Mentorship Program

Chair: Dawn Moeglin
Dan Blakemore, CFRE
David Walker
Sara Lundenberger

Contact Mentoring 

Applications are open year-round and we will connect you with a mentor/mentee within 30 days after reviewing your application.

Interested in becoming a Mentee? 

AFPNEO provides its members with many learning opportunities to help them and the nonprofits they serve. One such opportunity is our mentoring program.

The goal of the mentoring program is to pair seasoned professionals with people new to the field, those transitioning job responsibilities, or those searching for additional networking opportunities.

Mentors/mentees are asked to meet 6 times per year by phone, email, online, or in-person. Both the mentor and the mentee are encouraged to keep a simple log of meetings and general discussion topics as a guide for future program evaluation.

These relationships are meant to be career-specific and not used or construed in any way as a consulting relationship. Mentors are encouraged to recommend appropriate resources i.e. courses, workshops, educational opportunities, vendors, or consultants. The mentoring program is not a job placement service.

We recommend that mentors and mentees tell their employers about their participation in the program. Both must respect that the information they share about their organizations is confidential.

Mentors should have at least 5 years of experience in fund development.

Are you interested in becoming a Mentor or Mentee? Please click here to fill our an interest form. A member of our committee will contact you to coordinate a match.

Mentor requirements for participation:

• Membership in AFPNEO. Not a member? Join now!
• A minimum of five years of experience in various areas of fundraising.
• Adherence to the AFP Ethical Principals and Standards.
• A desire to share development knowledge and build mentoring skills.
• A commitment to working with your mentee for one year (at least six face-to-face meetings, phone calls or emails).

Interested? Complete the Online Interest Form and a member of our committee will contact you. 

 Our matching process:

1. Mentor/mentee pairs will be assigned by the committee based on the mentees’ needs and mentors’ experience. The pairs will be monitored by the committee and modifications will be made as needed.
2. Mentors and mentees must be current AFPNEO members, and Mentees must be in an active development role. (Membership scholarships are available through a competitive application process.)
3. Matches are announced in March and continue through December. 
4. Workplace locations are taken into consideration when matches are assigned so that every effort can be made for the pairs to meet face-to-face.
5. Mentors will be apprised of their potential mentees before the match is finalized and, unless they have concerns or objections, the match will be confirmed.
6. There will be a check-in by the mentorship chair at three months and six months to assess the match's progress and to address any concerns that may arise. Additional follow-up may occur to ensure the relationship is moving forward positively. If the match is not working, the mentorship chair will determine if a new match will be made.
7. A post-program survey will be sent out at the end of the calendar year.