Help to Grow: ABM Membership Upgrade Path

The ABM Membership: Supporting you on your mentoring journey

The ABM is delighted to be a mentoring partner for the Government’s Help to Grow Management programme.

Help to Grow volunteer mentors can upgrade to Full or Associate membership of the ABM to benefit from a number of additional professional and commercial opportunities to support them on their mentoring journey.

The ABM welcomes applications from both aspiring and experienced business mentors and coaches.

ABM Membership Levels & Additional Benefits

There is a subsidised upgrade path to ABM Full or Associate membership which takes into account the interview and volunteer membership benefits which are part of Help to Grow. See the chart below for more information on the ABM's membership benefits.

The Help to Grow Membership

Help to Grow membership is designed to support you in gaining more experience as a mentor through volunteering opportunities. This includes access to many of the ABM’s training and development opportunities and access to the regional network.

By upgrading to ABM Associate or Full Membership you will benefit from being part of the recognised ABM professional framework, as well as have the opportunity to be part of the ABM’s Special Interest Groups. Full Members have access to commercial opportunities and their mentoring profiles are available on the ABM "Find a Mentor" page.

See a full list of ABM Membership benefits below.

Criteria for Associate and Full ABM Membership

ABM Associate Membership

Aspiring mentor
No previous mentoring experience needed
Have started, run and or owned a business, or to have played a significant operational role in such a business
A desire to become a professional business mentor, therefore committed to CPD (20 hours per year)
Professional Indemnity Insurance holder

ABM Full Membership

Worked as a mentor or coach with at least three businesses over the last two years totalling 30 hours
Have started, run and or owned a business, or to have played a significant operational role in such a business
Professional interview with director(s)
Requirement to do 20 hours CPD every year through formal and informal training
Commitment and requirement to do 1hr Supervision for every 30 hours of mentoring, in any case 4 hours a year (can be 121 and group supervision, or through peer-to-peer groups)
Professional Indemnity Insurance holder

Discounted ABM Membership Fees

Help to Grow volunteer mentors looking to upgrade to ABM Full or Associate membership can benefit from a discount on their fees.

£100 annually (discounted from £200) for a Full ABM Membership and £87.50 (discounted from £175) for an Associate ABM Membership whilst the Help to Grow mentor remains a member of the Help to Grow course and is in an active Help to Grow mentorship or looking for a Help to Grow match.

The one-off joining fee of £120 (Full Member) / £80 (Associate Member) is waived.

Upgrade Your Membership

The Upgrading Process

In order to apply for an upgrade to your membership, please fill out the online application form here.

We welcome applications from business mentors, consultants and coaches who are yet to have been engaged by a client or mentoring in the workplace but have business experience and an interest in developing their business mentoring skills.

Please note: You require Professional Indemnity Insurance cover to be an Associate or Full member. The ABM has partnered with Westminster Global Insurance for a discounted PI. Click here to access the discount.

Membership Upgrade Application Process

Complete the online application form here.
Your application will be reviewed by a member of the ABM Executive who will make a recommendation based on your answers provided.
Due diligence checks will be carried out on the information you have provided.
Your application will either be accepted or rejected. If rejected, an explanation as to why we cannot accept it at this time will be shared with you.
If accepted, you will be asked to pay the membership fee. As Help to Grow Mentor, your joining fee will be waived.

The application process usually takes approximately ten working days. In some circumstances it may take longer.

Upgrade Your Membership

Ready to upgrade your membership from Associate to Full?

At the Association of Business Mentors (ABM), we believe in recognising the dedication and growth of our Associate Members. We are pleased to offer a pathway for Associate Members (including Help to Grow Mentors who are also ABM Associate Members) who have accumulated the necessary expertise and meet the criteria to become Full Members.

The criteria to upgrade from Associate to ABM Full membership are:

Worked as a mentor or coach with at least three businesses over the last two years totalling 30 hours.
Have started, run and or owned a business, or to have played a significant operational role in such a business.
15 minute “check-in” with ABM team
Requirement to do 20 hours CPD every year through formal and informal training
Commitment and requirement to do 1hr Supervision for every 30 hours of mentoring, in any case 4 hours a year (can be 121 and group supervision, or through peer-to-peer groups.)
Professional Indemnity Insurance holder (Associate requirement too)

To upgrade your membership from Associate to Full, Click here

Contact Us!

For further information about ABM membership or if you have any questions, please get in touch with the operations team on [email protected].