twestival local - Tweet.Meet.Give. - March 24, 2011

 You may already know that iMentor operates high-impact, technology-based mentoring programs that connect underserved youth with professionals, but did you know that iMentor is also a great place to work?  Here are a few reasons why iMentor’s staff loves being a part of this dynamic organization:

• We embrace the potential of technology to create social change – our mentoring model is built on it!
• We’re fun! We have a staff committee dedicated solely to fun. Over the past year Team Fun has hosted Kickball Games, a Halloween Showdown, a Talent Show, Office Olympics and more. We work hard and play hard.
  
  
  
  
  
• We’ve been recognized as one of the 50 Best Nonprofits to Work For by the Nonprofit Times, and were recently selected for inclusion in the first ever Social Innovation Fund.
• Our staff is smart, creative and diverse, coming from a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives and we believe that our diversity makes us stronger.
  
  
   
• Professional Development is a priority here – we want our staff to achieve their career goals, whatever those might be!  In addition to each staff member having a flexible professional development budget, we bring in guest speakers, host workshops, and hold teach-back sessions for staff to share articles, videos and other content that gets them excited about the work that we do.
• We have plenty of chances to network. We know that collaboration, sharing and networking are critical to expanding our reach and social impact. We frequently collaborate with other nonprofits, whether it’s for a brown bag lunch with Donors Choose founder Charles Best, or a kickball game against Harlem RBI, or through our iMentor Interactive program, which empowers organizations around the country to operate their own high-impact technology-based mentoring programs.  Our programs get us out into the community, and 96% of staff value experiences that iMentor provides for interacting with New York City communities.
• Our work is inspiring! Every day we hear inspirational stories from our mentors and mentees about the positive impact our program is having, and it keeps us focused on why we’re here.

Are you interested in joining our team, or do you know someone who might be?  We are growing rapidly and adding new positions across the organization.  Check out the jobs we’re hiring for right now, and follow us on Twitter to hear about new opportunities as they are announced!

 So, you’re looking to give back but you’re not sure where to start. Should you paint a school? Serve a meal at a soup kitchen? Whatever you do, you want to make sure that you have a lasting impact; you want to change someone’s life! But what does that look like?

When you look back and think about the people who changed your life, it’s probably a teacher, a coach or maybe even a boss at your first job. How do you share the knowledge they have imparted to you? How do you pay it forward?  Why not become a mentor!   

If you are ready to start changing lives then follow the steps below!

Step 1: Fill out an Online Application

iMentor uses its own online platform known as iMentor Interactive, or iMi, to match mentors and mentees based on shared personal, academic and career interests. We’ll use the information that you provide to find the best student match for you – kind of like a certain “matching” website you may know!

Step 2: Attend a Training Session

 The iMentor training session is a two-hour workshop that empowers volunteers with the tools and resources to be great mentors. During this session mentors will learn about and discuss: who our mentees are, the iMentor Program Model, staff support, and most importantly the impact you’ll have on your mentee.

Step 3: Complete the Screening Process

 Once you have completed training, iMentor begins the screening process. This process takes approximately 2-4 weeks but don’t worry, our friendly Volunteer Coordinators will work hard to move you through the process as quickly as possible!  

Step 4: Getting Matched!

Once you have completed screening you will be in our pool of mentors to be matched! When we find you a match, your iMentor Program Coordinator will send you an email to tell you about your awesome mentee and the school they attend.  Your mentee will then send you the first email, thus signaling the start of a life-changing experience for you both.

Step 5: Be a Great Mentor

iMentor has tons of resources to help you support your mentee with their academic, career, or personal goals. One stop to the iMentor office and you’ll be setup to work on writing your mentee’s first resume together or to play a friendly game of chess. Your Program Coordinator will be there to guide you along the way.

What are you waiting for??  Get Mentoring!

Planning a Teched-Out Twestival by @bethebutterfly

Twestival is not only an opportunity for the Social Media community to raise money for a nonprofit; it is an opportunity to organize a cutting edge event using technology that will create a memorable experience for the attendees.

A lot of planning goes into creating an event like NYC Twestival this year. Two exciting startups, Hashable and Watchitoo are working with us to use their platforms to make this event not to be missed.

Some basic things when considering a venue for Twestival are:

• Good cell service and/or wifi. A venue underground or in a dead zone where smart phones don’t work makes it difficult for people to be communicating real-time at the event. This is easily overlooked but key.
• Screens. A big screen and a projector, televisions, or a place to put a big screen and projector. Having a large screen with a projected Tweetwall of some sort is really a must at any Social Media event.
  
  At Twestival Local NYC 2011, Hashable will be running our stream. This is an evolution to Twestival, which has traditionally been about Twitter.
  
  Hashable is an app that allows users to track connections, send virtual business cards, receive pings when their friends are connecting, and so much more! Hashable rocked #SXSW and we are thrilled to have them on board as our headline sponsor.
  
  Having a Hashable stream will allow people to use Twitter or Hashable to connect on any hashtag – including #JustMet #SigningUp (to be a Mentor with @iMentorTweets), #drinking, #Twestival, etc. The result will be a more robust stream for people to view what is happening at the event. We are excited to see how it changes the dynamic of people meeting and connecting.
   
• Broadband. In order to live stream our event, we had certain broadband Internet requirements. We actually switched venues at the last minute to be able to accommodate this and the venue had Time Warner come in to run special cables for our set-up.
  
  We are very lucky to have Watchitoo as our Live Stream show host this year. They will be filming the event, interviewing guests, sponsors, the CEO of iMentor and Mentors that currently participate in the iMentor program. This amazing platform allows them to create a live show on the internet that anyone can tune into. One of Watchitoo’s unique capabilities is to be able to pull content from anywhere on the web, files or photos, to be able to incorporate into the show real-time.

Can’t be at Twestival NYC? Be sure to look out for the link for our Watchitoo show!

All these special features will make it a memorable experience for attendees, allow folks not at the event to tune-in, and will give iMentor and our sponsors maximum exposure.

We can’t wait! Hope to see you there!

We are only a couple days away from NYC Twestival and are super excited for this year's event! However, in order to pull this off, we could use a couple more helping hands! If you are interested in volunteering and donating some of your time on Thursday night, please fill out the NYC Twestival volunteer form below. 

The NYC Twestival will be held on Thursday, March 24th from 7pm to 11pm at Studio Twenty One, a new lounge in the heart of Chelsea. It will be a cash-bar event with drink specials, featuring live DJ's and various auctions and raffles. 100% of all ticket sales and donations will support  iMentor, a great local nonprofit and the premiere mentoring program right here in NYC. 

Don't forget to grab your tickets! Tickets are $40 online and $50 at the door. Tickets can be purchased here. No worries if you can't volunteer or attend, you can still help by donating to iMentor here. 

Looking forward to Thursday night!