Plinkit Mentoring Program

Usher/Administrator - Bev Obert (until July 2010)

Project Coordinator Mentor – Henry Stokes (until July 2010)

Technical Group Mentors – Troy Brown and Darci Hanning (until July 2010)

Expectations for Usher/Administrator
•    Have orientation phone call(s) with new members when they are ready.  Phone call covers
      o    Training opportunities
      o    Different roles of Plinkit members, committees and collaborative coordinator
      o    Who to contact with varying types of questions
      o    Tour of Plinkit.org
      o    Mentor to contact for any issues/questions they may have in the future etc.
•    Share expectations re participation
      o    Attend meetings
      o    Contribute to group
      o    Volunteer for projects
      o    Share materials/tips
      o    Give input as requested
      o    Blog contributions etc.
•    Be in charge of the mentorship program and the go-to person for issues that come up
•    One-year tour of duty

Expectations for Mentors
•    More intensive time commitment with new members (perhaps one hour/week the first month, then half hour per week)
•    Be available/responsive to mentees’ questions and issues
•    Delineate when mentee should email listserv vs. when they should contact mentor directly
•    Help make sense of past events and decisions
•    Build positive, friendly professional relationships through one-on-one contact
•    Build mentees confidence and knowledge base
•    Help newcomers adjust
•    Shorten the learning curve for successful Plinkit implementation/participation
•    Pass on hard-won knowledge
•    The role of the mentor is not training. Participating organizations and the collaborative address this separately
•    One-year tour of duty

Expectations for Mentees
•    Be respectful of the time and effort of the usher and mentors
•    Do not use mentorship program as a substitute for training
•    Be familiar with all training materials and check them first for answers to your questions
•    One year as mentee then pay it forward and become a mentor or usher


What’s in it for participants?
•    Orientation to collaborative/discover things you forgot about
•    Shorten learning curve and make Plinkit successful for new members
•    Increased satisfaction with the collaborative
•    Enhanced self-esteem, revitalized interest in work (stimulate mentor's thinking in a new way), close relationships, new learning for both as mentees and mentors, leave a legacy
•    Gaining knowledge of the work of others and the opportunity to see initiatives succeed and then incorporate them into their own organization’s Plinkit program
•    Help retain Plinkit participants, both individuals and organizations


A mentor is a more experienced person who becomes a source of guidance and wisdom, and who demonstrates care and concern so that the recipient can feel more confident about the steps to be taken. The mentor, or role model, is a source of encouragement to raise aspirations and the conduit to new networks.
"Commentary: Mentoring matters." Long Island Business News (June 16, 2009): NA. General Reference Center Gold. Gale. Retrieved 23 June 2009

[A mentor is] someone who's already made the mistakes and knows the best practices for running a successful … operation.
Mead, Mal. "A Base of Knowledge. (mentoring management skills)." Law Technology News (June 2009): General Reference Center Gold. Gale. Retrieved 23 June 2009