Call for mentors

For Equal Rights NGO in cooperation with Prague Civil Society Centre is announcing a call for mentors. The pool of mentors yearly provides mentorship and consultancy services to 20 grassroots organisations and civic initiatives in Armenia in the following capacity building areas:

  • Strategic planning and impact assessment,
  • Advocacy and campaigning,
  • Strategic communication,
  • Community organising and base building,
  • Product management (including monetization),
  • Business planning and management,
  • Marketing and sales,

For details on the project, remuneration, timeline and more please follow the link:

Interested candidates should submit their CV’s and a cover letter to [email protected] and [email protected] by March 31, 2023. In the cover letter the applicants should indicate their preferred capacity building area(s) and should also provide contacts for two references (preferably one from an organisation that received a training/consultancy from the applicant and one from a current or former employer). Please put Mentorship Program Application in the email subject line.

For Equal Rights NGO will inform the candidates who are selected to join the pool of mentors by April 7.

For details⬇️

The mentorship scheme is implemented in the frames of Prague Civil Society Center’s Grassroots funding program in Armenia. The Program consists of two phases. In phase 1, up to 20 organizations that seek funding from PCSC work with mentors to further develop their project idea and submit the full proposal. In phase 2, the organizations that receive funding (10 out of 20 applicants) can request project-based mentorship.

Phase 1 – Project development consultancy

  • The applicants can seek consultancy on specific topics (from specific mentors) by submitting their request on the online platform facilitated by For Equal Rights NGO.
  • After the request is approved, the mentor and the applicant define the mentorship objectives and the format.
  • Mentors’ support should be focused on refining and developing the project idea or certain components of it. Mentorship should not focus on proposal writing.
  • Each applicant will have 6 hours for mentorship, which it can distribute between more than one mentor. However, each mentor’s workload in phase 1 will not exceed 30 hours.
  • The format of mentorship should be decided by the mentor and the applicant. They can work online or offline and can use a variety of methods, including workshops, coaching, on-site consultations, thematic study materials, etc.

Phase 2 – Project-based mentorship

  • The grantees can apply to specific mentors and request mentorship during project implementation.
  • If the mentorship is long term (more than one month), the mentor and the mentee co-develop a mentorship plan, which should identify the specific capacity building needs of the organisation and present tools and activities to be used by the mentor throughout the mentorship.
  • The mentorship plan is confirmed as part of the organization’s grant.

Code of conduct

These principles were adopted by the first members of the mentors’ pool and will be periodically reviewed.

The mentor:

  • Proactively communicates with the mentee,
  • Shows flexibility regarding the format of mentorship,
  • Is guided by the mentee’s needs,
  • Shares information, resources, connections,
  • Doesn’t do the mentee’s job.

Timeline

Below is the tentative timeline of the mentorship programme. By joining, the mentors commit to be available throughout the duration of the program.

Month Activity
31 March Deadline for applications for mentors
7 April Candidates selected to join the pool of mentors
7 April 20 applicant organizations shortlisted and invited to join the mentorship scheme
Between April 10 – 19 Convening of mentors and mentees
April – May Working with applicants to develop full proposals and identifying capacity building needs
25 May Deadline for the submission of full project proposals
June Review and final selection of applicants
June/July Launch of funded projects
June/July Co-development of mentorship plans with mentee organisations
June 2023 – May 2024 (up to 12 months)  Project implementation and mentoring
May – June 2024 Evaluation

 

Reporting

  • For the phase 1 consultancy, the mentors will be asked to keep an online consultancy log, which will be updated regularly. The consultancy log will provide information on key capacity building activities undertaken by the mentor with the applicant.
  • In phase 2, the mentors will be asked to submit regular progress reports on capacity building activities implemented as part of the mentorship plans.
  • At the end of the program, the mentors should complete an evaluation survey to assess the impact of the program.
  • The mentors will also be expected to attend regular meetings of pool members convened by the For Equal Rights NGO to keep track of the progress and to discuss emerging needs and challenges.

Remuneration

  • The remuneration for phase 1 will be calculated at the end of the program in accordance with an hourly rate of 30 EUR per hour.
  • As for the second stage of the mentorship, the terms will be agreed between the mentor and the grantee organization and fixed in the mentorship plan. The mentorship plan should have a budget, which should be incorporated in the grant budget.