Gold Accreditation Certificate Awarded to these Organizations

IMA Mentor Program Accreditation issued by the world class International Mentoring Association (IMA) indicates confidence that a program is of high quality, research based, and standards aligned. Accreditation confirms an affirmation of the vision, direction and accomplishments of the organization and individuals within the organization. Assured that the organization aims for continuous improvement, accreditation provides credibility among peer organizations and validity when recruiting mentors and mentees not only for the individuals involved, but also for the organizations of which they are associated.

Accreditation extends for multiple years and allows the organization to include the IMA logo on all communication documents, including the website and on signature lines. An excellent pathway to continuous improvement, the process allows for deep reflection and for making key programmatic adjustments. Your organization will be recognized on the IMA website and throughout IMA conferences as an indicator of your organization’s high value and worth to an international audience.

Accreditation Levels

The IMA offers two levels of accreditation: Gold and Silver. Both levels of accreditation indicate a sufficiently supported program with high quality results, effective design, and commendable implementation. Indeed, no program can attain accreditation without showing strong positive results.

The accreditation program review process is the same for both levels of accreditation, with the addition of interviews of program leaders and participants for high scoring programs. Program accreditation at the Gold Level extends for five years with a highly encouraged (optional) three-year review. An organization with a Silver Award may resubmit the application with a focus only on the areas that did not meet the gold standard. Resubmission within a two-year time frame for the Gold Award status provides an opportunity for program improvement and higher ranking.

Silver Accreditation

Mentoring programs with Silver Accreditation status are well implemented, sustainable, and successful at accomplishing mentoring goals and objectives. Although the program design may differ with some components of the IMA program standards, the overall design addresses the content and spirit of the IMA standards. Silver accredited programs have evidence of success, although they may benefit from the improvement or development of specific program components.

To attain Silver Accreditation, a program must score at least 85 points through the program documentation review. Silver Accreditation shall remain in effect for three year from the date of approval.

Gold Accreditation

Mentoring programs with Gold Accreditation status are well implemented, sustainable, and successful at accomplishing mentoring goals and objectives. The design of these programs closely aligns with IMA program standards. Programs with Gold Accreditation status are adequately supported and managed. They have clear goals and objectives, and they have clear processes for monitoring mentoring relationships and evaluating mentee growth. Although Gold accredited programs continuously seek areas for improvement, they can serve as models for other programs.

To attain Gold Accreditation, a program must score at least 96 points through the program documentation review and application interviews. Gold Accreditation shall remain in effect for five years from the date of approval. Should the accreditation team recommend Gold Accreditation, the cost will be $5,500, of which part is covered by the application fee. Non-profit organizations submit a total fee of $4,000 ($2,000 initial fee plus $2,000).

Accreditation Process

Review

Read and review the Mentoring Program Accreditation Request for Applications (RFA.)

Contact

Contact the IMA at [email protected] to inform the organization of your interest and connect with the IMA Accreditation Committee to get started. Keep in touch with the reviewer(s) who will serve as a liaison between your organization and the IMA Accreditation Committee throughout the period of documentation preparation and the six-week duration of the accreditation process.

Prepare IMA Accreditation Fees

Once the documentation is gathered and the RFA documentation is completely compiled, be prepared to submit an initial $2000 fee to the IMA. Upon completion of the evaluation/review process and in preparation for the awarded level of Gold or Silver the final fees vary according to non-profit status as described in the RFA. Organizations typically submit a total fee of $5,500 ($2,000 initial fee plus $3,500.) Non-profit organizations submit a total fee of $4,000 ($2,000 initial fee plus $2,000).

Assemble and Complete the Application

Assemble the required program documentation as described in the RFA. The IMA Accreditation Scoring Guide found on page 13 of the Request for Applications will be used to score the various components of the program. Please note that valuable examples of good documentation are found in the IMA Mentor Programs Accreditation Documentation Guidelines on pages 14-19 to help with the application preparation.

When complete, email your application materials to your reviewer(s) or send hard copies to:

IMA Accreditation

2004 Mowry Road, 3rd Floor N.

P.O. Box 100219

Gainesville, Florida 32610

Materials may also be shared in Dropbox or Google docs, if agreed upon, between the applicant and the IMA Committee.

Timeline

Once all completed materials and the application fees are received IMA allows six weeks for the Accreditation Committee including the reviewer(s) to assess the materials; ask questions as needed; conduct interviews with key personnel; develop a written report; discuss an IMA Board review; and notify the applicant of the award.

What Happens Next?

The IMA accreditation team will review your program materials according to the scoring guide found in the RFA to determine Gold or Silver status and establish whether individual interviews are merited.

The IMA Board of Directors issues the accreditation status and confers all benefits described in the RFA.

Click HERE to review the IMA Accreditation Request for Applications.

Program Accreditation