates to add value and create lasting impact through their work in a placement. This could involve helping them develop a new strategy for their department, collaborating on a new impact measurement framework, or guiding them through a consulting project or investment deal.

Mentors act as a sounding board and advisor as the Associates deliver great work in their placements whilst also exploring and defining what they want to learn and experience as they look at their future career.

Our Associates have been selected through a highly competitive process, and they are all talented generalists who have the potential to become leaders in the impact sector. Our hope is that they can go on to bring about systemic change and help to build a healthy economy that works for everyone. Mentoring is a great opportunity to be a part of their journey.

“I found my mentoring experiences extremely valuable. My mentor brought new ideas and suggestions based on her experience and was great to bounce ideas off or provide a sense check. She was also very encouraging and supportive and gave me confidence that the work I was doing was high quality and adding value to my placement.”
Victoria Edwards
April 2019 Fellow
“Being a mentor has been a fantastic mix of fun, reward, and extremely helpful to the day job. The fact that everyone involved is so lovely and fun is the icing on the cake.”
On Purpose
Mentor

Who we look for

Our mentors are professionals with 15 or more years’ experience, preferably across a wide range of organisations where they have interacted with top level management, who are passionate about helping to develop the next generation of purpose-led leaders. We are very grateful for the support of mentors who all offer their time pro bono. Over the course of the On Purpose year mentors work with two Associates placed in a particular host organisation with whom they meet fortnightly.

What's involved?

Mentoring involves:

Helping Associates prioritise and problem solve in a structured manner
Acting as a sounding board and providing some quality assurance for the Associate’s work
Drawing down on the mentor’s expertise to support the Associate’s Learning & Development
Being part of the On Purpose community, a community of individuals and organisations that put purpose before profit

We particularly welcome applications from female, disabled, LGBTQA+ and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people as these groups are currently under-represented within On Purpose mentors.

Our mentors enjoy the opportunity to apply their professional skill set to a different context. They gain insight into, and connections within, different sectors and industries, and are able to refine the skill of having developmental conversations.

This is a great opportunity to shape the development of a high-potential leader who could go on to deliver impactful, systemic change in the impact sector. We select Associates who are both motivated and talented, so they are highly engaged and interested mentees.

Becoming a mentor also enables you to become part of the On Purpose community - which will give you the chance to join us for events and learning sessions as well as connect with a like-minded network of people who want to contribute to transforming the economy so that it better serves people and planet.

We launch a new cohort of Associates every April and October and look to start conversations with new mentors a couple of months before each launch. You can register your interest at any time of the year, however be aware that it may be a short while before there is an opportunity to have conversations with the team and begin mentoring.