The McCarthy Mentoring NFP Scholarship is designed to assist a talented executive from the NFP sector to strengthen leadership skills, manage tough organisational challenges and increase leadership capacity so that they can better deliver their important work in the community.
The CEO of Australia’s sexual, domestic and family violence service Full Stop Australia, Karen Bevan, credits this scholarship and her mentor as integral to her executive career success.
Karen Bevan, CEO of Full Stop Australia
“I didn’t grow up knowing people who did the kind of jobs I aspired to and didn’t have deep personal networks to draw on. I feel like this program helped a little in levelling the playing field for me – it made these types of roles seem possible for someone like me. I am grateful every day that I was able to draw on the support of a mentor to get me here!”
McCarthy Mentoring is inviting applications for its 2024 Not-for-Profit Executive Scholarship. Now in its twelfth year, the scholarship is a unique learning opportunity for a leader who is currently working in the not-for-profit sector, and who would like to strengthen their leadership skills and increase the impact of their important work in the community.
The chosen recipient will receive a placement on McCarthy Mentoring’s Executive Mentoring Program, valued at over $10,000. The successful participant will be given access to an experienced leader who will be appointed as their mentor and will offer insights, guidance, and advice. They will also receive a Hogan Leadership Assessment together with a coaching debrief to build a deeper understanding into their strengths, opportunities and behaviours alongside leadership resources to tools.
McCarthy Mentoring’s CEO and Chair of the Sydney Community Foundation, Sophie McCarthy said that it’s important to support leaders who have limited funding for formal professional development but who work tirelessly to make a significant impact in their sector and community.
There are usually several common challenges faced by NFP executives and emerging leaders. These include managing demanding workloads, building sustainable funding, improving strategic leadership skills, communicating effectively with boards, and having the liberty of a confidential discussion in which to examine problems and stresses that come with leading a successful not-for-profit organisation. This program has been proven to increase self-confidence, improve performance, increase resilience, make better decisions, and enhance leadership skills. Mentoring can also offer insights on board dynamics, governance, and leadership in a confidential, independent forum.
The mentor will be chosen from our suite of well-respected leaders from business, government and the not-for-profit sector that have reached the top of their fields and share our commitment to developing others.
“It’s been a privilege to work with such impressive past scholarship winners and see them thrive with the additional support and guidance of an independent experienced mentor.
“We encourage anyone that is keen to invest in themselves and their leadership to apply.”Case Study: inaugural scholarship winner leader in domestic violence prevention
McCarthy Mentoring’s inaugural scholarship award winner Karen Bevan, CEO of Full Stop Australia said:
“When I received the scholarship in 2013, I was at a critical point in my executive career and considering how to best manage my next move. Working with my wonderful mentor helped me crystallise my thinking and identify my goal, which was to take the next step into a CEO role in an area aligned with my values and purpose. This significant step needed a clear strategic pathway, and included rethinking my approach to presenting myself, and to building my resilience.
Being accountable to what I’d said out loud also inspired me take risks and step into a range of opportunities that I may have previously avoided. Just over a year later I was appointed to my first CEO role feeling prepared and informed.
I continue to draw on that experience in delivering my work and am more proactive and courageous in the service of my values and goals. I am grateful every day that I was able to draw on the support of a mentor to get me here!”
Additional information and the application process is outlined here.
