APRA Mentoring Program

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Interested in joining the Mentor program as a Mentor or Mentee?
Use of the Mentorship Program is available to APRA Canada members. Please sign in to the members site first to apply for the mentorship program.

APRA Mentoring Benefits:

• The cornerstone of Professional Development
• Links new and experienced researchers
• Designed to help you meet the challenges you face as a development researcher or research director
• Find ideas for setting up and managing many aspects of the research office

APRA Mentoring Objectives:

The goal of the APRA-Canada Mentoring Program is to help members get answers to their questions about research and fund raising by providing a positive relationship with a colleague who will serve as a one-on-one mentor and provide professional guidance.

To do this APRA-Canada will match professionals with a development researcher at a comparable institution.

The mentor is to provide the mentee with advice and information. The advice will be limited to career advice and/or specific prospect research advice to be used to enhance the Research program of the charitable organization with which the partner is associated. The relationship is meant to be career specific and is not to be used or construed in any way as a consulting relationship. We recommend that both partners advise their employer if they intend to participate in this Program.

The time involvement is dependent on the participants, however those already involved in the program average between 30-60 minutes/month. Contact can be made via the form that is most convenient for both parties (e-mail, phone or face-to-face). Mentors are encouraged to introduce themselves by telephone to make the mentees feel comfortable at the initial stages of the relationship.

As APRA-Canada is a countrywide chapter matches will be made based on the individual's area of research and the amount of time they indicate they would like to be in contact with their partner and not geographical proximity. If however, you prefer to be matched with an individual within your geographical location please indicate this on your application.

The partnership is a one-year commitment including a three-month trial period, during which participants can ask to be matched with a different partner if there is a conflict.

Throughout the relationship, the APRA-Canada Director of Mentorship will contact participants for feedback on the program. This will help APRA-Canada in the development of the mentoring program.

APRA Mentor:

• Must be a member of the APRA-Canada chapter
• Must be currently employed in prospect research or related activities with at least one year direct experience
• Must be willing to learn as well as share, to provide consultation in technical skills, problem solving, planning, implementation and evaluation
• Must be willing to make the mentee feel comfortable in asking questions and check in with the mentee throughout the relationship.
• Must be committed to maintaining the professionalism of the field of development research
• Must be willing to make a one year commitment to this program

APRA Mentee:

• Must be a member of APRA-Canada chapter
• Must be currently employed in prospect research or related activities
• Must be proactive in the relationship.
• Must be committed to maintaining the professionalism of the field of development research
• Must be willing to make a one year commitment to this program

Questions?

If you have any questions about this program, please contact Erin Bartok, APRA Canada's Mentorship Director,  for more information.