Last year, LaShaun Martin, a military veteran who bravely removed herself from a domestic violence situation, was homeless. Resolving to find employment and permanent housing for herself and her children — and recognizing the need for outside assistance — she enrolled in several different Pittsburgh-area programs, including Pennsylvania Women Work's New Choices career development service.
Acknowledging the value of one-on-one contact with a knowledgeable mentor, Martin also applied to be a part of the 3 Cups of Coffee mentorship program. She was paired up with Sarah Minney, an employee of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in the social services field.
Over the three mentorship meetings, Minney helped Martin narrow down a list of potential employers, choosing to target the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Allegheny Intermediate Unit (AIU). Together, the women determined the prerequisites for applying, including transcripts and clearances. They polished up her resume, and Minney provided Martin with tips on how to interview.
Just a couple weeks later, Martin was recruited for the perfect position: a personal care assistant for special needs children at the AIU’s Sunrise School in Monroeville. She applied, interviewed, and was hired.
Recipe for Success
Martin credits the 3 Cups of Coffee and New Choices programs with helping her meet her goals.
“I was so prepared from the mentorship that, when the opportunity came and that position opened up, I had everything I needed already in place,” she explains. “3 Cups of Coffee absolutely prepared me to get the position.”
PA Women Work, a statewide nonprofit serving women in transition, partnered with Pittsburgh coffee company Crazy Mocha to brew up this recipe for success. The shop provides mentees and mentors with free coffee and a comfortable, informal meeting location for the mentorship meetings.
“We are providing so much more than just free coffee,” says Samantha Stroyne, territory manager for Crazy Mocha. “Coffee shops are neutral ground, whereas boardrooms are scary and office space is sterile and unwelcoming. There is always great conversation in coffee shops. Our stores provide a place for the mentees to be comfortable and to open up.”
“It’s a nice, non-threatening environment, not like sitting across the desk from someone like you’re in an interview,” adds Julie Marx, executive director of PA Women Work.
The broader New Choices program — PA Women Work’s flagship program supporting low-income women in transition, displaced homemakers and survivors of domestic abuse — does a great job of addressing self-esteem issues and the readiness component of getting people back to work. They offer free counseling, career training and tailored job search assistance. Through the program, Martin enrolled in free classes on career development, Microsoft Office, computers, and customer service training.
The 3 Cups of Coffee program takes it a step further and increases job placement for women in the program. The goal is to help these work-ready women tap the hidden job market — positions not listed on job sites or in newspapers, but found only if you’re lucky enough to know people who work for a certain company.
“Our women didn’t really have access to those hidden jobs that are so prevalent,” explains Julie Marx, executive director of PA Women Work. “One of the reasons was that they had no sort of networking capabilities or had lost their professional network over time. 3 Cups of Coffee came about to fill that gap. Through networking and meeting over three cups of coffee or tea, we are helping them gain access to the hidden job market by taking advantage of their mentor’s network.”
3 Cups of Coffee program mentees often start at a higher average pay than other program graduates because they have the opportunity to tap the hidden job market.
“Feedback from the mentors and mentees has been phenomenal,” says Marx. “The mentees’ confidence increases 100 fold after having their three sessions. The mentors love it because it gives them the opportunity to contribute, to pay it back, to other women.”
Realizing the program’s impact on both mentee and mentor, PA Women Work has expanded it to include women outside its organization. A cross-referral system has been established with the United Way Women’s Power Initiative, PA CareerLink, Dress for Success Pittsburgh, and the Oakland Planning and Development Corporation’s JobLinks program. A partnership with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank is also in the works.
Minding Mentors
Finding mentors for 3 Cups of Coffee was easier than PA Women Work thought it would be. BNY Mellon was instrumental in helping the nonprofit develop the mentorship curriculum, and a good number of its employees are among the 80 current mentors in the program. Other participating area businesses include PNC Bank, UPMC, Giant Eagle, PPG Industries, Port Authority of Allegheny County, Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, Gateway Health, Bayer Health, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, People’s Natural Gas, United Way, RTI International Metals and VisitPITTSBURGH.
3 Cups of Coffee is especially appealing to volunteers because of its contsraints. The three hour-long meetings make it an attractive opportunity for busy professionals without a lot of extra free time.
And the experience is incredibly rewarding.
“You can make a huge impact on someone’s life with a relatively short time commitment,” enthuses Minney, who highly recommends the program to both mentors and mentees alike.