LGT Venture Philanthropy iCats Fellowship Program

Each year, LGT Venture Philanthropy selects a limited number of applicants for its iCats Fellowship Program. The Fellowship Program is special in many ways. The selected iCats Fellows form a class by meeting with their peers in Zurich (Switzerland), undertaking an orientation training before the assignment and receiving an intense mentoring support throughout their engagement. This additional Fellowship support helps the iCat Fellow to be most effective in-the-field. Meet iCats Fellow Alumni.

Fellowship positions are open for application in June-July each year. All Fellows start their assignment in February of the following year for a duration of 11 months.

Applications for the 2012 class will be open in June-July 2011.

Orientation workshop

To ensure optimal preparation of the Fellows for their assignment, LGT Venture Philanthropy invites the iCats Fellows to a 4 day compulsory orientation training each January. During the training, the Fellows study different business models of the participating social organizations, work in groups on a business case study, learn about cultural differences, exchange experiences with Fellow Alumni, and build up a relationship with their regional LGT Venture Philanthropy mentors and their peers in order to support each other throughout the year.

Mentorship program

The mentorship program kick-starts each year during the orientation workshop in Switzerland. Each Fellow meets his/her personal mentor from the LGT Venture Philanthropy regional team. As the mentors live in the region and work closely with the participating social organizations, they have a good understanding of the challenges in the field professionally as well as personally/culturally. Sharing this with the Fellows significantly benefits the efficiency and effectiveness of the Program.
At the beginning of each Fellowship, the iCats Fellow, the mentor and the line-manager at the organization define a result-oriented work plan for the duration of the assignment. The organization is responsible for managing the Fellow.
In a monthly phone call with the mentor, the Fellows discuss their challenges and progress. Brief written standard reports are to be submitted each month, as well as a half-annual and a final report. These reports will enable the mentor to give more focused mentoring support. Additionally, it will help to consolidate key learnings and achievements as well as better understand the main challenges involved.