The International Republican Institute (IRI) defines a mentorship as a relationship in which a person or organization provides intentional, ongoing support to other people or organizations with fewer or different experiences, to build their capacity, motivation and professional opportunities. The purpose of this guide is to help mentors and mentees better understand their roles and responsibilities in the mentorship process, as well as to provide tips and tools to set mentorships up for success. This guide is applicable to both individual mentorships and mentorships between organizations.
This guide was developed by a number of teams at IRI, providing a global view of best practices and lessons learned from mentorships within the civil society sector. Specifically, the guide was developed by the following teams.