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Before matching you with your group or school, we will have prepared an initial Action Plan which identifies the most pressing issues and some proposed solutions, and which has received some initial buy-in. Please use the plan as the foundation from which to add or refine ideas on your way to the final Action Plan that will define your work with the organization. Getting startedStep 1: Introduce yourself by phone, and discuss the intended project enough to get a sense of where you´ll start. Arrange a first visit to include meeting the appropriate staff and administrators. Suggested agenda
Step 2: Get established onsite.Get a feel for the culture; how things get done and decisions get made. It might take a few visits, but make sure to meet everyone who´s working on, affected by, or making decisions in your project to develop an overview of your project and the npo. Finally, ask for a small place of your own (which might be a drawer or a time-shared cubicle) where you can work and store your project materials. Step 3: Develop detailed Action Plan.We have found that mutually agreeing to a plan of action is the most crucial step of successful mentoring. Most mentors find that they are expected to work rather independently once they have been oriented. It´s important to make sure at the outset that all agree on the expected outcomes, approaches and resources before you get into the tasks. Don´t hesitate to involve us when you think we can help at this stage. Before leaving your first meeting, set the next one to discuss and sign-off on a more detailed written Action Plan (which you will draft). Build from the initial project plan. Step 4: Write the Action Plan.When making the plan, avoid being too ambitious. Many mentors, after an initial look, start to suggest other helpful projects. It´s best to focus first on completing the project at hand before taking on more. Also, to make sure there´s flexibility, agree now on how changes will be discussed and recorded. MENTORING PROJECT ACTION PLANGOALS
PROCESS
RESOURCES
RELATIONSHIPS
Step 5: Evaluate the Action PlanWho´s going to do it? Staff time is scarce. Before setting up a new computer procedure, it´s vital to establish who is going to maintain it and if there is enough staff time available to support it. Example: A mentor was training a nonprofit administrator in a word-processing application. The mentor learned that the organization´s finances were not computerized. He was familiar with bookkeeping software that he was sure would make their life easier. The administrator was all for it, but the bookkeeper refused. And rightly so, for in this organization, the bookkeeper was also the receptionist/intake person and the office manager, and she had no computer experience. Without a change in workload, she knew she would not be able to learn the computer and software. There was only one computer, in the administrator´s office, away from the bookkeeper´s work station. Besides, the manual bookkeeping method was not causing any problems. In short: While computers can expedite many tasks, automation only makes sense when staffing and the situation are right. So please don´st get carried away. Talk with the staff, and let them know about how much time it will take to use or support the computer operation that you are setting up or teaching. What kinds of new activity will be required (data entry, monthly reports, adding workstations)? An organization new to computers will need to advance one step at a time. Who´s Going To Maintain It? Beyond basic applications work, computer systems require backups, debugging, upgrades, cleaning, and similar maintenance operations. These are all too easily overlooked even in many businesses. Write down procedures and suggestions for avoiding future breakdowns. Emphasize the "ounce of prevention" that might save many dollars and hours of painful cure. Suggest that X hours per month of system maintenance be part of someone´s job description. Sustainability.Nonprofits tend to be plagued with high staff turnover. Many times we have seen technical information depart from an organization when the mentored staff member leaves. That's a waste. How can we help ensure that the benefits of your mentoring stay in the organization? A few suggestions: Remember to Teach the Basic Skills. As an experienced computer user, you may not think about some of your basic skills, such as: reading a manual effectively; reading the screen before panicking (new users often don't follow prompts, or find them confusing); thinking in the logic of an application program. Don't assume the people you're working with know what you are talking about. Terms familiar to you - such as hard disk, field, system folder, scroll bar - are new to someone else. Often it helps to explain the basic structure of a computer system and common terms like CPU, memory, and output devices. If the group is at all open to "the big picture," try to teach general computer concepts. Explain your thinking and your actions, so that the nonprofit staff learns this style of thinking and problem-solving. Have the Learner at the Keyboard. It may slow down the session, but it vastly speeds the learning. As the saying goes: "A good teacher has no hands." Tutoring is most effective when new information is presented in small chunks, then repeated and practiced. Several short sessions are probably better than one long session. One of our main goals at CompuMentor is to help make nonprofits and schools more independent and self-reliant in their use of computers and technology. So please don´t just do it for them - try to involve the staff in the process. Explain what you did, why you did it, and whenever possible, have a staff member at the keyboard. Train More Than One Staff Member. If possible, have two staff people present when you are training. At the very least, urge the mentored person to mentor others in the organization. Make a note of who is on the ´mentoring tree´ and offer encouragement to all of your students - direct and indirect - when you're on-site. Refer Them to Other Resources. Highlight the sections of the manual that cover the relevant procedures. If it seems appropriate, suggest other texts that can serve as computer resources within the organization. Is the software registered? Does the publisher offer technical support by phone? The more these resources are used, the more self-reliant the group is! When people come to you with tech problems, they may say things like "the printer won't print" or "I'm getting error messages every time I start up PageMaker". Show them how to write down error messages word for word, and post these simple instructions on the side of the computer. Most importantly, don´t try to tackle everything asked of you. Know when to say no. Give us a call before you dive into new territory. We may be able to offer tips, or put you in touch with someone who can help. Document, Document, Document!
Assemble a tool kit.Put together some tools you might need for the anticipated tasks. If you´ll be dealing with hardware, your kit should probably include screw drivers, a chip puller, needle-nose pliers, nut wrenches, tape and other basics. You may also find some software utilities come in handy (assuming of course that you are comfortable using them!). A few suggestions:
Don't worry about having all of these tools; sometimes they do exist at the site, but as often as not you may find they´re locked up in someone else´s office! Know Your Level Of Commitment and Exit Gracefully. Resource-starved schools and nonprofits can ask a lot of a volunteer, so it´s part of your job to be clear about what you can and cannot do. Define the project using milestones that match your available time and skills and that also meet their requirements. Try not to develop projects that promise help beyond your capacity or the group´s support resources. Example: "You need a database developed. This will take at least 80 hours. I can work with you for six hours in the next two weeks to define the problem and suggest programming solutions. Then we will evaluate whether you should look for a programmer or whether I can continue to assist you, and on what timetable." If for some reason you cannot continue or complete the project as agreed, or it grows beyond your available resources, make sure arrangements are made for a graceful exit. Documentation and a smooth hand-off are essential. Please call us, we can help with the transition. More commonly, the Action Plan is completed, on time, with the intended results. Then take the time for mutual recognition of work well done and of new friends, before everyone hurries on to the next project! Protect the NPO and help it protect itself through foresight and integrity. Please try not to do anything irreversible without thinking through the consequences and checking with someone knowledgeable and responsible in the school/organization. For example, it´s probably not best practice to reformat a hard disk or reconfigure a system without backing up, or to replace a paper process with a computer program without a fall-back for manual operations and paper records - for the next audit when (not IF) the hard disk crashes. Always consider how to preserve the security and privacy of information to which you and others may have access in the current or new system. Help the school/organization think through and develop back-up and protection systems on all levels - from AC power and secure media back-up to passwords and paper records and transaction audit trails. Trust and responsibilityThe schools and nonprofits we work with expect you to function as a professional in your assignment. They expect you to:
They do not expect you to:
Example of documentation for a new procedure: DAILY BACKUP PROCEDURE FOR ACCOUNTING COMPUTER
PROCEDURE:How:
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