Supporting leaders - Mentoring

At the current time, when charity leaders are facing demands and challenges like never before, mentoring can provide the supportive space they need to discuss their problems, explore options and feel like they are not alone at the top.

We started 126 new mentoring assignments with Chief Executives, emerging leaders and Board Chairs who benefitted from one to one guidance and learning from volunteer mentors in the year. Mentoring continues to be in high demand and accounted for 24% of our intensive support (consultancy and mentoring combined). We arrange regular reflective sessions for our volunteer mentors to share their reflections confidentially, and to learn from one another. This year the number of reflective sessions increased to 20 (from 14 in the previous year), supporting our volunteer mentors to continuously improve their mentoring practice. We are proud to report that 100% of charity leaders would recommend our mentoring to others, and 100% also reported excellent, very good or good learning from their mentor/mentee partnership, an increase from 97% last year.

“Cranfield Trust’s Mentoring Programme has provided me with the time and space to have important conversations with someone who knows and understands the not-for-profit sector. I would highly recommend this to any other charity leaders and would like to thank Cranfield Trust for this brilliant opportunity.”

Children and young people’s charity, South East