LitNYS + Girls Write Now Present
Mentor On Call
Connecting New York Literary Arts Leaders to Jumpstart Capacity-Building Solutions in Real Time
Mentor on Call is powered by Girls Write Now, and a service of the LitNYS Mentoring Program.
Experienced Support
Share or access knowledge and resources in a wide range of capacity-building areas necessary for organizations to survive and thrive.
Direct Connections
Intentionally and meaningfully increase your impact through efficient contact with your talented literary peers.
Self-Scheduled
Carve out the time you can spare. Reach out when you need the help. No long-term time commitment and no advance notice needed.
Mentor on Call at a Glance
LitNYS Mentor on Call enables light-touch, high-impact, self-directed knowledge-sharing to leverage our collective resources and strengthen the vital ecosystem of literature.
- Who: From seasoned leaders looking to give back to emerging professionals seeking guidance, any member of the LitNYS network can be a Mentor on Call and/or receive support from one. You determine the areas in which you have knowledge to give or gain.
- What: Provides capacity building support in areas ranging from fundraising, finance, and marketing to systems, governance, strategic planning, and beyond.
- Where: Virtual, on Google Meets
- When: Accessed at a moment’s notice based on your needs and time
- Why: Most networks struggle to facilitate meaningful connections between members. LitNYS members identified this as a challenge—and we heard you!
- How: The Mentor on Call program and platform is created and powered by Girls Write Now.
Mentor on Call is a pilot program, during which we will be incorporating your feedback for improvements, evolutions, and expansion. Thank you in advance for your patience.
Capacity Building Areas
Capacity Building Areas
In the LitNYS Mentor on Call program, LitNYS members give and/or get support within the following capacity building areas:
- Assessment & Evaluation
- Collaborations & Partnerships
- Governance & Board Development
- Finance
- Fundraising
- Human Resources & Staffing
- Marketing & Communications
- Strategic Planning
- Systems & Information Technology
Mentor on Call in 3 Easy Steps
Give Mentorship
- 1. APPLY: Complete a short form to include your self-identified capacity-building area(s) of expertise, along with your bio and photo.
- 2. SCHEDULE: Once your form is processed, you will be directed to enter your availability into a scheduling platform in 60-90 minute increments.
- 3. MEET: When relevant help is requested, you’ll receive a calendar invitation to confirm your mentoring session. Meet on Google Meets, then fill out a short follow-up survey.
Get Mentorship
- 1. APPLY: Complete a short form to identify areas in which you need capacity-building support.
- 2. SCHEDULE: Once your form is processed, you will be directed to a platform to schedule a 60-90 minute session with an available mentor who has the experience to meet your needs.
- 3. MEET: Receive calendar invitation to confirm your session. Meet on Google Meets, then fill out a short follow-up survey.
NEXT STEPS? After one session, you are returned to the pool to give or get mentoring again round-robin style, meaning you may not be matched with the same person. If it is mutually decided to have a second session or more with the same person, please indicate that in your follow-up survey, and we will help arrange this either on our system or working around it.
Meet our Mentors on Call: Roster in Formation
FAQ
-
Am I eligible to be a Mentor on Call? Or to seek a Mentor on Call?
Anyone within the LitNYS network is eligible! Whether you are a seasoned leader looking to give back or an emerging professional seeking guidance, this platform is designed for all members of our collective ecosystem. You can even sign up to be both a mentor and a mentee.
-
Can I give or get support in more than one capacity-building area?
Absolutely. You can identify multiple areas of expertise you’d like to share or where you need support—ranging from fundraising and finance to marketing and strategic planning.
-
Can I select the person to mentor? Or can I select the person who mentors me?
The system matches participants based on specific capacity-building needs and availability. While you don’t browse a directory to hand-pick a partner, you can review your mentor’s professional bio and background once a session is scheduled so you can prepare for your meeting.
-
How long do Mentor on Call sessions last?
Sessions are designed to be light-touch and efficient. They typically last one hour, though you have the flexibility to schedule up to 90 minutes if the topic requires a deeper dive.
-
What happens if more support is needed after the first session?
If you find that one session isn’t enough, you can return to the pool to request another session. To ensure the network’s collective talent is shared broadly, matches are made round-robin style. However, if both parties wish to continue a specific engagement, you can indicate that in your follow-up survey for us to review.
-
Will I be paid as a Mentor on Call? Or does it cost money to access the Mentor on Call services?
No. This is a volunteer-based, peer-to-peer initiative. Mentors generously volunteer their time to strengthen the field, and there is no cost for LitNYS members to receive support.
-
Who do I contact if I have questions or need technical support?
For any issues with the application form or the scheduling platform, please reach out to the Girls Write Now team at litnys@girlswritenow.org.
-
For how long will the Mentor on Call service be available?
The initial pilot phase will run through the end of July 2026. At that point, Girls Write Now and LitNYS will assess the program’s impact and feedback to determine how to best evolve and extend the service for the future.
-
When can I get started?
We are currently in the recruitment phase. We estimate that it will take about a month to onboard our initial roster of mentors. Once we reach a threshold of matching expertise and needs, we will contact you to schedule your first session!
Mentor on Call Setup
Attention Mentors on Call! Your Instructions for Setup
Input your schedule, book appointments—and meet!
Attention Mentors on Call! Your Instructions for Setup
Input your schedule, book appointments—and meet!
Your setup to be a Mentor on Call is simple!
- Log In After you apply, we'll be in touch with an e-mail sharing next steps and a link to your FluentBooking, our scheduling service. Login with the information you used to apply to get started.
- Set Your Availability In the Dashboard, click into the "Availability" tab. Click "Add New," set the Schedule Title as "Your Name + MOC", and select your correct timezone. Then click "Add New Schedule."
- Customize Your Hours Update your weekly hours to match your availability. Click the check mark next to a day and adjust the hours to set your availability. You can add multiple windows to one day. These will be the dates and times your LitNYS peers can book a session with you.
- Add Overrides If you are planning vacation, have dates out of office, or are out sick, you can adjust your availability accordingly by selecting "Add a date override." Then, enter the dates you will be unavailable and select "Mark to Unavailable" and Apply.
- Review Bookings Under the "Bookings" tab, you can review all of your bookings. Anytime a LitNYS peer is booked to meet with you, the meeting will appear here. You will also get an e-mail that will let you know the time, topic, and who you'll be meeting with. Please note: all meetings take place over Google Meets.
- Meet! Once your booking is scheduled, you can synch it to your personal or work calendar. When the time comes, click the link and meet!
- Complete the Post-Session Survey Don't forget! After each session, you and LitNYS peer should each complete the Post Session Survey. These surveys will help us support you in your next steps and provide valuable feedback.
