What Influence Mentoring Society does

Influence Mentoring Society is a Calgary, Alberta-based Canadian registered charity (society) that operates an online mentorship program connecting Indigenous post-secondary students with volunteer industry mentors across Canada. The organization facilitates career guidance, cultural support, and professional development by matching Indigenous students with mentors drawn from corporate and professional networks, operating virtually rather than through a physical center. The charity does not generate commercial revenue; instead, it is funded through donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations, with the most significant disclosed contributions being a $250,000 CAD gift from Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively in March 2021 and a $100,000 CAD donation from Cenovus Energy in February 2023, totaling approximately $350,000 CAD in disclosed major gifts.

The organization's platform model is human-mediated rather than technology-mediated: there is no disclosed proprietary matching engine, no AI/ML tooling, and no SaaS-style product offering. The core product is a structured mentorship experience delivered by volunteer mentors, supported by partnerships with settlement agencies (Calgary Catholic Immigration Society), national mentoring bodies (MENTOR Canada), and corporate sponsors (RBC, Cenovus, Starbucks Canada, Matrix Solutions). A signature initiative is the co-created "Indigenous Power of Mentoring" event with MENTOR Canada and Starbucks Canada's Indigenous Partner Network.

The organization is small, with a stated headcount of 1-10 employees, and was established with a board in December 2020. Its go-to-market approach relies on community trust within Indigenous populations and reputational leverage from high-profile donors and corporate partners rather than paid acquisition. Revenue mechanics are donation-driven and episodic, with no disclosed recurring donor program, endowment, or earned-income stream, making financial predictability highly dependent on a small number of major gifts.

Name

Influence Mentoring Society

Legal name

Influence Mentoring Society

Website

https://influencementoring.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Influence Mentoring Society is a Calgary-based Canadian charity that runs an online mentorship program connecting Indigenous post-secondary students with volunteer industry mentors for career and cultural support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Mentorship Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Child and Youth Services (62411), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Mentoring, Coaching, Alumni Networking & Peer Support Platforms (EDAFAMAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD), Peer-to-Peer & Student Mentor Tutoring Platforms (EDANAGAK)

Keywords

• Mentorship programs
• Indigenous education
• Career mentoring
• Nonprofit services
• Student support

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary, AB

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization is a registered charity that relies on donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations to fund program operations and expansion.
2. Sponsorship Revenue: Corporate sponsors provide financial support, volunteer opportunities, in-kind donations, and learning opportunities in exchange for association with the program and access to Indigenous talent.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Influence Mentoring Society operates a free, Canada-wide online mentorship program that pairs Indigenous post-secondary students (First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and Non-Status) with industry professionals for one-on-one career mentoring across five streams: Business, Technical, Financial, Community Development, and Academic. The program includes mentor-protégé matching, a downloadable Mentor's Toolkit (Guide to Effective Mentoring), skill-building workshops, a speaker series, and networking events, all delivered virtually through online applications and meetings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Influence Mentorship Program
• Mentor's Toolkit (Guide to Effective Mentoring)

Quantifiable outcome

• Post-secondary students matched with industry mentors for career guidance
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RBC (Royal Bank of Canada)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRBC partners with Influence Mentoring as part of their commitment to Indigenous communities. RBC recognizes that their success depends on the health and prosperity of the communities where they live and work, and they have a strong commitment to building relationships with Indigenous communities based on mutual respect and shared values.
• CCIS (Calgary Catholic Immigration Society)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCIS has partnered with Influence Mentoring to support Indigenous post-secondary students with their educational and career goals. As a settlement organization, CCIS recognizes the importance of introducing newcomers to the history, culture, and traditions of Indigenous peoples.
• Matrix Solutions Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMatrix Solutions, a Montrose Environmental company, partners with Influence Mentoring through a program aligned with their desire to increase levels of Indigenous participation across the environmental sector. They are committed to working with Indigenous community partners.
• MENTOR CanadaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMENTOR Canada co-created the Indigenous Power of Mentoring event with Influence Mentoring and Starbucks Canada Indigenous Partner Network to build career connections with Indigenous young leaders.
• Starbucks Canada Indigenous Partner Network (IPN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStarbucks Canada Indigenous Partner Network co-created the Indigenous Power of Mentoring event with MENTOR Canada and Influence Mentoring to build career connections with Indigenous young leaders.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Indspire: Leading Indigenous-led charity providing scholarships, bursaries, and programs for Indigenous post-secondary students across Canada. Directly comparable given overlapping mission to support Indigenous students through education and career pathways.
• MENTOR Canada: National umbrella organization for mentoring in Canada that actively partners with Influence Mentoring on the Indigenous Power of Mentoring event. Both operate in the Canadian mentoring ecosystem serving youth and young adults.
• Indigenous Works: National nonprofit advancing Indigenous workplace inclusion and workforce development. Comparable given shared focus on bridging Indigenous talent with corporate Canada and the broader reconciliation agenda.
• AFOA Canada: Indigenous-led professional association supporting Indigenous people in management, finance, and business careers. Directly comparable given its focus on Indigenous professional development, one of IMS's five career streams.
• Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB): Indigenous-led nonprofit fostering Indigenous business and workforce inclusion through programming and corporate partnerships. Comparable in serving Indigenous talent pipelines connecting Indigenous professionals with Canadian employers.
• Pathways to Education Canada: Charity providing supports to youth from low-income communities to graduate high school and pursue post-secondary education. Comparable as a youth-serving nonprofit focused on educational attainment and transitions to post-secondary.

Broad incumbents

• Boys and Girls Club of Canada: National youth-serving nonprofit providing after-school programs, mentorship, and career development across Canada. Comparable given youth development programming, though operating at a much larger scale and broader demographic.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada: Established nationwide youth mentoring nonprofit operating across Canadian communities with a much larger footprint. Comparable as a mentoring organization but with a broader youth focus rather than Indigenous post-secondary specialization.
• United Way Indigenous Initiatives: Major Canadian nonprofit funding and operating Indigenous-focused programs across education, employment, and community. Comparable as a donor and convener for Indigenous-serving programs, though much broader in scope.

Emerging players

• TakingITGlobal: Digital platform and nonprofit connecting young people globally for mentorship, civic engagement, and learning. Comparable as a tech-enabled youth mentorship platform, though with a global rather than Indigenous-specific focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/influence-mentoring-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Influence Mentoring Society