A BEACON MEMBER BENEFIT - SEPTEMBER 2026

Grow Further. Give Back. Move Together.

Beacon's Collaborative Mentoring Program connects members who have experience worth sharing with Members who have goals worth pursuing, at every stage of a career.

Open to current Beacon members * Included with Beacon membership * Structured one-on-one mentoring * Launching this fall

WHY MENTORING OFTEN FALLS SHORT

Good Intentions Aren't Enough

Many mentoring relationships begin with real enthusiasm but lose momentum over time. The match isn't quite aligned. The goals were never clearly defined. Roles and expectations stay fuzzy. Meetings get skipped, then forgotten. No one is accountable for follow-through, and the relationship quietly becomes one-directional, one person giving, one person receiving, neither quite sure what success would even look like.

Beacon is doing it differently.

The Beacon Collaborative Mentoring Program is built to remove these failure points from the start. Every participant completes a profile. Every pair is thoughtfully matched. Every relationship begins with a workshop, a shared understanding of the model, and a written agreement that defines goals, meeting rhythm, and what progress looks like. Beacon's Mentoring Advocate and Mentoring Team stay involved throughout, through periodic check-ins, course correction when needed, and support for both participants, not just one.

THE BEACON DIFFERENCE

Mentoring That Works in Both Directions

Traditional mentoring often places one person in the role of expert and the other in the role of recipient. Beacon's model starts from a different premise: both professionals bring goals, both contribute value, and both leave with growth.

Traditional Mentoring

  • One expert, one recipient

  • Advice flows primarily one way

  • Goals are often informal or undefined

  • Meetings happen if there's time

  • Success is difficult to measure

Beacon Collaborative Mentoring

  • Two professionals, two sets of goals

  • Shared responsibility and mutual learning

  • Defined expectations from day one

  • Structured accountability through a written agreement

  • Growth tracked for both participants

"Both bring goals. Both contribute value. Both leave with growth."

FIND YOUR PATH

Is This Program Right for You?

The program is open to all current Beacon members.

You don't have to be a C-Suite Executive or early in a career to benefit as a mentee. What matters is having a meaningful goal, something to contribute, and a willingness to commit to the process.

FOR MENTORS

What Mentors Gain

Mentoring isn't simply an act of service, it's a two-way development opportunity

  • Sharpen leadership and coaching skills through real practice

  • Strengthen listening ability and the discipline of asking better questions

  • Gain fresh perspective from someone navigating difficult challenges

  • Better understand professionals from different generations or career stages

  • Reflect on your own experience and the lessons that shaped it

  • Expand your professional relationships with Beacon

  • Contribute meaningfully to another's progress

  • Build a relationship that may continue beyond the formal program

FOR MENTEES

What Mentees Gain

The mentee is an active contributor to this relationship, not a passive recipient of advice.

  • Work toward a clearly defined professional goal

  • Receive relevant experience and candid, constructive feedback

  • Gain real structure and accountability

  • Avoid preventable mistakes and make better-informed decisions

  • Strengthen confidence and leadership judgement

  • Develop a trusted professional relationship

  • Gain perspective from someone who has navigated similar challenges

  • Leave with measurable progress rather than general advice

You set the goal. You help drive the agenda. You do the work. Beacon provides the structure,the match, and the support.

THE PROCESS

A Six-Step Path, Start to Finish

Complete Your Profile

Share your professional background, experience, goals, challenges, and areas of interest, along with what you can contribute and what you hope to gain.

Attend Workshop #1: Beacon and Mentoring

This workshop introduces the program structure, types of mentoring, expectations for both roles, goal setting basics, and the relationship skills that support an effective mentoring partnership.

Participate in the Matching Process

Matches are developed from participant profiles, shared goals, experience, and compatibility, supported by an in-person mixer and guidance from the mentoring advocate and mentoring team.

Establish the Collaborative Mentoring Agreement

Each pair jointly defines goals, meeting frequency and format, communication expectations, confidentiality, responsibilities, and what success will look like in writing. [Mentoring Agreement]

Begin the Mentoring Engagement

Participants start meeting and working toward the goals they define together. The pair controls the specific schedule and format going forward.

Review, Adjust, and Reflect

Periodic monitoring sessions and mentoring advocate support continue throughout, closing with a final reflection meeting. Rematching may be available if a match isn't working well.

AT A GLANCE

Program Snapshot

Format

One-on-one, member-to-member

Model

Reciprocal and mutually beneficial

Eligibility

Current Beacon members

Cost

Included with Beacon membership

Workshops

Four 90-minute sessions

Workshop Formats

Online

Matching

Profile-based, supported by an in-person mixer and Mentoring Team

Meeting Frequency

Defined by each mentor-mentee

Support

Periodic monitoring sessions and Mentoring Advocate guidance

Program Launch

September

Mentoring Work Begins

October

Duration

4- to 6-month structured engagement

The time commitment is manageable, The expectation to show up is real.

THE FOUNDATION

Why Beacon Is Built for This

Beacon already brings together professionals with significant experience, diverse career backgrounds, a willingness to help, and a genuine commitment to lifelong learning. It's a community built on generosity, trusted peer relationships, and cross-generational insight... spanning leadership, business, advisory, technical, non-profit, and professional expertise.

"Beacon members deserve more than networking. They deserve relationships that move the needle."

QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

Your Experience Can Help Someone Grow. Their Perspective Can Help You Grow, Too.

Whether you want to mentor, be mentored, or explore both possibilities, the first step is the same: tell us about your background, your goals, and the kind of professional relationship that would be meaningful to you.

Jane Frankel * Beacon Mentoring Advocate * [email protected]

Not yet a Beacon member? Explore Beacon membership and discover a professional community built around meaningful connection.