Virtual Corporate Office: Strategy For Helping Youth Tutor/Mentor Programs Reach Youth in More Places.

The Tutor/Mentor Connection:
Creating a Virtual Corporate Office

Since 2011 the T/MC has been part of Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC
If volunteer-based
tutor/mentor programs were
supported by a “corporate
office” the way big companies
support multiple stores,
would we have more and
better programs reaching
young people?
Property of Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC, Tutor/Mentor Connection, Merchandise Mart PO Box 3303, Chicago, Il. 60654 tutormentor2@earthlink.net
Maps show distribution of stores such as Wal Mart,
Walgreens, Bank of America. Find these on Google.com
These stores are supported by corporate and regional office teams.

Pg 2
Every store offers a selection of merchandise and
services based on local customer needs.
Corporate office
teams, consisting
of buyers,
merchants, store
planners, human
resource
professionals,
researchers,
advertisers,
mangers, etc.
make sure each
store has products
customers seek,
and well trained
people to support
store operations.
Pg 3
A site-based tutor/mentor program is a “store” that
offers various services to youth and volunteers.
Maps can show

where tutor/mentor
programs in a city
like Chicago are
needed and where
existing programs are
located.
Pg 4
A site-based volunteer-based tutor/mentor program is a “store” with “stuff” for many
customers. Each list below represents products and services needed at every tutor/mentor
program in every high poverty neighborhood of cities like Chicago.
Stuff for
Tutor/Mentor Parents, Teachers,
Community
Donors STORE Leaders
• Why we are needed

• Needs of youth in Stuff for Stuff for • What we do
neighborhood we • What we accomplish
serve
Youth Volunteers • How do enroll a
• What we do youth
• How this influences • Youth • How to make
• Mentors, Tutors
learning, school • Training programs like this
• Fun activities
performance, work • On-Going available to more kids
• New experiences
readiness support in more places
• Technology
• Our Leaders • Fun Activities • How this helps kids
• Books
• Other donors • Social network
• Safe Place
• What we accomplish • Career Network
• Arts
• Who we network • Sense of purpose
• Social & Emotional Stuff for
with • Technology Stuff for
Support
• Who we collaborate
• College & Career
STAFF • Books
Industry,
with • Safe Place
• How well we use their
• Job Skills
• Job Skills Universities
• Network • Vision, Mission
donations • Staff support • What we do
• Staff support • Training
• What is our impact • Friends • What we accomplish
• Friends • On-Going
• How do volunteers get
• Long-term support
involved
involvement • Fun Activities
• Impact on volunteers,
• Social network
business goals
• Career Network
• Impact on diversity,
• Financial reward
workforce
Very few programs • Health care
development etc.
• Retirement
• Safe, nurturing
offer all of these! place to work
Pg 5
A well-organized tutor/mentor program needs a
team of skilled leaders & workers
Board of
Director/CEO Directors
Recruitment and
Development
Admin Secretary
analyst
Tutor/Mentor Information Human Facilities Mgr.

Program Marketing and Technologies Resources
Operations Development
Legal &
Accounting
Student Volunteer Board Communications Database Policy
Recruitment Recruitment Development Manager Development & Development
& Support and Training Maintenance and Training
Manager
Grants Newsletter (print
Coordinator Manger and email versions Web site Staffing/
School and for development & Training
Community tutor/mentor Maintenance
Liaison sessions Special Public
Events Relations Employee
On-line Records
Supply/Food Events & Documentation
Service Activities Web Site Systems
Direct Mail
Payroll and
Security College & Internal On-line e- Benefits
Career Annual Communications learning (for Management
Readiness Report staff, students,
Transportation volunteers)
Database mgt
Business
Liaison/ Internal
Vocational Network and
Training Server set up
and Computer
Computer maintenance Technology
Learning Center.
Center
If available
Hardware &
software
Data upgrades
Collection (technology
and Analysis plan
Technology
Support
Very few programs
Technology
Training have all of these!
Every box on this chart represents a role that a corporate volunteer with specific talents and
experience could fill in a volunteer-based tutor/mentor organization. Every box needs to be filled if the
organization is to provide effective service to its community. Similar charts should be developed to show
the organizational structure of different types of charities and service organizations.
Pg 6
The Case for a more comprehensive form of
tutoring/mentoring:
Many leaders, including the 44th President of the United States,

already support the concept of mentoring.
However, very few have business plans that answer these questions:
“What are all the things we need to do to assure that youth born in
poverty, and participating in tutor/mentor programs, are starting
jobs/careers by age 25?”
How do we increase the number, and quality of “places” where

youth access these services?
Read more. This is what the
Tutor/Mentor Connection* focuses on every day.
Contact us at tutormentor2@earthlink.net
*since 2011 the T/MC has been a program offered by Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC
Pg. 7
No ‘corporate office’ yet exists to support tutor/mentor
programs in multiple locations. Leaders Needed.
The purpose of this T/MC essay is not to convince you

that tutoring/mentoring is an important education-to-
careers and civic engagement strategy.
The purpose is to recruit leaders from industry…

 to share their skills and experiences…
 to make more and better tutor/mentor programs available in all places where they are
needed.
 to provide the operating and innovation dollars needed to fuel efforts like the T/MC in
Chicago, and similar structures in other cities.
 and provide resources to support collaborations which bring Science, Technology, Arts,
Engineering and Math mentoring into existing tutor/mentor programs
Pg. 8
In a big city like Chicago, hundreds of non-profits have similar
organizational needs. Few are adequately staffed.
Since every shaded area on this map

needs a variety of comprehensive
Corporate tutor/mentor programs, the
Leadership needs Tutor/Mentor Connection leads a
to draw volunteers, public awareness campaign aimed to
talent and donors to draw dollars, volunteers, and
t/m programs in all training directly to tutor/mentor
poverty programs in every part of the city
neighborhoods, not and suburbs of Chicago.
just a few visible
places. We’d like to see this strategy
duplicated at the national and local
level by leaders in every industry,
and by leaders of the Points of Light
Foundation.
Chicago
See maps and search for Chicago area
Shaded Areas have programs: http://tinyurl.com/TMI-
poverty levels of 20%
or greater. Dots on this Volunteer-Opportunities
map are poorly
performing public
schools.
Pg. 9
Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC, Tutor/Mentor Connection, Merchandise Mart PO Box 3303, Chicago, Il. 60654 tutormentor2@earthlink.net
Tutor/Mentor Programs are not available
in all places where they are needed
 There is a perception that many organizations offer
tutoring/mentoring or youth development services.
 In reality, in many neighborhoods there are few

programs that offer tutoring and/or mentoring.
 When the availability of programs is looked at by

age and time of day segments, it is obvious that a
contributing factor to the high drop out rate of teens
is the lack of programs to mentor them to careers.
View Chicago Community Area maps 2018 showing number of high poverty
youth in each area: http://tinyurl.com/TMI-communityareamaps
Pg. 10
Not all programs are equally effective
There are wide differences between the type of tutoring
and/or mentoring programs that are available.
 number and age group of children served
 number of volunteers involved
 quality of staff available to support youth or volunteers
 uneven availability of arts, technology, career mentoring
The Tutor/Mentor Connection has been building a master database of programs in

Chicago since 1993. As the T/MC built its database of programs, it aimed to build
an understanding of the various types of programs, dividing them by age served,
time of day services is provided, and type of tutoring/mentoring offered.
This is work that needs to be done within universities where more resources are
available.
Pg. 11
To support growth and operation of
multiple programs, borrow strategies
from proven business practices
Successful companies try to put
stores where there are large
numbers of potential customers;
Some companies have thousands of

stores distributed throughout every
state in the country
Economies of scale are used to

increase quality and lower the
operating costs per location
Volunteers from business can

help collect and maintain
information used to support
See more graphics like these at tutor/mentor program growth by
http://pinterest.com/tutormentor/boards/ every industry.
Pg.12
It is not realistic to expect one
organization to have enough money
to do everything that a corporate
office of a company like Wal Mart,
Sears, Apple, etc. do to support
thousands of retail stores….
However, it is possible that thousands of volunteers
from different industries might take on roles similar to
corporate office teams, supporting a group of
programs in a geographic area, or all of the
tutor/mentor programs in an entire city like Chicago.
Pg. 13
In the following slides we invite business leaders to make the commitment shown in this
concept map. http://tinyurl.com/tmc-strategy-map
Open map and see cMaps with reasons for strategic business investment.
- http://tinyurl.com/TMI-WhyShouldBusinessInvest Pg 14
A “Virtual” Corporate Office
Human
Resources
Research &
Development
Marketing,
Sales
Advertising,
PR
Finance &
Legal
Supply &
Logistics
Talent and resources from many
industries supporting program
Philanthropy &
Employee growth in many places.
Giving
Pg 15
A Learning “Distribution” System
STEM
Learning
Communications
Skills, Arts
Technology,
Digital skills
Leadership,
Team Building
Finance &
Legal
Social,
Emotional Important “learning” activities
should be made available in every
Philanthropy & high poverty neighborhood.
Volunteering
Pg 16
Example – Museums as Vendors
Science &
Industry
John. J. Shedd Each museum should be putting

Acquiarium icons on map showing where it's
learning programs are a part of a
school, or non-school,
Field Museum
of Natural program's on-going strategy.
History
Each museum should think like a
Chicago
company like Proctor & Gamble,
History
Museum who wants its products on the
shelves of thousands of retail
Chicago stores.
Botanic
Gardens
They not only have a great
Adler product, but they also offer
Planetarium incentives, like training,
advertising dollars, point-of-
Others.... purchase displays, etc.
Pg 17
Corporations and military leaders lead strategies to distribute resources and support
stores (troops) in many locations. Teams of “talent” volunteers could take this role to
help make tutor/mentor programs available in all high poverty neighborhoods of
Chicago and other cities.
Feed & Analysis
Equip Of enemy
Our army better Strength &
than enemy weaknesses
We need to feed, cloth, Understand needs &

arm and re-supply our plan resource
Public troops and logistics allocation, e.g.
providers for as long as strategic planning
Commitment war is in progress.
To sustain effort and
recruit troops Recruit Organize Forces
& Retain & Train Direct
How do we educate Enemy
US forces US forces engagement
and inform public so sites
we can maintain
support for revenue How to replace forces What resources do
needed to support that are lost with new we need to
war effort? solders trained and implement the plan?
ready to pick up from How to prepare
where previous left off them?
Revenue Logistics
To support To get forces
This is these efforts in place
Forces Poverty
a supply How do we raise How do we distribute Include
tutors &
in city
money needed to needed resources
chain issue. pay for this entire and troops to mentors is
effort? multiple locations enemy
where they are
needed?
The goal is to support multiple programs in a geographic area, not just one!
Pg 18
Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC, Tutor/Mentor Connection, Merchandise Mart PO Box 3303, Chicago, Il. 60654 tutormentor2@earthlink.net
Most programs can’t get enough resources on their
own. We need the help of many leaders.
Everyone (students, and adults) could take this role on a daily basis.
faith business media

volunteers
dollars
college
you Talent &
technology
Elected
leader
The main idea of this presentation is to show
others actions that many people can take to support
program growth. YOU can do this!
Thousands of volunteers, business and faith leaders, students, etc. can use personal and organizational leadership,
web sites and communications to connect members of their network to information showing why certain types of
volunteer programs are needed, and where they are located. They can point to databases that enable volunteers,
community members, media and donors to search and find programs where they can get involved. Learning to
stimulate such actions on a regular basis, the way advertisers draw customers to retail stores each week, it a lesson
we need to teach. We can do that by giving recognition to those already doing this well.
Pg 19
Property of Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC, Tutor/Mentor Connection, Merchandise Mart PO Box 3303, Chicago, Il. 60654 Email for permission to use: tutormentor2@earthlink.net
If enough leaders apply the ideas in this presentation we dramatically improve the flow of
resources AND support the growth of high quality programs in every high poverty neighborhood.
Pg 20
Many ways to volunteer…
 volunteers are needed to create innovative strategies that
increase visibility for tutor/mentor programs and increase the
flow of operating dollars to every tutor/mentor program in
Chicago and other major cities
 business partners are needed to develop strategies—
using employee volunteers, company assets & dollars to
PULL youth from poverty into jobs & careers.
 people and organizations are needed to organize and
provide curriculum, training,and ideas, to help educate all
stakeholders in the movement.
Pg.21
Build involvement based on where
need for programs is greatest.
Create advertising and public awareness that
seeks to educate resource providers to make
choices of involvement, drawing from a menu of
ways individuals and organizations could be
involved, and using GIS maps that show where
the need for tutor/mentor programs is greatest,
and where existing programs are located in these
areas.
Such a strategy will lead to a more even

distribution of resources to all neighborhoods
where tutor/mentor programs are needed, not just
to those with a visible brand name or in a high
profile neighborhood.
See current map of Chicago volunteer-based

tutor and/or mentoring programs at
http://tinyurl.com/TMI-Volunteer-Opportunities
Pg. 22
Role for Many Leaders:
Advertising and Public Awareness
We don’t have multi-million dollar ad
budgets, yet we need similar reach
and frequency of daily and weekly
message delivery.
The T/MC seeks to recruit leaders

from business and faith communities
who will use their own media to create
and lead a call-to-involvement.
This evangelism will reach thousands

of people in every business, social and
faith sector many times each day with
messages that encourage people to
be volunteers, leaders, donors, etc.
Pg. 23
Become a Network Builder
• Write a weekly blog
• Create videos
• Host discussions on Facebook, Linked in,
or tutormentorconnection.ning.com
• Host gatherings on ZOOM, Microsoft
Teams, LinkedIn, etc.
• Connect on Twitter with each other and
with @tutormentorteam
Build your visibility and reputation by what you do

throughout the year.
Pg 24
Models of such leadership exist
The Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Lend A Hand Program at the
Chicago Bar Association is an example of the type leadership the
T/MC seeks to create in every industry and service sector. Since
1994 more than $2.5 million has been raised to support
volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs in the Chicago area. See
http://www.lawyerslendahand.org
If programs like this are in each industry,
each tutor/mentor program would have
volunteers modeling different career
opportunities, along with multiple
sources of funding.
Strategies like this can support volunteer-based tutor/mentor

program growth in every neighborhood of Chicago and other
cities with high concentrations of poverty.
Pg 24
Volunteers from business, universities, and high
schools needed to help build knowledge base.
The T/MC seeks university partners,
interns, and graduate students, who will
help build a library of examples showing
how various businesses and industries use
their leadership, human capital and
communications resources to PULL youth
from poverty to careers.
Read this invitation to universities to create

student-led on-campus Tutor/Mentor
Connection teams.
https://tutormentor.blogspot.com/2020/04/
reaching-out-to-universities-virtual.html
Pg.25
As volunteers do “service” let’s seek
to enhance “learning” .
Every time a volunteer connects with a youth in a
tutor/mentor program we seek to enhance learning, so
the volunteer becomes a bridge to her industry, faith
group, and/or alumni network.
Such volunteers have the potential to bring additional resources
to tutor/mentor programs every time they return to do service.
As some of these volunteers become

CEOs, this become a self-sustaining
system with different leaders in
different places taking the lead at
different times each year.
See this idea illustrated at

https://vialogues.com/vialogues/play/34284/
Pg. 26
Tutor/Mentor Program goals can be
Business goals, too.
Organizations that offer volunteer-based tutoring/ mentoring services
seek to improve the quality of life for people living in poverty by
helping them move up the ladder to jobs and careers.
This creates new customers and new employees for industry and
lowers the costs associated with poverty, crime and workforce
development.
These programs also create networking, learning and skill building

opportunities for business volunteers who choose to get involved.
This strategy creates an army of people who are more personally

committed to helping inner city kids, because they have come to
know them, and understand their challenges, through volunteer
involvement.
Pg 28
Benefits to companies and their
employees
Involvement in well-managed volunteer-based programs provides many
benefits to employees in corporations, such as expanding leadership
skills, and expanding informal networks for those who are involved.
Using Internet e-collaboration tools, volunteers in a T/MC strategy learn

skills and habits that can be applied profitably in 21st century business
applications.
Most of all, it’s the right thing to do. Businesses who are effective at
helping youth move to careers will earn public good will and loyal
employees and customers.
Read more about Benefits to business -

https://tinyurl.com/Library-Business-CSR-links
http://tinyurl.com/TMI-WhyShouldBusinessInvest
http://tinyurl.com/TMI-WorkforceDevelopment
Pg. 29
Read about Collective Impact and role of “backbone” organizations on Stanford Social
Innovation Review: http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/collective_impact
“Collective impact requires

that funders support a long-
term process of social
change without identifying
any particular solution in
advance.”
A backbone organization with

a modest annual budget can
support a collective impact
initiative of several hundred
organizations, magnifying the
impact of millions or even
billions of dollars in existing
funding. Strive, for example,
has a $1.5 million annual
budget but is coordinating
the efforts and increasing the
effectiveness of
organizations with combined
A Tutor/Mentor Connection is a “backbone” organization budgets of $7 billion.”
and is needed in every city in the world.
Pg 29
Copyright 2011 Property of Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC and Tutor/Mentor Connection, Merchandise Mart PO Box 3303, Chicago, Il 60654 Email for permission to use: tutormentor2@earthlink.net
Invest in intermediary organizations
like T/MC and its partners
Become a sponsor, drawing attention to
your business, while you help us draw
attention to mentor-rich, tutor/mentor
programs
Point workplace donations to

tutor/mentor programs so volunteers are
well-supported and benefit more from
their involvement
If you are a venture capital manager, or

venture philanthropist, consider
becoming an investor in the Chicago
Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC. Help re-
build the Tutor/Mentor Connection and
make it available in every major city in
the world.
Pg. 30
Get informed. Get involved.
Visit the following web sites to learn more about volunteer-based tutoring,
mentoring and strategies to build networks and support for programs in
multiple locations.
Www.tutormentorexchange.net
www.tutormentorconnection.org
http://tutormentor.blogspot.com
Http://mappingforjustice.blogspot.com
Http://tutormentorexchange.net.wordpress.com
http://tutormentorexchange.net/conceptmaps
Dan Bassill
Connect on Twitter
or email: tutormentor2@earthlink.net @tutormentorteam
Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC, Tutor/Mentor Connection

Merchandise Mart PO Box 3303, Chicago, Il. 60654
Why Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC and Tutor/Mentor Connection (T/MC)?

From 1993 to June 2011 the T/ MC operated as partner to the Cabrini Connections tutor/mentor program in Chicago, under one 501-
c-3 non profit board of directors. Due to financial pressure the T/MC was separated from the Cabrini Connections program in June
2011 and the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC was created to provide alternative strategies for generating revenue to continue to operate
the Tutor/Mentor Connection in Chicago while helping similar intermediary structures grow in other cities. The names will be used
interchangeably in many of our materials since both focus on the same mission.

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The Tutor/Mentor Connection:

Creating a Virtual Corporate Office

These stores are supported by corporate and regional office teams.

Maps can show

• Why we are needed

Tutor/Mentor Information Human Facilities Mgr.

Many leaders, including the 44th President of the United States,

How do we increase the number, and quality of “places” where

The purpose of this T/MC essay is not to convince you

The purpose is to recruit leaders from industry…

Since every shaded area on this map

 In reality, in many neighborhoods there are few

 When the availability of programs is looked at by

 number and age group of children served

 number of volunteers involved

 quality of staff available to support youth or volunteers

 uneven availability of arts, technology, career mentoring

The Tutor/Mentor Connection has been building a master database of programs in

Some companies have thousands of

Economies of scale are used to

Volunteers from business can

John. J. Shedd Each museum should be putting

We need to feed, cloth, Understand needs &

faith business media

Such a strategy will lead to a more even

See current map of Chicago volunteer-based

The T/MC seeks to recruit leaders

This evangelism will reach thousands

Build your visibility and reputation by what you do

Strategies like this can support volunteer-based tutor/mentor

Read this invitation to universities to create

As some of these volunteers become

See this idea illustrated at

These programs also create networking, learning and skill building

This strategy creates an army of people who are more personally

Using Internet e-collaboration tools, volunteers in a T/MC strategy learn

Read more about Benefits to business -

“Collective impact requires

A backbone organization with

Point workplace donations to

If you are a venture capital manager, or

Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC, Tutor/Mentor Connection

Why Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC and Tutor/Mentor Connection (T/MC)?

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