Mentor Nebraska
About Mentor Nebraska
In Nebraska, one in three young people is growing up without a mentor. Mentor Nebraska works to close that gap by strengthening mentoring programs, supporting mentor recruitment, and giving schools, businesses, and community organizations the tools to do the work well. For donors, the appeal is simple: this is infrastructure for relationships, built to help more young people find steady, caring adults in their corner.
What sets Mentor Nebraska apart is the mix of statewide reach and hands-on support. It offers training, consulting, screening support, data systems, and quality assessment, while also helping spread models like Youth Initiated Mentoring and Success Mentors across the state.
Programs
The concrete work this nonprofit runs. Each program may later become a fundable project.
No-cost training
Training opportunities for mentoring professionals, mentors, educators, youth-serving staff, and community partners to support high-quality mentoring experiences.
Technical assistance and consulting
Individualized, no-cost support for mentoring programs, including help with recruitment plans, logic models, screening strategies, match support, and evaluation.
Background screening support
Funding for background screenings for new mentors, along with screening training for program staff.
National Quality Mentoring System (NQMS)
A structured self-assessment and review process that helps mentoring programs align with evidence-based quality standards and build improvement plans.
Statewide mentor recruitment campaigns
Collaborative recruitment efforts, including National Mentoring Month activities, public awareness, and outreach to increase volunteer mentors.
Youth Initiated Mentoring (YIM)
A mentoring model that helps youth identify caring adults in their lives, then supports formal screening, training, supervision, and match support.
Success Mentors
A school-based mentoring model developed to support chronically absent youth in school settings.
Workplace mentoring services
Training, consulting, and program design services for businesses and workforce partners building mentoring into the workplace.
Emerging Mentoring Leaders Institute (EMLI)
A professional development program for mentoring leaders from new and grassroots programs serving BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S+ communities.
Excellence in Mentoring Awards
A yearly recognition event honoring individuals and organizations that advance mentoring in Nebraska.
About this work
In their own words — what they do, who it reaches, and what your dollars actually fund.
Mission
MENTOR Nebraska is a statewide nonprofit that seeks to increase both the quality and quantity of mentoring in Nebraska and close the mentoring gap for the one in three young people growing up without a mentor.
Who they serve
Young people in Nebraska, especially youth growing up without a mentor, along with mentoring programs, mentors, educators, businesses, and youth-serving organizations.
Their impact
- In 2023, MENTOR Nebraska trained 300+ individuals through 20+ trainings.
- In 2023, MENTOR Nebraska provided 825 hours of technical assistance support.
- MENTOR Nebraska's refugee mentoring partnership served over 200 youth.
- Success Mentors is being used to support nearly 200 chronically absent youth in Omaha Public Schools and Millard Public Schools.
How your donation helps
- No-cost mentoring trainings
- Individualized technical assistance for programs
- Background screening support for new mentors
- Statewide mentor recruitment and outreach
- Expansion of quality mentoring relationships across Nebraska
Our story
Mentor Nebraska was formed in 2001 to expand opportunity for young people by building a youth mentoring field and movement in Nebraska. Since then, it has grown into a statewide clearinghouse for training, resources, public awareness, and advocacy, and it works as an affiliate of MENTOR to connect national research and resources with local organizations.
Need help?
How someone in need can access Mentor Nebraska’s services.
Mentoring programs can request no-cost training, technical assistance, background screening support, and NQMS support from MENTOR Nebraska. Individuals can use approved program lists, the Mentoring Connector, or the become-a-mentor pathway to find mentoring opportunities.
Stories
The people behind the work.
In their words
Fueling Quality Mentoring
Potential is equally distributed; opportunity is not.
Showing up can make all the difference.
Events
Excellence in Mentoring Awards
yearlyYearly virtual recognition event honoring young leaders, mentors, mentoring practitioners, advocates, and other champions of mentoring.
Collaborative Mentoring Webinar Series
monthly on the 3rd ThursdayA monthly webinar series hosted with MENTOR and planning team affiliates, including MENTOR Nebraska.
National Mentoring Month mentor recruitment campaign
annualAnnual January campaign that includes outreach, media, events, and public awareness to recruit mentors.
Ways to help
Concrete needs and volunteer roles Mentor Nebraska has shared.
Current needs
- New mentors for Nebraska mentoring programs
- Support for no-cost training and technical assistance
- Funding for background screenings for new mentors
- Community participation in mentor recruitment campaigns
Volunteer opportunities
- Become a mentor through a participating program
- Join mentor recruitment efforts during National Mentoring Month
- Sign up for advocacy alerts and support mentoring policy efforts
- Help promote mentoring opportunities in your community
Recognition & press
Awards & recognition
- Designated technical assistance provider through the National Mentoring Resource Center
- Affiliate of MENTOR
Partners & funders
In the news
Articles featuring Mentor Nebraska from the Love What You Fund newsroom.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this nonprofit and how its work happens.
How does a mentoring program get support from MENTOR Nebraska?
Programs can ask for no-cost training, individualized technical assistance, background screening support, and help improving quality through the National Quality Mentoring System.
What is the National Quality Mentoring System?
It is a 92-question self-assessment and review process that helps mentoring programs line up with evidence-based quality standards and build an Improvement & Innovation Plan.
What is Youth Initiated Mentoring?
It is a model where youth identify caring adults in their lives, and the mentoring program helps screen, train, supervise, and support the formal match.
What workplace mentoring services are available?
MENTOR Nebraska offers lunch-and-learns, supervisor-as-mentoring training, mentor and mentee success workshops, consulting and program design, mentoring connections events, and mentor recruitment tables.
How can Nebraska state employees find mentoring opportunities?
They can look through the approved mentoring program list and use the State of Nebraska mentoring page to search for opportunities near them.
Similar nonprofits
Other educational services nonprofits in NE.