iMentor partners with other non-profits to run our college success mentoring model in their local communities. Our partners have access to our proprietary platform, our curriculum, and our best practices that support students as they transition from high school to college.
One such partnership is with Big Brothers Big Sisters. Through our partnership, 13 BBBS agencies serving 16 different cities run mentor 2.0, which is a localized version of the iMentor program that is managed and executed by BBBS staff.
Hanh Tran, our Managing Director of Partner Programs, sat down with a few of our partners to discuss how their communities have benefited from our partnership, and how the mentor 2.0 program has grown for each of them. Kara Finger, Vice President of Programs from BBBS East Tennessee; Cara Amato and Amanda Frisco, both mentor 2.0 Program Coordinators from BBBS Independence Region; Michael McElroy, Manager of School Based Programs from BBBS Independence Region; Marie Logan, the CEO from BBBS of Southern Arizona; David Simpson, the COO from BBBS of Southern Arizona; and Denise Burruel, a Program Manager from BBBS of Southern Arizona, all virtually got together to chat. If you missed Part 1 or Part 2 of this conversation, we encourage you to read those first!
Hanh: How has your program grown since you first launched?
Michael McElroy: We are still a very new program, just beginning our second year of the partnership. Our first cohort successfully kicked off last year with 39 matches. This year we are well on our way to adding an additional 50 9th grade matches to the program! We’re starting to become a regular institution at our partner school, and are continuing to adjust our internal processes to shore up our approach to mentor 2.0 volunteer recruitment and fundraising.
David Simpson: We have seen nearly 18% growth since the start of mentor 2.0!
Kara Finger: This is our third year with mentor 2.0, and it has grown in every way: We are serving more kids, we are reaching more people in our community by increasing awareness, our corporate partners and number of volunteers have grown, and our team has grown as well. We have increased our knowledge of the program and the youth we are serving.
Hanh: This is all so great to hear! Let’s close with this: what excites you the most about your partnership with iMentor?
Cara Amato: For me, it’s getting to learn from iMentor’s support and guidance. I appreciate how they create a community around their program managers to foster collaboration and problem solving.
Marie Logan: iMentor’s commitment to excellence, program support, and knowledgeable staff is what gets us most excited about our partnership! Their overall support and dedication has played a huge part in our success to help our high school students.
Kara Finger: The possibilities are endless! With continued support and the constant ideas and improvements, we can continue to grow this program and succeed in our community. We love that mentor 2.0 prioritizes and supports the students. The focus of this program is where it should be. Also, iMentor helps its partners. They’ve recently held trainings on fundraising and development, explaining outcomes, and more. We look forward to learning from iMentor and to iMentor learning from us!
If you’re interested in bringing the mentor 2.0 program to your community, submit a partner program application today! You can contact us at [email protected], learn more about our partnerships or apply to be a partner here.
