Advocacy School Mentors and Coaches
The focus of Advocacy School is to help individuals and organizations learn and develop their capacity to be effective advocates in their own right.
And because “learning by doing” is a key feature of our approach to advocacy training, Advocacy School also works to match up interested individuals and employer organizations with mentors and coaches who bring long-experience and helpful advice and support to students and participating organizations.
The emphasis among Advocacy School’s Mentors / Coaches is to advise and guide clients and to help them learn, develop and practice effective advocacy. It is NOT to undertake the advocacy work itself on behalf of the client. Our primary goal is to help people and organizations do it themselves and do it well.
Two Types of Mentor / Coach
Advocacy School has two types of Mentor / Coach – those who provide their services for no fee (Pro Bono Mentors / Coaches) and those whose services are available on an hourly-fee or project-fee basis (Consulting Mentors / Coaches. )
- The Pro Bono Mentors / Coaches are generally retired senior public office holders (both elected and non-elected), NGO / business executives or retired / semi-retired advocacy practitioners. To protect their privacy and enable them to consider potential mentees discretely, their identities and biographies are not posted on Advocacy School’s website.
Qualified organizations (registered charities, community non-profits etc.) interested in a gaining the advice and support of a Pro Bono Mentor / Coach are required to fill out an application form available on the Advocacy School website (www.advocacyschool.org/mentors/applicants ). This information is reviewed by Advocacy School and Pro Bono Mentors/ Coaches and matches between Mentors / Coaches and clients are established where possible
(Though the Pro Bono Mentors / Coaches charge no fees to users for their services, there is a one-time, Advocacy School set-up fee ($500 - including HST) charged to organizations which are matched with a Mentor / Coach. There is no charge for merely submitting an application.)
- Consulting Mentors / Coaches are experienced practitioners of one dimension or another of advocacy. Many are veteran practitioners; some are former public officials; some are Advocacy School instructors. Their services are available on a hourly or per project basis through Advocacy School. Consulting Mentors / Coaches fees vary according to a number of variables – the nature of the applicant organizations (charity versus non-profit versus commercial or professional organization etc.); the length and intensity of the assignment; other details of the service relationship.
Any individuals or organizations (registered charities, community non-profits, commercial and professional associations, public / private or non-profit sector etc.) interested in a gaining the advice and support of a Consulting Mentor / Coach are required to fill out an application form available on the Advocacy School website (www.advocacyschool.org/mentors/applicants ). This information is reviewed by Advocacy School and Pro Bono Mentors/ Coaches and matches between Mentors / Coaches and clients are established where possible
Advocacy School provides orientation, training, client-selection assistance and support to both Pro Bono and Consulting Mentors / Coaches as well as oversight and administrative management of the Mentoring / Coaching program. It also assists potential clients / students with advice and guidance in their needs determination of mentoring or consulting services
Advocacy School is always interested in hearing from perspective Mentors and Coaches. If you are interested in being considered for a position as an Advocacy School Mentor or Coach, please fill out the application form found on this page (www.advocacyschool.org/mentors/mentorcoach ).
Following are sketches of some – but not all - of Advocacy School’s Consulting Mentors / Coaches