NAIOP’S CHAPTER MENTORING PROGRAM
NAIOP, The Commercial Real Estate Development Association, has 51 chapters with 19,000 members. Their chapters are independent but operate under an affiliation agreement with NAIOP.
We’ve discussed NAIOP’s chapter mentoring program before on this blog. The mentoring program originated at their Toronto chapter—NAIOP’s second largest chapter with more than 1,500 members plus several staff.
NAIOP was intrigued by Toronto’s software that matched mentors with mentees. They knew from a survey of NAIOP’s young (35 and under) members that mentoring and career advice was their number one need. NAIOP decided to refashion the Toronto program in a way that would work for a 100-member chapter as well as a 1500-member chapter, and let chapters use it at no cost. They drew up a licensing agreement with Toronto and hired software engineers to tweak the software for a better overall chapter fit.
CHAPTER MENTORING PROGRAM
In this case, NAIOP is the program driver because they:
- Paid for the software ($13-15,000 annually).
- Provided a survey template that minimizes the work for chapters.
- Developed a Do’s and Don’ts document for mentors and mentees.
- Distributed a program survey to identify what did and didn’t work.
CHAPTER ROLLOUT
NAIOP opted for a soft rollout with 14 chapters. They offered program training suitable for busy volunteer leaders:
- Webinars for chapter leaders who wanted to participate live as well as recordings for those who didn’t.
- Individual coaching for chapter leaders.
- Presentations at local chapter board meetings.
NAIOP helps each chapter customize the program according to their members’ needs. The chapter decides how many members will participate in the program and what member commitment looks like, for example, the program length and number of hours.
NAIOP staff consult a dashboard that tracks how the program is doing at each chapter. They can check in with the chapter if progress stalls and offer help without taking over.
KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM NAIOP
COLLABORATE: NAIOP didn’t want to take software developed by the Toronto chapter and make it theirs. Throughout this project, they’ve given full credit to Toronto. This approach encourages additional collaboration because chapters see you giving credit to another chapter. When they see you as a partner, they’re more willing to bring their ideas to you.
KNOW WHAT YOUR CHAPTERS WANT: Because of what they learned from their survey of young members, NAIOP knew a good idea when they saw one. They also surveyed chapters with mentoring programs and found that mentors preferred a six- to eight-month commitment rather than a one-year commitment, and wanted flexibility on how they offered their time.
KEEP OPEN CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION: NAIOP built communication into every stage of this project. When they saw a chapter struggling with the program, they offered help by coaching chapter leaders, not taking over. They realized the program wasn’t going to be a good fit for every chapter, but perhaps elements of the program could work. They talked to those chapters about ways they could help them with mentoring, even if they weren’t going to use the software. This continual communication loop meant that chapters who didn’t adopt the program still felt the care and commitment from National.