16 Ways to Offer (Free) Mentorship
inspired by Audre Lorde
In 1984, at the age of 50, Audre Lorde temporarily relocated to Germany.
Shortly after arriving, while teaching at the Free University and receiving experimental medication for a terminal diagnosis, she wrote “Berlin Is Hard on Colored Girls,” a prescient piece of work that would hold its weight as the reality of the cancer of racism in Germany revealed itself to her.
But before the diagnosis and the awkward public appearances, she repeatedly made one simple request:
Please invite Black German women to my poetry readings and classes.
That invitational persistence, which I’ve come to associate with Audre, is how she met so many women who would deeply influence her life, including May Ayim and Katharina Oguntoye.
By reminding them that they were beautiful and worthy of attention and care, she created safety for them to dream a new dream for the social and political landscape in Germany.
This is far from the only instance of Audre mentoring women, but it is the first time that I noticed her calling in a specific type of women that she wanted in her space.
In Survival Is a Promise, Alexis Pauline Gumbs, says, “Audre gave pointed advice to Afro-German women about organizing together beyond their differences. She asked specific questions about the agenda and progress of the Afro-German feminist organization ADEFRA…She encouraged Afro-German women to write books about their own experiences like she had just recently done, so that people “three thousand miles away” could learn from their living.”
Gumbs goes on to describe how Audre strategically used her connections to secure publication for Afro-German women in literary journals, created safe spaces for them to connect with each other, and spoke up for them publicly by identifying white German women as complicit.
What I’ve been trying to say over the past few months, and what this story illustrates, is that mentorship is a form of a solidarity, action-taking propelled by deep care and a vision for collective liberation.
It’s another tool that helps us transfer, direct, and offer attention.
We, as business owners and creatives well into our careers, can practice solidarity by sharing our resources, connections, and love with others who need guidance and support – and this part is important – in a way that is not related to the tallies at the bottom of our balance sheets.
In this post, I offered an argument for why free mentorship is critical, and in this one, I suggested ideas for asking for free mentorship.
To round out this topic, this piece will list ideas for using the margin you have, no matter how minuscule, to create mentorship opportunities for individuals who are engaging in creative, liberatory work.
And before I present the list, I think it’s important for me to note that I am still figuring out how I want to offer free mentorship on an ongoing basis. I’ve mentored in the past, but only reactively when someone has approached me. I’d like to be more intentional about building this into my life, and list making helps me see the menu of available options.
Ok, off we go.
IDEAS FOR OFFERING FREE MENTORSHIP
Per usual, I’m listing these ideas based on capacity, which is the sum total of resources available to engage in a task. My specific capacity is influenced by being a working mother of a toddler, an individual living with chronic conditions, and a multicultural woman living in the US. Before each suggestion, you’ll see my interpretation for tags (HC) for high-capacity, (MC) for medium-capacity, and (LC) for low-capacity.
1.) (HC) Offer a paid internship
If you need support and have margin to teach someone the ropes of your industry or expertise, consider hiring a professional who is pivoting, someone still in university, or a stay-at-home parent who is hoping to re-enter the workforce.
By its very definition, this doesn’t need to last forever. As long as you communicate expectations, you can start it as a 3-month experiment before readjusting or changing course.
2.) (MC) Ask for volunteers
If you’re hosting an event, it’s a perfect occasion to seek out volunteers who might be looking to make connections or gain experience in your industry.
Even unpaid, you can make it a point to take care of them by asking them about their goals prior to the event and identifying who they should meet and what steps they can take to reach their goals afterwards. And, of course, set clear, kind expectations.
3.) (MC) Host events that bring people together
Community events are an antidote to isolation and push us to exit our political silos.
And the options are endless!
Neighborhood block parties, stoop coffee, swaps (toys, books, clothes), silent book clubs, group hikes, star viewing parties.
Seriously, whatever you love to do, you can do it in a group.
4.) (HC) Create a fellowship
I’ve referenced this one a lot, but that’s because its existence made such a deep impression on me.
hosts an annual fellowship for newsletter writers with a stipend and monthly writing support (including editing!).This requires a lot of margin and planning, but I can imagine that this kind of structure and support reverberates into communities in the most seismic way.
To be clear, this isn’t a scholarship where someone receives money and that’s the end of the relationship. As evidenced from the example, a fellowship offers a stipend and other forms of support like regular check-ins or guidance.
5.) (LC) Offer a 15/30/45/60-minute block for mentorship questions on your calendar
Once you’ve created the structure, start posting in related communities to let people know that you’re available for this kind of conversation.
You can set expectations by listing out the kinds of questions you’re interested in answering and the ones you don’t feel qualified to cover.
You can also set parameters for yourself and others by saying that you’re only going to do a certain number of these per month.
6.) (LC) Connect someone… with a publisher, a podcast host, a producer, a journalist, a likeminded person
So much of the magic of mentorship is about creating access for others, and you can directly do that by connecting someone to the people who can help bring their visions to life.
7.) (LC) Speaking up with authority and clarity about a problem
Audre regularly called out the complicity of white German women at her poetry readings and other events. No stranger to the stage, she used her influence and spotlight to make sure others knew how the people she loved were suffering.
While you’re not directly mentoring a single person by taking this action, this kind of vocal solidarity engenders the requisite trust for the right people to approach you for mentorship.
Most importantly, I don’t think you always have to know the solution to point out the problem.
You can be honest and say, “I am still figuring out what next steps to take to make an impact in this area, and I would love to collaborate with other people who are thinking deeply about these issues.” Don’t let your lack of having all the answers stop you from speaking up.
8.) (LC) Say yes when asked for free guidance
This one gets to the heart of the “May I pick your brain?” dilemma. In a conversation with
and Alice Wilkinson, they talk about how we need “less boundaries and, in their place, more courage, self knowledge, and tools…to help navigate conflict.” You don’t always have to say yes, but if your knee-jerk reaction is “No! I refuse to spend my time this way,” then I invite you to get curious about why.Would it feel less extractive if, instead, you said, “Yes, I can spend 15 minutes with you. If you still have questions, I can either direct you to someone else who could be helpful or send you a list of resources specific to your questions”?
What would make this kind of interaction work for you?
9.) (LC) Tell someone, “If you ever need advice for X, please reach out to me. Here’s my email address / phone number / Substack”
Sometimes folks need to be reminded that we are open to interaction. This simple phrase can help give them the courage to reach out.
10.) (LC) Pay for someone else to join a course
While this falls into more of a role of a benefactor, I think it applies here because you’re connecting someone not only to information but to another potential mentor.
This is especially true in small-group courses where there is ample instructor interaction and feedback. This one was inspired by
. You can see how she structured her giveaway here.11.) (LC) Show your work
I am so into this one right now, and it’s all thanks to Sarah Von Bargen. In your articles and interviews and conversations, be honest and specific about what it took for you to accomplish the things you’ve accomplished.
In Sarah’s words, “If you ever ask me how I created a career that gives me financial security, geographic / time flexibility, and creative fulfillment I will never, ever tell you that it just “fell into my lap.” I will tell you about the 20+ years of getting it wrong and the framework I created to figure it out.”
12.) (HC) Create a mentorship program
While this is something that you typically see at organizations, it’s possible to create something structured as a solopreneur or a business owner with a small team.
I imagine this as a 6- or 12-month program that might be as simple as, “Hey! I’m looking for 1 person who is interested in X industry to share my hard-won lessons and guidance with. Here’s are the criteria and expectations. Here are the benefits. Here’s a link to an application.”
13.) (MC) Create a little free library
This one doesn’t seem like a relationship builder on the surface, but you would be surprised. Pop a card or a note inside some of the books, either sharing what you’re creating or what others have created. Then, hang out around your little library and see who shows up to take books.
, I had written this suggestion down and was then delighted to see your example from your personal newsletter!14.) (LC) Open up a scholarship spot for your program
You’re creating accessibility while offering access to your smart brain and big heart.
There are lots of ways that people have structured this, but the most common that I see is by creating an application with specific criteria for who qualifies for the scholarship.
15.) (LC) Call or text and check in with people you have mentored in the past
Take the first step and see how these people are doing. You never know what might come out of a touchpoint.
16.) (MC/HC) Host a workshop at the library
If a library pays you to do this (mine offers $150), you can take that money and donate it back to the library system or another organization that you love.
Do you have any ideas for offering free mentorship? I would love it if you shared them in the comments below 😊
omg you know i love to see a little free library shout-out!