Africa Studio/Shutterstock.com
as a way to make a difference in your
community or be better prepared for a
localized emergency response, there’s a
wealth of advice from chapters that have
already taken these steps.
Abby Tripp Heverin
As ICF’s Communications
Coordinator, Abby oversees
content development for
Coaching World and helps
implement the organization’s
public relations strategy.
If you’re interested in
submitting to a future issue
of CW, email her at
abby.heverin@
coachfederation.org.
Caring for Your
Community
with Pro Bono
Coaching
At some point in your coaching
journey, you’ve no doubt
provided pro bono coaching
services to a client, either as
a way to add to your bank of
coaching experience hours or
to support an individual who
you know will benefit from
your services but can’t afford
your standard rate.
However, a growing number of coaches
and ICF Chapters are institutionalizing
these efforts in service of humanity
flourishing by offering pro bono coaching
to individuals or organizations with
a demonstrated need. Often, these
initiatives respond to an urgent situation,
such as a natural disaster. Other programs
are designed to provide sustained support
to nonprofits that would like to offer
coaching to members of their staff or the
constituencies they serve, but can’t find
room in an already-tight budget to do so.
If you or the members of your ICF Chapter
are considering pro bono coaching
28 Coaching World
Under the leadership of then-Chapter
President Fabrizia Ingenito, PCC, the
members of ICF Italy rapidly organized
a pro bono initiative to provide Business
and Executive Coaching to individuals
impacted by a deadly earthquake that
struck northern Italy in 2012. For its
efforts, the chapter was honored with a
2012 ICF I Care For Chapter Award,
given to ICF Chapters and Charter
Chapters that establish a significant
coaching presence in their communities
by providing coaching for free to those
who would not have access to it otherwise.
In 2012, under the leadership of
Community Outreach Director
(and current Chapter President-elect)
Freddi Donner, ACC, ICF Metro DC
constructed a pro bono coaching initiative
that connected 50 coaches with five
Washington, D.C., USA-based nonprofits:
Share Our Strength, the International
Monetary Fund Family Association,
Homeward Deployed, Leadership
Arlington and Leadership Fairfax. The
following year, the chapter extended its
pro bono offerings to include education
around coaching and free laser coaching
at nonprofit associations’ events. Last
year, ICF Metro DC was honored with the
2013 ICF I Care For Award.
Here, courtesy of Fabrizia, Freddi and
their colleagues, are five suggested
practices for building a pro bono coaching
program capable of transforming lives
and, in turn, communities:
1. Identify a target beneficiary.
When you’re launching a pro bono
coaching program, it’s easy to get carried
away by your passion for the project and
try to create a program that is all things
to all people. However, it’s advisable—
particularly at the onset of your
program—to limit your scope. This may
mean following the lead of ICF Metro DC’s