Mentoring Matters
"It’s 5:30 on a rainy Friday night when my cell phone pings. It’s a member of my “CMO Hotline,” a group of rock star female chief marketing officers. I learn that one of our members has taken on a new role and needs advice on organizational charts. Over the next two days, every person in the group sends examples of both their current and their ideal org charts.
This group of powerful women leaders advocate for marketing in higher education and for each other in our roles as senior leaders. Within this group, there is no competition to see who can raise the most money, recruit the most students, or have the biggest operation. Instead, our community focuses on helping each of us, as professionals, advance and improve.
In our group, we believe that mentors are best when we learn from the best. That ethos changed how I think about helping peers and serving as a mentor to them. In one moment, I may learn something from a mentee, and in the next, they may learn from me. The more we see each other as members of a community and not competitors, the better mentors and learners we can be."
—Carrie Phillips, CMO, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, U.S.
"Logging onto Zoom, I’m greeted with a sea of familiar faces as well as a couple of new ones. We call ourselves the “Advancement Pracademics Squad,” or just “Pracademics” for short.
"We’re “practical academics” who are or have recently pursued doctorates in higher education or related fields while working in advancement. We all value working directly in the field while adding to the body of research about it.
Our trusted peer-to-peer mentoring group asks questions, offers feedback and advice, and provides support to all members. We recognize each other in professional spaces and try to be present for each other’s speaking engagements and celebrations. But we’re also committed to sharing our insight and guidance outside of the group. Being a “Pracademic” helps me create positive change and promote professionalism in advancement by gaining a larger, more diverse perspective."
—Christina M. Smith, Senior Director of Development, Principal Gifts, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, U.S.
We share these anecdotes as an introduction to our belief in the power of mentorship. We are as grateful to the mentors who have shared their stories and advice with us, as we are humbled by our colleagues who have invited us to mentor them.
Through mentoring, advancement professionals can help strengthen the profession by providing a safe sounding board for advice and questions, sharing best practices, and advocating for personal growth and development. It is an important tool available to all of us that can help ensure the growth and abilities of the next generation and the continued and future success of our profession.
Effective mentorship requires intentional effort by both the mentor and the mentee. But there are few resources that teach people how to play those roles.
This article is one step toward filling that void. Read on as several advancement professionals, including the two of us, share their best advice about building successful and impactful mentoring relationships.
Tips for Being a Great Mentor
Treat your mentee as an equal.
“At the 2023 CASE Summit for Leaders in Advancement, I scheduled a mentorship conversation with Terry Flannery, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at CASE. She is a highly respected and accomplished higher education marketing professional. I had prepared questions in advance for the conversation, which she graciously answered. But she also asked my opinion on marketing best practices and what I thought about various trends.
She was interested in learning from me. By engaging with me as an equal, she demonstrated that, even though I wasn’t as experienced, my thoughts were still important. That extension of grace will forever change how I consider mentor/mentee relationships in the future.”
—Carrie Phillips
Establish roles and responsibilities.
“I sought Dr. Kayla Hale’s mentorship for her extensive leadership and advancement experience. We started our mentoring relationship with defined roles: Dr. Hale as the mentor, offering seasoned advice and guidance, and I as the mentee, eager to absorb and grow.
Dr. Hale challenged me, encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone, and helped me explore professional development opportunities. She also made a list of colleagues for me to meet with at my first CASE conference (which I did and am ever grateful for the deep friendships that resulted, including with my co-author, Carrie Phillips). My role as mentee was to actively learn and apply the insights shared, and to offer my fresh perspectives, too. These roles have created a dynamic and mutually beneficial relationship that remains one of my most valued and trusted professional relationships.”
—Christina M. Smith
Treat mentoring as a two-way street.
“In a successful mentoring relationship, the key is a shared commitment to openness and honest communication. Each party should value the other’s perspectives, fostering an environment where the mentee feels comfortable seeking guidance, and the mentor feels appreciated for their wisdom.
Mentoring also provides a unique opportunity for mentors to gain fresh perspectives, especially from younger mentees who are versed in modern technologies and cultural trends. This exchange benefits the mentee and reinvigorates the mentor’s passion, challenging them to reconsider traditional methods.”
—Kayla Hale, President, University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, U.S.
Advise peers outside of advancement.
“Over my 27-year advancement career, I’ve witnessed fundraising become a critical component of deans’ success. As such, my interactions with deans from diverse disciplines have evolved into mentoring relationships.
I help deans see the value and importance of fundraising to achieving their academic goals, and I encourage them to develop their own relationships with donors. We have regular meetings to discuss donor stewardship, strategies to help increase the likelihood of gifts, and the value of personal visits. As time goes on, the deans gain confidence in their own relationship-building skills and in my ability to present them with winning philanthropic opportunities.
My approach to mentoring deans requires listening and positive reinforcement. I’ve become better at explaining concepts, building support, and recognizing the value of celebrating the ‘wins’ as a team.”
—Jeffrey T. Spoeri, Associate Vice President for University Advancement, Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas, U.S.
Tips for Being a Great Mentee
Drive the conversation.
“It is important for mentees to recognize that, for mentors, time comes at a premium. Mentees should express gratitude to mentors for sharing that time, and they should demonstrate that gratitude by scheduling a reliable cadence of meetings and ensuring those meetings are concise.
I find that conversations between mentors and mentees are most valuable when the mentee is organized, prepares questions in advance for meetings, drafts the agenda for meetings, schedules the conversation, completes any follow-up items the mentor has recommended in preceding meetings, and notes any barriers they faced in completing those items. When a mentor feels comfortable with the time commitment and productivity of the relationship, the partnership can move forward successfully and purposefully toward goals that can be co-created by both parties.”
—Christina M. Smith
Be receptive to feedback.
“Sometimes feedback may feel personal or difficult for mentees. That’s why it’s important to be mentally ready for all feedback. Before a meeting with a mentor, I always set an intention to be open to constructive feedback. It can be difficult to hear how I might improve my work style, adjust an approach to a situation, or broaden my perspective, but that feedback is an invaluable resource for my personal and professional development. Preparing my mindset to receive my mentors’ insights not as criticisms but as opportunities for growth and self-awareness was a transformative shift for me.”
—Corinne Endres, Associate Director of Regional Alumni Programs, Rochester Institute of Technology, New York, U.S.
Define expectations.
“It’s important to make sure the mentoring relationship offers value and benefits to both sides. You shouldn’t fret as a mentee if you are the one gaining more in the relationship, especially in the early stages. However, it’s always good to define your expectations about the scope and context of the relationship. That could include focusing on career, mental, social, academic, spiritual, and physical well-being. Setting these expectations helps the mentee avoid feeling like a burden during the parts of the relationship when there are no mutual gains.
I find it inspiring and genuine when a mentor sees our relationship evolving into a long-term partnership and we accord each other mutual respect based on the potential we can create together.”
—Stephen Gyan, CASE Advancement Intern and graduate student, Elon University, North Carolina, U.S.
Grow your network through your mentor.
“As a mentee, you are benefiting from the generosity of your mentor. If you’re investing in building a professional relationship with your mentor, one of the added benefits can be access to your mentor’s network.
By speaking with your mentor about other areas you want to grow and things you want to learn, you allow them to think about connections they have that may be valuable to you to continue your learning. One of the best pieces of advice I can give as a mentee is to avoid being timid. Ask your mentor what other people you should know, and ask for their help in connecting. Networking can open doors to opportunities and provide valuable insights into your chosen field.”
—Lori Corvino, Senior Director of Principal Gifts and Campaign Strategy, Ball State University Foundation, Muncie, Indiana, U.S.
Embracing Mentorship in All Forms
These tips illustrate that the foundation of impactful mentoring relationships lies in each party’s willingness to engage, learn, and grow together. Whether you’re seeking mentorship in professional circles like CASE, within your workplace, or in broader academic or personal networks, these relationships can be as diverse and dynamic as the individuals involved. They can range from enduring, in-depth guidance to more concise, goal-oriented interactions.
A mentoring relationship is intentional and takes nurturing. When both mentor and mentee are committed to the growth and potential of the relationship, impressive learning and outcomes can happen.
We encourage you to find and embrace mentoring in all its forms, for it is not just the conduit of knowledge and experience, but also the gateway to mutual respect, understanding, and enduring professional—and sometimes personal—relationships.
About the author(s)
Carrie Phillips, Ed.D, is the Chief Communications & Marketing Officer at UA Little Rock.
She is part creative, part analyst, but fully curious to solve higher education challenges. She began her career as an assistant director and moved to leading a team of creatives, to managing both a marketing and communications team at a university in the state’s capital city.
Her leadership philosophy focuses on creating brand and departmental culture, and her teams have won both national and global awards as a result.
She earned her doctorate from Texas Tech, studying how universities are using marketing to mitigate the enrollment cliff. After finishing her doctorate, she is now carrying on about higher education and leadership on her website andcarrieon.com.
She has presented nationally at multiple conferences including HighEdWeb, AMA, CASE and more. She also serves as Chair-elect of CASE District IV.
Christina M. Smith, Ed.D. is Senior Director of Development, Principal Gifts at the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin. She has also served in development roles at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, U.S.
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Article appears in:
May-June 2024 Issue of Currents
FINDING THE RIGHT WORDS: Best practices for responding in high-stakes situations. Also, how to diversify your donor pipeline, why mentoring matters, and harnessing the narrative with the seven basic plots of storytelling.