The School of St Jude is seeking online volunteers to serve as trusted mentors (please note, this is an unpaid role) for our Next Frontier Incubation and Small Grants Program. This exciting initiative equips alumni to launch or grow social enterprises, small businesses, and NGOs that will bring meaningful change to their lives and communities.
St Jude’s has more than 1,700 alumni who are out in the world making their mark. Many are dreaming of launching businesses and NGOs that serve their communities. But unlike many young people around the world, they cannot easily turn to parents or relatives for guidance. In fact, 90% of our tertiary graduates’ parents only reached primary education.
So, when we found our students and graduates were hungry to establish themselves in the world of business and impact making, we were there to help provide the skills and the means. This year we launched the Next Frontier Incubation and Small Grants Program. The program runs twice a year and selects passionate alumni who are determined to be the next wave of entrepreneurs and social impact leaders. Over several months they receive in-person or online training for two hours a week in the basics: business development, finance, compliance, marketing and more.
The program culminates in a Pitching Competition where participants present their idea in-person to a panel of judges, with the strongest receiving a St Jude’s Small Grant to bring their vision to life. Think of it as St Jude’s own version of Shark Tank.
While training and pitching provides a basic foundation, our alumni need ongoing one-on-one support: someone to listen deeply, offer constructive feedback, and share real-world experience so that they are ready to pitch their ideas at the end of incubation. That’s where your expertise makes a difference.
We already have more than 70 alumni enrolled in the Incubation Program, developing enterprises in fields from agriculture to technology. We would love to match them with compassionate experts who can help them succeed.
The goal is that within just a few months of mentoring and training, our alumni are ready to pitch their ideas to a panel of Tanzanian professionals, our Sharks. Pitching rounds take place every six months, so if you enjoy the experience, we will gladly match you with a new alum in the next round.
St Jude's is located in Arusha, a town that serves as the gateway to popular East African national parks and game reserves such as Ngorongoro Crater, the vast plains of Serengeti, Lake Manyara, Tarangire, and Arusha National Park. It is also near Mt. Kilimanjaro—the largest free-standing mountain in the world. You'll have the opportunity to experience the breathtaking beauty of Africa before or after your volunteer period at the school.
We are seeking well-experienced mentors with many years of experience in starting or expanding a business or NGO, as well as long-standing expertise in one of the specific fields listed below:
All our graduates also need skills in:
How to Apply:
Think you’d make a great mentor? Please send your CV and a letter about why you would be a great mentor and how many alumni you can mentor per week to Neema
Applications are always open, there are two Incubators a year, culminating in the pitching competition. Suitable applicants will be invited to a quick video call with the program team.
Tanzanian and International applicants are invited to apply.
