Search:   

• About FCPS
• Contact Us
• A-Z Index

• HOME
• PARENTS
• STUDENTS
• COMMUNITY
• EMPLOYEES
• SCHOOLS & CENTERS
• ACADEMICS & PROGRAMS
• SCHOOL BOARD
• ADMINISTRATION

MentorWorks

Businesses:

Company Benefits

• Improves relationships with surrounding community
• Improves public image
• Builds a cohesive, motivated workforce
• Increases employee performance and productivity
• Helps establish and enhance corporate or brand reputation in new or existing markets

Employee Benefits

• Improves leadership and interpersonal skills
• Reduces isolation and increases interaction with employees in other segments and levels of company
• Adds variety and fulfillment and increases sense of self worth
• Improves the community services employees and their families use

Community Benefits

• Provides new talent and energy by increasing number of volunteers and pool of available skills
• Increases understanding between businesses and nonprofit sector
• Supports the quality of life in the community
• Gives capacity to provide community services that otherwise might be impossible
• Source: The Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College, 1999

Studies Support Business Community Service

• 92 percent of corporate executives surveyed encouraged their employees to become involved in community service
• 77 percent of companies surveyed agreed that volunteer programs benefit corporate strategic goals
• Approximately 80 percent of volunteer programs improve employee retention and enhance training
• Approximately 90 percent of volunteer programs build teamwork skills, improve morale, and attract better employees
• 50 percent of respondents have made community service a part of their companies mission statement
• 72 percent of the companies surveyed report ongoing endorsement of volunteer programs by their CEO’s
• More than 50 percent of the participants acknowledged connections between corporate volunteer programs and profitability. Even a higher percentage register stronger agreement to factors that affect profitability (teamwork, morale, productivity).

  *Source: Corporate Volunteer Programs: Benefits to Business. Sponsored by the Conference Board and the Points of Light Foundation, Report No. 1029.

How You Can Get Your Business Involved

According to the National Mentoring Partnership, the following are ideas/strategies for your business/corporation to get involved in mentoring. This list isn’t comprehensive, but a good place to start!

• Know your options. Mentoring comes in many forms. There’s a program to suit everyone.
• Think big, but start out small. No matter what size your organization, you’ll want to start by setting realistic goals.
• Be realistic in what you hope to accomplish. Mentoring is an invaluable tool for helping young people find the best in themselves and live up to their potential, but it does not "fix" personal problems. This philosophy needs to be evident in all aspects of your own mentoring program.
• Use existing resources rather than trying to go it alone. Find out what mentoringopportunities and resources may already exist in your community. Contact Shelley Prince, FCPS Mentoring Specialist, at 571-423-1223 or Jay Garant, FCPS Coordinator of Business and Community Partnerships, at 571-423-1225.
• Think of ways you can implement your program with minimum disruption to your business. This might be as simple as deciding when volunteers are available to mentor. For instance, you might try a lunch-time mentoring program. Or, try an e-mentoring program – mentoring through the exchange of e-mails.
• Join an already established program rather than launching a brand-new initiative. This approach can streamline your efforts, save heavy start-up costs and allow your organization an easier entrance to mentoring. By choosing to partner with an existing mentoring program you’ll have the benefits of learning the ropes from experienced program administrators.
• Be creative in your approaches. For example, if your organization is primarily made up of professionals, consider job-shadowing programs. Bringing young people into an office environment can give them a better idea of the demands of the workplace.
• Follow your instincts. If you begin to feel overwhelmed, scale back. This is a much better solution than giving up before you get your program off the ground.

Source: The National Mentoring Partnership