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Mentorship Program Spotlight: Bruce Ripley & Ashley Cain
[/vc_column_text][vc_separator type=”small” position=”center” color=”#ed1c24″ width=”66″ up=”20px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css=”.vc_custom_1510582483187{padding-bottom: 100px !important;}”][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1510580632283{margin-top: -50px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_row_inner row_type=”row” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=”” css=”.vc_custom_1510581419558{padding-top: 25px !important;padding-right: 45px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 45px !important;}”][vc_column_inner][vc_empty_space][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner row_type=”row” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=”” css=”.vc_custom_1510581419558{padding-top: 25px !important;padding-right: 45px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 45px !important;}”][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”615″ img_size=”medium” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” qode_css_animation=””][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”616″ img_size=”medium” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” qode_css_animation=””][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner row_type=”row” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=”” css=”.vc_custom_1510581419558{padding-top: 25px !important;padding-right: 45px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 45px !important;}”][vc_column_inner][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]Welcome to the first edition of GCGPA’s Mentor/Mentee Spotlight! We are excited to share Bruce Ripley and Ashley Cain’s mentoring story and their advice, in their own words. They were paired in 2018, and since then, have started a publishing company and co-authored two books!
In Their Own Words…
Bruce: I began my grant writing career in 1999 and have freelanced on a regular basis since 2006. I had been mentoring other grant writers through GPA or AFP, but I volunteered to be paired with Ashley because she wanted a mentor with consulting experience, and I wanted to try serving as a mentor where freelancing was the main focus area.
Ashley: I had spent many years writing grants and working in the nonprofit field, but in 2018 I had started my own consulting company and I needed a mentor who could show me the ropes of running a successful nonprofit grant-writing business. Bruce graciously offered to be my mentor and the rest is history.
What has your experience been with the GPA mentorship program?
Bruce: I have formally served as a mentor to two grant writers through the chapter’s program. Both pairings have been very rewarding experiences. I received a lot of free advice and guidance earlier in my career. I still do. So being a mentor provides me the opportunity to give back what was freely given to me. It’s not a one-way street, though – I get a lot from it, too. Passing along my experience forces me to put it in perspective. Ashley is very resourceful and I get practical ideas from her related to freelancing.
Ashley: The experience has been great for me. I was paired up with Bruce quickly, we set a time to meet, and he was incredibly helpful and accessible from that first day onward. It was great to know I had someone I could ask questions, get feedback from, and even vent about business frustrations when I needed to. He has been an invaluable source of knowledge and I don’t think my business would have grown as quickly as it did without his help and without the boost the mentoring program gave me overall.
What was the most meaningful thing to happen as a result of your mentoring match?
Bruce: I wanted to write a grant related book. After getting to know Ashley, I decided a book co-authored with her would be better than one I wrote by myself. My instincts were correct. We proceeded to write two books in less than a year. The books are published through our new co-owned business. The possibilities and directions we can take from here are almost endless.
Ashley: For me, this answer is two-fold. Bruce’s mentorship allowed me to ramp up my business much more quickly and with much less of a learning curve than I could have otherwise done without him or some other competent mentor. By itself that would have made the mentorship program worth it, but I also gained a business partner from this arrangement, too. Through our conversations, Bruce and I found that we had similar goals and interests and we ultimately founded a publishing company together: Painted Post Publications, LLC. Through our company we have written and published two books together and are currently working on a third.
What advice would you give other GPA mentor/mentees to make the most of their partnership?
Bruce: Prospective mentees, you need to have an idea of what you want to accomplish through a mentor-mentee relationship. Prospective mentors, you need to be able and willing to share your experience in an authentic way. You don’t need to “tell all,” but your mentees need to know they are not the only ones who have struggled with a particular professional issue.
Ashley: Your partnership will be what you make of it. No one is going to hold your hand and remind you to meet with your mentor or mentee every month. Set a schedule, stick to it, talk to your mentor often, don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions, and you will have a great partnership that can help you in a multitude of ways. [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_separator type=”small” position=”center” color=”#ed1c24″][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]If you would like to be featured in an upcoming Spotlight or know of another match doing great things, please reach out to Nicole Moran at nmoran@lys.org. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”132px”][/vc_column][/vc_row]