The efficiency and success of any sport and recreation club or association, as with most businesses, is largely reliant on the skills/attributes each Board/Committee member possesses. Sustaining such success can often be influenced by the ability to retain such experienced members, and also by recruiting and educating new members to the Board/Committee. This transition to higher levels of responsibility can be assisted via mentoring, and often the benefits to both the mentor and mentee are tangible.

The Australian Womensport & Recreation Association (AWRA) wants to encourage the active participation of women in the administration of sport and recreation organisations. Committees and Boards need members/directors who, as well as being appropriately knowledgeable, can bring some balance in gender representation and gender considerations to the board table.

This Web Learning Module will provide an outline of what mentoring is and who will benefit from mentoring. It will also cover key steps that are relevant to developing, implementing and monitoring a successful mentoring program in a local or regional Not for Profit (NFP) sport or recreation club or association.

The key components to developing, implementing and monitoring a mentoring program include:

• Mentor and mentee recruitment, matching and outlining of goals and expectations
• Independent mentor and mentee training in early stages of program
• Monitoring the program in terms of mentee development and good mentee-mentor relationship
• Ongoing and final evaluation of the program’s success and relationship dissolution

• Using This Product:

Everyone has their own unique needs, circumstances and preferences. Accordingly, the Web Learning Module has been designed to be flexible so that it can be used in various ways. Consider the following suggestions and use the one that best fits your particular needs:

• For immediate access to useful workplace-relevant tools such as templates and exemplars, go straight to them via the Useful Tools menu items found on the left;
• If you need information only about main topics, use the contents menu found above left; or
• If you need to learn as much as you can about this topic, read through the product from start to finish.

To navigate through this product simply click on the relevant content items which appear in red in numbered order under the Main Topics item found in the upper left corner.

In addition, make sure that you check the definitions provided in the glossary. We will use standard terminology to avoid confusion and you need to be clear about the meanings of particular terms to get the most out of this Web Learning Module.

If you require more information regarding Board preparedness, check out these related Web Learning Modules:

• Introduction to Good Governance: Sport and Recreation;
• Committee Readiness for Sporting Organisations;
• Risk Assessment; and
• Effective Board Meeting Procedure.

Visit www.australianwomensport.com.au for details.