WLMP Benefits

Mentees Have the Opportunity To:

Receive career guidance from experienced nonprofit leaders.
Develop key skills to advance to the next level in their careers.
Expand their networks by connecting with women leading and transforming the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors in Chicago and beyond.
Gain access to exclusive workshops and networking events.

Mentors Have the Opportunity To:

“Pay it forward” by sharing expertise with emerging and mid-career leaders.
Enrich their perspectives on the nonprofit sector by learning new skills and exchanging ideas with mentees and fellow mentors.
Build lasting relationships and expand their network by connecting with a diverse group of WLMP participants.

Eligibility

WLMP strives to engage a racially and ethnically diverse group of participants from a variety of fields with different types of job responsibilities, professional experiences, and career goals.

WLMP: EMERGING LEADERS

Mentees: Young women in the early stages of their nonprofit careers (five years or fewer of work experience) who have specific needs in areas such as goal-setting and career planning, skill-building, networking, or navigating an employment or educational transition. Both CWIP members and non-members who meet these criteria are welcome to apply.

Mentors: CWIP members who have at least eight years of experience and/or senior management experience in the nonprofit sector and a desire to support emerging women leaders in the nonprofit sector.

WLMP: mid-career leaders

Mentees: CWIP members who are at or reaching the mid-career stage of their professional development with over seven years of experience. Issues that could be addressed with a mentor include developing high-level communications skills; finance for the non-finance executive; board development and management; managing “up, down, and sideways;” and maintaining work/life balance.

Mentors: CWIP members with senior management experience and a desire to nurture the next generation of
executive-level women in the nonprofit sector.

Expectations

Both mentees and mentors are expected to commit to two to four hours per month to the WLMP for one program year (October-August).

This commitment includes:

Setting jointly agreed-upon mentorship goals with your partner
Participating in an Orientation and Goal-Setting session
Monthly meetings with your mentoring partner (virtually or in-person)
Participating in two professional development sessions
Participating in two peer-to-peer sessions
Participating in the evaluation process, including the completion of online surveys and periodic phone check-ins with committee members

WLMP Co-Chairs  

Bridget Hickey
WLMP Co-Chair

Michelle Patterson
WLMP Co-Chair

Shruti Saxena
WLMP Co-Chair