Become a Mentor
Change a Veteran's life in an hour a month.
ACP’s free, yearlong program connects Veteran Protégés with Mentors to help them build fulfilling careers and bridge the gap between the military and the private sector.
Mentorships are virtual, and ACP staff supports each mentorship throughout the year to ensure success.
Typical mentorship topics include:
- Résumé review and interview preparation
- Career exploration
- Work-life balance
- Networking
- Small business development
- Leadership and professional communication
Pairing process
ACP’s staff personally pairs every applicant, hand-picking a Mentor for each Protégé based on career compatibility, experience level, location and personal interests. Every Mentor and Protégé has a phone call with an ACP staff member to communicate preferences, which are then taken into account during the pairing process.
Most mentoring pairs are long-distance and communicate primarily through phone, video conference and email exchanges.
The ideal ACP Mentor is 35+ years of age and has 6+ years of professional experience.
Mentorship timeline
- 1 Apply for a mentorship by submitting an online application at acp-usa.org
- 2 An ACP Operations Associate will contact you within one business day to discuss next steps
- 3 Schedule an informational call with your ACP Operations Associate within two (2) weeks to review program and discuss mentorship goals
- 4 Your ACP Operations Associate will conduct a search to identify a mentor and will follow up with you within four (4) weeks
Become a mentor today and change a veteran’s life.
Kate's Story
Empowering Women within an ACP Mentorship
Program resources
Explore resources to support your role as a Mentor. Here you’ll find guidance on building a strong connection with your Mentee, offering career advice, supporting education and small business goals, and more.
Frequently asked questions
Why should a corporate professional volunteer to be a Mentor?
ACP’s Mentoring Program provides corporate professionals an opportunity to give back while gaining a deeper understanding of issues facing the veteran and military spouse community. Contributing to the ongoing success and career development of a former or current service member or active duty military spouse through enhanced leadership, teaching and coaching offers fulfillment of one’s patriotic duty by helping those who have served our country.
What does ACP expect from a Mentor?
A Mentor’s role can vary widely, depending on the particular circumstances of both the Mentor and Protégé. ACP encourages Mentors to be flexible when understanding the expectations and goals of their Protégé. We ask Mentors to take responsibility for facilitating the mentorship, especially during the first quarter, and to establish open communication early on.
Mentors can help Protégés identify their professional goals and provide feedback for improvement and encouragement. It is important to explain how corporate America functions, share critical knowledge and identify relevant resources. Please refer to the Mentor Resources section of our website for more mentoring tips.
Does ACP provide training or assistance during the mentorship?
Before beginning a mentorship, ACP encourages participants to read the Mentoring Handbook and browse our Resource section to learn about how to build a successful mentorship. Each mentorship will be in contact with their own ACP Operations Associate (facilitator) to provide ongoing assistance and feedback throughout the year. ACP continuously offers tips and tools, including the Quarterly Activities page, to help establish a strong mentorship foundation and encourage continued growth. Additionally, ACP staff facilitates orientation calls for new Mentors roughly once a quarter.
How does an organization become a Partner?
For more information on how to become a Corporate Partner, please contact us at info@acp-usa.org or 212-752-0700.
Eligibility
ACP welcomes volunteers from our Corporate Partners to become Mentors, as well as select individuals from other organizations who participate as Mentors. The ideal ACP Mentor is 35+ years of age, has 8+ years of professional experience and can devote at least 1 hour per month toward mentoring a veteran or active duty military spouse.