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- iMentor - iPower eMentoring Platform
iMentor - iPower eMentoring Platform
Voting Summary (Elevator Pitch):
An online social network designed exclusively for non-profits, iPower allows any organization to add mentoring to what they do or to enhance their mentoring programs. Now in use with over 1,500 participants, iPower is preparing for national roll-out.
Supporting organization:
iMentor
URL:
www.imentor.org
City:
New York
State/Region:
NY
Country:
US
Project Vision Statement & Potential Social Impact:
Vision 
Why is there a 15 million person mentoring gap in this country? The benefits of mentoring are well established, yet the vast majority of youth-development organizations do not have the tools or resources necessary to add a quality mentoring component to their programming. What if these organizations had access to an online social network built specifically for mentoring, providing participants and staff with the tools and expertise necessary to run a quality mentoring program, instantly?
Project Origin & Value Proposition
Founded in 1999, the iMentor program is changing the face of youth mentoring. iMentor proves that (1) even the busiest, most successful professionals have time to be quality mentors and that (2) formal mentoring programs can flourish in isolated, low-income, and underserved communities. iMentor has matched and supported more than 4,000 pairs in the last seven years.
In recent years, iMentor has received 2-4 calls per month from organizations (around the world) looking to add iMentor's innovative mentoring model to their programming. In 2004, in response to this demand, iMentor began the development of a new e-mentoring platform (iPower) which will allow any interested non-profit organization to:
(1) add mentoring to what they do
(2) enhance existing mentoring programs
(3) build alumni or peer-to-peer mentoring networks.
What is iPower?
The platform provides a range of features including online applications (for mentor and mentees), weighted matching (individualized strength of match scores), secure/safe messaging (email), scheduling/calendaring, individual profiles (online case histories), curriculum management, and a comprehensive series of reporting and evaluation tools. Currently being used by over 1,500 users, the platform has been built to scale and in the Fall of 2007 iMentor will launch iPower's national roll-out with the aim of creating more than 10,000 new mentor-mentee pairs in the next 3 years.
Sustainability (financial) model:
iPower is already built and has been proven effective in with over 1,500 users in iMentor's core mentoring program. iMentor is currently working with six McKinsey & Co. consultants, who are working pro bono to create the business plan and roll-out strategy for iPower's national launch (Fall 2007).
iPower will be an ASP offering for interested non-profits. Organizations choose from 11 iPower features and only pay for the features that they choose. Membership fees cover iPower's operating costs (server and maintenance). Pricing structure is not designed to be a profit-generator. Rather, iPower is priced to maximize the number of non-profits who will use this powerful tool in their programming.
All new development costs will be covered by iMentor. Other financial strategies include offering iPower through private and corporate foundations. These organizations have a wide network of youth-development grantees that can benefit from iPower and become rich portals for iPower's distribution (foundations will also have the option of supporting membership fees for grantees).
iPower Email Accounts
Potential obstacles:
Potential obsticles for iPower's national roll-out include:
- Competition from like-offerings (especially for-profit companies)
- Managing demand for the platform
These obsticles are beign addressed before roll-out as a part of iPower's business planning process.
Resource Needs:
Resources needed include:
- Financing for iPower's Phase 2 build (new features)
- Financing to subsidize membership fees for interested non-profits
- Showcase opportunities for non-profits and schools to learn about iPower
- Marketing & PR (print & web)
Interested in providing assistance? Contact Mike O'Brien (mike@imentor.org)
Key Milestones:
In 2004, iMentor decided to build the iPower platform, Designing it to scale for thousads of users enrolled at hundreds of non-prfofits across the nation and making the platform customizable to best meet each organization's needs.
iPower's evolution has included the investment of top-tier organizations working together to create a platform that has the potential to revolutionize mentoring.
- January 2005, iMentor begins to build iPower with NPower NY
- Summer 2006, iPower Phase 1 build completed
- Fall 2006, iPower launches with 1,500 users in iMentor's core mentoring program
- Winter 2006, the Robin Hood Foundation connects iMentor with McKinsey & Co. consultants, working pro bono to create iPower's business plan and national roll-out strategy
- Summer 2007, iPower's Phase 2 build begins
- Fall 2007, iPower launches national roll-out
Project Summary:
The benefits of mentoring are well established, yet the vast majority of youth-development organizations do not have the tools or resources necessary to add a quality mentoring component to their programming. What if these organizations had access to an online social network built specifically for mentoring, providing participants and staff with the tools and expertise necessary to run a quality mentoring program, instantly?
What is iPower?
iPower is an online social network developed by iMentor. Preparing for national launch in the Fall of 2007, iPower allows any youth development organization to:
(1) add mentoring to what they do
(2) enhance existing mentoring programs
(3) build alumni or peer-to-peer mentoring networks.
The platform provides a range of features including online applications (for mentor and mentees), weighted matching (individualized strength of match scores), secure/safe messaging (email), scheduling/calendaring, individual profiles (online case histories), curriculum management, and a comprehensive series of reporting and evaluation tools. Currently being used by over 1,500 users, the platform has been built to scale and in the Fall of 2007 iMentor will launch iPower's national roll-out with the aim of creating more than 10,000 new mentor-mentee pairs in the next 3 years.
What does it mean to exponentially expand mentoring on a national scale?
Imagine a world in which disadvantaged youth are connected to busy working professionals such as yourself to discuss their career, academic plans, and personal interests. Imagine a social network that capitalizes on the social networks already created by youth-development programs. This is the promise already proven effective in iMentor's core mentoring program and which will soon be available through iPower. iPower harnesses the flexibility and reach of Internet technologies to allow the busiest working professionals to become quality mentors, for thousands more youth to be connected to mentors and for non-profit staff to have the tools and expertise to assure these mentoring relationships have a lasting impact.
