 |
Looking to Grow Your Credit Union Career While Building interpersonal Skills? Want to Share your Experiences with Emerging Leaders?
Our Mentorship Program might be just what you’re looking for!
This 1 year program connects credit union professionals as mentors and mentees for meaningful, real world learning and connection. Whether you want to offer your informed perspectives or gain guidance from someone who understands your background, this program is all about growth, support, and building strong relationships across the credit union movement.
What to Expect:
- A one-year mentor/mentee commitment
- Thoughtful matching based on roles and goals
- Flexible conversations that fit your schedule
- A chance to learn, lead, and give back to the credit union community
Tristate Collaborative provides the framework and support for this program, and mentors/mentees make it their own. If you’re ready to invest in yourself (or help someone else do the same), we invite you to join us.
Interested? Sign up and see where the conversations take you!
2026/2027 Program Timeline
| June 8: | Open applications for mentors and mentees. |
| July 3: | Application period closes. |
| July 15: | Mentorship matches made, and selected participants notified. |
| August 4-5: | Tristate Collaborative Leadership Conference |
| August 12 at 11 AM: | Kick-off webinar to get your questions about the program answered. |
| August 15, 2026–August 15, 2027: | Your mentorship journey! |
| February 25 at 11 AM: | Mid-Year Mentee Check-In Call |
| February 26 at 11 AM: | Mid-Year Mentor Check-In Call |
Mentee / Mentor Roles & Responsibilities
- Commit to your development
- Assume responsibility for acquiring or improving skills and knowledge
- Discuss your goals with your mentor
- Be open and honest on your goals, expectations, challenges and concerns
- Actively listen and question
- Build a supportive and trusting environment
- Seek advice, opinion, feedback, and direction from your mentor
- Ask questions!
- Be open to constructive criticism/feedback and ask for it
- Come to your meetings prepared with a clear idea of what topics or issues you want to address
- Take the lead on scheduling meetings
- Respect your mentor’s time and resources
- Apply what you learn from your meetings back on the job
- Keep your supervisor informed of the process and your progress
- Give feedback to your mentor on what is working or not working in the mentoring relationship
- Support the mentee’s development of professional and interpersonal competencies through strategic questioning, goal setting, and planning
- Create a supportive and trusting environment
- Agree to, and schedule uninterrupted time with your mentee
- Stay accessible, committed, and engaged during the length of the program
- Actively listen and question
- Give feedback to the mentee on his/her goals, situations, plans and ideas
- Encourage your mentee by giving them genuine positive reinforcement
- Serve as a positive role model
- Provide frank (and kind) corrective feedback if necessary
- Openly and honestly share “lessons learned” from your own experience
- Keep discussions on track
- Respect your mentee’s time and resources
- Seek assistance if questions arise that you cannot answer
How to Enroll
1. Sign Up
Register into the platform with an email address and password. Be sure to use an email you check regularly.
Once logged in, click the Sign Up Today button and complete the enrollment form as either a mentor or mentee.
2. Connect
The Tristate Collaborative Mentorship Match admin team will connect you to a mentee or mentor. You will be informed of your connection by July 15th, 2026.
3. Engage
Log in to the platform to access your engagement workspace, where you and your match can collaborate. Use this space to send messages, book meetings, share files, and accomplish goals and tasks.
Testimonials
Hear from program alumni:
100% exceeded expectations. I met with my mentor once a month and always had an agenda to follow and helped my mentor prepare for what I was looking for.
Great discussions with my Mentor, especially during a leadership change I was going through, that allowed me to ask questions and get advice for the transition.
The relationship between us was established and grew out of mutual respect and admiration. My mentee was in many ways my opposite and I learned as much from her as she learned from me.
My mentee is at a smaller credit union but with big dreams for financial education initiatives in her community. She already is SO far ahead of the game, but with my experience of being one of 8 on a financial education team at a larger CU, we were able to work on a lot of planning and creating next steps for her as she hopes to build a larger team.
Thank You To Our Program Sponsors
Contact Us
-
The Wisconsin Credit Union League
Program Coordinator, Jenny Klamm
-
Minnesota Credit Union Network
-
Montana's Credit Unions
Ranel Smith, VP–Relationship Management
-
Nebraska Credit Union League
Amy Shaw, Chief Initiatives Officer