Program Accreditation

Accreditation Levels

The IMA offers 2 levels of accreditation: Gold and Silver. Both levels of accreditation indicate a program with good program results, effective design, and commendable implementation. Indeed, no program can attain accreditation without showing strong positive results.

The accreditation program review process is the same for both levels of accreditation, with the addition of interviews of program leaders and participants for Gold accreditation. Program accreditation is good for 5 years, with a mid-cyle “check-in” conducted by IMA.

Silver Accreditation

Mentoring programs with Silver Accreditation status are well implemented, sustainable, and successful at accomplishing mentoring goals and objectives. Although the program design may differ with some components of the IMA program standards, the overall design addresses the content and spirit of the IMA standards. Silver accredited programs have evidence of success, although they may benefit from the improvement or development of specific program components.

To attain Silver Accreditation, a program must score at least 85 points through the program documentation review. Silver Accreditation shall remain in effect for one year from the date of approval. Should the accreditation team recommend Silver Accreditation, the cost will be $2,000, which is covered by the application fee.

Gold Accreditation

Mentoring programs with Gold Accreditation status are well implemented, sustainable, and successful at accomplishing mentoring goals and objectives. The design of these programs closely aligns with IMA program standards. Programs with Gold Accreditation status are adequately supported and managed. They have clear goals and objectives, and they have clear processes for monitoring mentoring relationships and evaluating mentee growth. Although Gold accredited programs continuously seek areas for improvement, they can serve as models for other programs.

To attain Gold Accreditation, a program must score at least 96 points through the program documentation review and application interviews. Gold Accreditation shall remain in effect for three years from the date of approval. Should the accreditation team recommend Gold Accreditation, the cost will be $5,500, of which part is covered by the application fee.

Accreditation Process

Request

Request the application.

Assemble

Assemble the required program documentation (see RFA page 6-8) and convert it to PDF files.

Complete

Complete the application cover sheet and table of contents (See RFA Appendix A, page 10).

Email

Email your application materials (from #2 and #3) to accreditation@mentoringassociation.org

Send

Send an original signed copy of the cover sheet to:

IMA Accreditation
4211 NW 186th Street
Newberry, Florida 32669

Also include:
The application fee of $2,000 by check or money order (will be applied to accreditation fees or partially refunded)

What Happens Next?

At this point, the IMA accreditation team will review your program materials against the scoring guide found in the RFA (see RFA Appendix B, page 11) to determine a score of 0 – 95.

If the program will be recommended for Silver Accreditation, the process is complete. The application fee is applied to the accreditation fee, and the program does not need to make any additional payment.

If the reviewers believe the program may be eligible for Gold Accreditation, the lead reviewer will schedule interviews with program representatives. If the review team recommends Gold Accreditation after conducting the interviews, program leadership will be notified and will be invoiced for the balance in fees ($5,500 – $2,000 application fee = $3,500).

The IMA Board of Directors issues the accreditation status and confers all benefits described in the RFA.

If you have a specific question after reviewing the Accreditation Summary, please contact the Accreditation Chair, Julie Gonzales.

Accreditation Summary

Program Accreditation