Screening
This summary has been developed by Alberta Mentoring Partnership.
Screening volunteers is an important part of each and every mentoring program’s risk management strategy. Proper screening will help ensure you have the best people for your program. You should be screening for safety, skills and commitment.
Key points on the topic:
- Ensure your screening practices are appropriate for the population you are serving. Volunteers working with vulnerable groups, like children, are often required to engage in more rigorous screening practices. These may include police record checks and searches for past incidents with children.
- Ensure your screening practices are consistent. All program participants should go through the same process to join the program.
- Ensure your screening process includes a written application form, a formal interview and reference checks.
- Review applications looking for desirable skills and attributes depending on the needs of the program.
- Select participants who can keep their mentoring time commitments. This is an important part of developing a strong mentoring relationship.
Recruitment
This summary has been developed by Alberta Mentoring Partnership.
Effective recruitment of mentors is essential for running a strong mentoring program. It is important to have both adequate numbers of mentors as well as diverse participants so the needs of mentees are met.
Key points on the topic:
- Carefully plan your recruitment activities. A coordinated approach will be far more successful than a haphazard one.
- Keep in mind that recruitment can be a labour intensive activity that often requires a significant amount of time and staffing resources.
- Engage in targeted recruitment that looks for specific attributes of mentors. Can they provide consistency, will they connect, are they youth centred, can they provide support, and will they fulfill the time commitment. This will ensure your mentoring program engages the right mentors.
- Utilize a variety of tactics. This may include a formal marketing campaign or a casual conversation. Be creative.
- Try to understand the variety of reasons why people volunteer as mentors. A better understanding of motives will help you design more effective recruitment strategies.
- Have a mentor job description available. This will help potential volunteers better understand the role of a mentor.
- Ensure your mentoring program is credible and has a good reputation. A professional, well-run organization will be more likely to attract the type of volunteers you are looking for.
Learn More: Elements & Toolkits
- Download the Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring™, Third Edition (From: MENTOR – mentoring.org)
- Download the Checklist for Mentoring Programs (From: MENTOR – mentoring.org)
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