Although the mentoring match is still at an early stage, Alex has already experienced the benefits of having a mentor on board. He commented: "I really thought that there was going to be a problem getting a match for ITSON, due to its diverse nature. However our match is perfect – she is talented and has vast experience. What makes it really work well is that she is enthusiastic and we instantly grew a relationship of trust.”

 

“We’re so glad we got involved with the Realise Mentoring programme. In our experience, there are a lot of organisations out there that offer support to social enterprise. However sometimes it’s difficult to get the information you really need from them. Realise Mentoring has worked wonderfully for us. It has enabled us to get the strategic knowledge from our partner organisations as it develops.”

 

 

Maggie's Centres are built alongside cancer hospitals and work hand-in-hand with the NHS to complement medical treatment. Their unique centres create calm and uplifting spaces where anyone affected by any type of cancer can go for help. Through professionally trained staff the centres offer people with cancer, their families and friends the tools they need to live as well as possible.

 

Claire Benjamin, Events Manager, Maggie’s Centre – Glasgow has been matched with Stuart Ross, as she was looking for someone that could support them in the strategic development of the Events Team and their portfolio of fundraising events.

 

Claire applied to the programme, as she wanted help to develop her skills through learning from someone out with the organisation, and to date has found the mentoring to be incredibly helpful and interesting. The aspect of mentoring support that she has found most valuable so far is “the ease with which we can chat through all different topics and issues even though we come from different sector backgrounds.” Her mentor is Stuart Ross, previous Managing Director of Belhaven. He has enjoyed providing mentoring support to Claire and has appreciated “having a sense of being able to help people who are appreciative of it.”

 

Claire’s advice to anyone else considering engaging with the Realise Mentoring Programme is: “It is definitely worth considering. Think through the areas you would like to work on and what you wish to achieve from these sessions and you will find them really rewarding”.

 

 

Somebody Cares was established in 2003 after it was identified that there was a gap in the market for young people aged 16 and over, in the support that was available to them in the city of Aberdeen. The organisation now provides support to anyone in the City of Aberdeen that needs help and this includes the distribution of food, clothing and furnishing, over 90% of the people that access the service are referred to the organisation.

 

Somebody Cares has grown into an organisation that now has over 86 volunteers and last year recycled over 100 tonnes of food and very large volumes of furniture. Last year the organisation assisted 3,000 families and individuals, furnished 1,500 homes.

 

A key part of their expansion programme is to open a large retail outlet and this was an area that none of the existing management had any first hand experience of, but is a critical element that they want in place as fast as possible.  

"How we were going to get there in the time frame we were projecting was looking very challenging until we came into contact with the Realise Mentoring Programme. Through working with them, in a very short period of time, we now have a vastly experienced mentor whose background is perfect for what we require."

 

 

Shaun explained that engaging with a mentor on the Realise Mentoring programme, proved to be the support that he was needing at a time when they are looking at the issues of culture shift and developing their efforts for sustainability to become more enterprising.

 

Although in the early stages of the match, Shaun stated that his mentor Carlo has been “most useful in providing an external business perspective and chipping in ideas and insights. As a blind-date goes, the first meeting was a success, so thanks to the Realise scheme for that.”

 

It seems to be a win-win scenario as Carlo Beuger, Shaun's mentor claims “In my role as a mentor I find it very rewarding to be able to provide advice, experience, and a network of contacts, without the burden of money, fee payments, etc. The reward comes from the learning process that works both ways.”

 

 

Circles Around Dundee came into being in May 2000 with the aim of creating ‘circles of support’ around individuals with the label learning disabilities and/or autism. It became a registered charity in 2001 and is the only voluntary organisation in Dundee setting up ‘circles of support’ and directly addressing people’s social isolation and need for friendships.

 

More recently, Circles Around Dundee developed a children’s project, called Dreamtime with funding from Children in Need, Changing Children’s Services Fund and Lloyds TSB, which sets up ‘circles of friends’ with children and young people with learning disabilities and/or autism in Dundee. This project works mainly with young people in mainstream schools.

 

According to George Farqhuar, Chairman of Circles Around Dundee – who required external assistance to help them address some managerial issues and also to help us with our vision for the immediate future. “Realise Mentoring appeared to be the answer, we have gone through the preparatory stages, been matched with a mentor and now look forward to working together to examine and develop our issues. The process has been relatively pain free and the staff have been very helpful.”

 

George is currently matched with Mary Nasmyth of Nasmyth Associates.

 

 

Lifecare was formed to support the independence of older people, helping them to live as normally and independently as possible within their given circumstances. Lifecare operates day centre based care services and services in the community, which deliver care and offer companionship to older people who are frail and those who suffer from dementia.

 

In addition, the organisation runs activity programmes using Stockbridge House in Edinburgh to include older people who are in good health. The proposed community café will act as a catalyst in revitalising and re-establishing intergenerational activities to bring older people and younger people with families together for a mutually beneficial, social or educational experience.

 

Lifecare’s aim is to have the whole building paying its way and generating a small surplus that could be fed back into core care provision. The organisation is currently not fully funded and the trend has been towards a reduction in funding. This was the main reason that Su Miller, Chief Executive of Lifecare applied to the programme. “By becoming involved in the mentoring programme, I wanted to be sure that we were exploring all avenues to ensure that the organisation is doing all that it can to ride out the financial crisis – and ensure they weren’t missing anything“.

 

Lifecare have been matched with Frank Morrice who is very satisfied with the match to date, explaining that “the help that Lifecare are looking for fits well with my own experience with similar organisations from my banking days. I am looking to pass on some of the many years of experience that I have built up in managing and encouraging people to “look outside the box” and believe in the abilities that they have.”

 

He agrees with Su in his belief that “Lifecare is looking to use this programme to allow an outside party to open up some avenues they may not have considered before. I also think that Sue herself is looking for support that she is focusing on the correct issues to take Lifecare forward and to use the premises in the best income stream way without losing what it is there to do.”

 

 

 

The Bongo Club contacted the Realise Mentoring team, as it was felt that the organisation needed assistance in improving their financial management systems and operating more efficiently in order to improve their profitability.

 

They had also highlighted that it would be beneficial if they were matched with a mentor who had license trade experience, which is where their mentor, Mario Alonzi, proved to be an ideal match.

 

Mario’s background of 20 years experience in Business, and owner of two Edinburgh based restaurants and take aways, as well as experience as a Business Adviser for 8 years, meant that he felt confident in providing the Bongo Club with the requirements they requested in a mentor.

 

He explains that the attraction of becoming part of the Realise Mentoring Programme, “was basically being able to give something back, to lend a hand and be a shoulder to cry on sometimes, even better when the clients receive this service for free.”

 

Although the match with the Bongo Club is in its early stages, Mario believes it will be a very interesting project. “It touches on previous experiences and will involve some external/ nocturnal activities to really see the project in full swing, and raise my own awareness of other sectors of business.”

 

Health in Mind promotes the health and well-being of people experiencing mental health difficulties by providing a range of services and working in partnership with others. They currently work primarily within Edinburgh and the Lothians, but offer some services Scotland wide.

 

The organisation delivers services to 1,000 people with their training, information activity and specific health promotion work in South Edinburgh and further afield.

 

Dawn contacted Realise Mentoring as Health in Mind were looking for the expertise in moving towards developing a social enterprise, and over halfway through the programme has found it to be a very focused experience.

 

“I went into this with a sense of what I might get out of it - learning for me and the mental health organisation I work for around the social enterprise model. What I have got out of it is this, and much much more - it has been a very real experience where I have learnt new skills and tools which directly benefit my organisation on a day to day basis as we develop our services and look towards the future in service delivery.”

 

Dawn is matched with Sandra Macaskill, Director of CaskieCo who has a background in both business and community-based activities having worked at a local, national and international level over the last 30 years.

 

By becoming a mentor for the Realise Mentoring programme, Sandra has “been able to share my skills, knowledge and expertise to the benefit of another individual and organisation and support Dawn in developing one aspect of their service into a social enterprise, which is a new venture for the organisation.”

 

 

As a mentor on the Realise mentoring scheme, my experience of this scheme has been a positive one. Based on my experience, potential mentors who are considering donating their time to becoming a mentor, will gain in a variety of ways. The scheme is managed in such a way as to attempt to match mentors with mentees, in my case, the service delivered by the charity to which I am aligned is closely matched to my own areas of expertise. Mentoring if done well should allow the mentee to think more freely about the challenges they face, consider options based on the mentors experience and importantly the partially formed thoughts of the mentee. Being a mentor provides me with a sense of achievement and satisfaction while assisting my mentee in clarifying her thoughts, options and actions.

 

The time commitment is very little for a great sense of contribution and the feeling of having made a difference, no matter how small it may seem to the mentor. It is a great way to practice and maintain your coaching skills in a relaxed environment.

 

 

The Broomhouse Centre provides personal, social and community development opportunities for disadvantaged groups of people in and around Broomhouse, Edinburgh.

 

The Centre was in the process of developing a new social enterprise, Crescent Kitchen and wanted mentoring support to help the team develop a greater understanding of the financial aspects of the business – pricing and costings – and to develop financial projections and targets to achieve their goals.

 

David said: “Our Mentor has had a big impact on the way we operate. With his help we now have clear targets to reach and now know where the business is at and where we need to be.”

 

David expressed his thoughts on his matched mentor: “Excellent! Our mentor has been very supportive in what we are trying to do and his expert advice has been invaluable. I think the most valuable thing has been getting the expert opinion of someone who is not too closely involved in the organisation already. The mentor can come in and look at the organisation with a fresh approach and offer something new and different.”

 

David’s advice to other third sector organisations that are considering applying for a Mentor is ”Do It! You will get valuable advice from someone who knows what they are talking about and who is willing to listen and help you move your organisation in the right direction.”