The MemberWise Network is unique as being the only Network led by association and membership professionals. A core part of our team are the MemberWise Ambassadors; a group of practising membership professionals specialising in a specific area that we consider core and crucial to the world of membership such as engagement, recruitment and value.

In recent years, we have branched out into complementary areas such as governance, leadership, communications and PR, and people/volunteer management in order to show how the membership role requires broader business insight and experience.

We are now pleased to announce that we have created a new role: Ambassador (Mentoring) and that Kathryn Jack, Head of Membership at the Chartered Governance Institute UK and Ireland will be taking on the role on behalf of the Network.

Mentoring is a powerful career development activity that helps you to learn directly from your peers and gain the benefit of skills and experience from someone outside your current organisation providing a truly unbiased view of improvement.

The MemberWise Mentoring Programme was launched in 2020 to provide this opportunity for Network members and has proved very popular. Over the coming months, we’ll be sharing with you some real-life case studies of these successful relationships so you can see for yourself the benefits of mentoring but in the meantime, let’s get to know Kathryn, who’ll be championing this brilliant area of activity…

How long have you worked in Membership?

I have worked for three professional chartered bodies now, beginning with CILEX, RICS and now the Chartered Governance Institute UK and Ireland (CGIUKI). It was definitely unintentional, as I was only 17 when I joined CILEX, but I’ve not looked back since.

Membership is all I know, which has opened so many doors and opportunities for me over the past decade. It has been mind-blowingly awesome! I hope to continue to improve my skillset and expand my experience to reach the next level. . . whilst continuously giving back to those just starting out.

All together I have ten years of work experience within the membership body sector, covering roles in: training delivery, apprenticeships, qualifications/product development, international programmes, contact centre/ customer services, stakeholder engagement, centre accreditation, membership engagement, regional management, and now as a Head of Membership I specifically cover the member journey, CPD, MVP, committee management and customer/member experience.

How have you interacted personally with mentoring?

In my current role, I reviewed the student member experience, including our mentoring programme, where we match mentees to mentors and although no major changes yet, we are looking into ways to raise awareness of the programme to increase engagement, specifically for our next generation of governance professionals and Company Secretaries.

Personally, I have always had a mentor or been a mentor myself. Albeit informally, it has supported my career progression and I’d like to think I have done the same for others. Without a mentor, I don’t know how people do it!

How are you going to promote mentoring in your role as Ambassador?

I will advocate the power of having a mentor and the impact you can make by being a mentor to the membership community and beyond. The mentoring programme with MemberWise is a FREE facility for membership/association professionals and success for me, as an ambassador, is to encourage all Network members to join the scheme!  Tell a friend, to tell a friend! The circle of giving and receiving is magical.

What advice would you give to others also working in membership?

Try not to be too hard on yourself, have self-compassion and know that you have been hired for a reason and to ensure you have plenty of daily/ weekly/ monthly/ quarterly time to reflect to continuously review yourself to improve. We are all a work in progress, so make sure you seek help and apply to have a mentor!

Tell us something we don’t know about you!

I am proud to share I’m a Level 2 qualified BSL (British sign language) student, and still need to finish my level 3! I love deaf culture and the language of sign.

The MemberWise Team welcomes Kathryn on board as MemberWise Ambassador (Mentoring).