WMI Fellowship Program

A WMI Fellowship unites, strengthens and empowers WMI Scholars to work together and create new partnerships throughout their home nations. Together scholars are able to use their diverse skills and expertise to give back and create positive change within their home communities.  

WMI Fellowships are created, led, and develop based upon your vision and commitment! Your drive to create this network and host meetings, events, fundraising initiatives, and implement very impactful and needed group community service projects is a key element in the Scholars Journey. We believe that each fellowship is valuable and is capable of creating immense change.

Existing WMI Fellowships Around the World

WMI Scholars are part of 13 WMI Fellowship groups established in Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe! If you are a WMI Scholar from one of these nations, reach out to one of the current leaders and introduce yourself. If your nation has not started a fellowship group, continue reading and consider being the founding member! Find the list of fellowship leaders on your student scholar and graduate scholar web pages.

How to Start a WMI Fellowship

Are you interested in starting a WMI Fellowship in your country? We want to support you! Any scholar (student or graduate) can take on the initiative to start a WMI Fellowship within their country. There is a limit of one WMI Fellowship per nation, so be sure to confirm that a group doesn’t already exist before starting the process below.

Learn more about the fellowship program and share this resource with other WMI Scholars as you recruit and build interest:

WMI Fellowship Program – Basics 101

WMI Fellowship Program – Los Basicos 101

WMI Fellowship Program – Notions de Base 101

5 Steps to Launch a WMI Fellowship

Step 1: Connect with other scholars and tell them about why you would like to start a WMI Fellowship. If you need help connecting with other scholars, write to phoeby@wellsmountaininitiative.org

Step 2: Identify at least two other scholars who will help you to create a WMI Fellowship.

Step 3: Together develop responses for the questions on the Forming a WMI Fellowship application questions.

Step 4: Submit one Forming a WMI Fellowship application and WMI will review your plan.

Step 5: Once approved by WMI you should begin planning to host your first in-person group meeting.

After hosting your first in-person meeting, complete a Fellowship Meeting Report and your group will soon be inaugurated as the newest fellowship nation!

Fellowship Members, Partners and Volunteers

The WMI Fellowship program was created to support the networking, leadership growth, and combined impact of WMI Scholars throughout individual nations. For these reasons, only WMI Scholars are eligible to be members. However, we encourage the development of local partnerships and the involvement of volunteers! Both can assist with increasing the scope of a project’s impact, they can contribute special knowledge and skills, provide in-kind donations, and assist with financial contributions for events. Please carefully read the following policies related to members, partners and volunteers:
 
  • WMI Fellowship membership is only open to WMI Scholars (students and graduates)
  • There should be no second classification of WMI Fellowship members.
  • Fellowships are encouraged to create partnerships to support activities. A partnership is classified when a group/club/organization/business agrees to support and or participate in a WMI Fellowship hosted project or event.
  • Fellowships are also able to engage volunteers to participate in projects and events. A volunteer is classified as an individual that agrees to support and or participate in a WMI Fellowship hosted project or event.
  • Both partnerships (groups) and volunteers (individuals) are not eligible to become WMI Fellowship members and are not eligible to hold leadership positions within WMI Fellowships.
  • There should be a clear distinction that a group is participating in a partner capacity and that an individual (who is not a WMI Scholar) is participating as a volunteer. 
  • Partners and volunteers should receive communications about upcoming events and can be asked for event-based contributions (financial donations/in-kind donations).
  • “Membership Dues” from partners or volunteers should not be collected, as they are not WMI Fellowship members.
  • Optional idea: Some fellowships have honored partners and volunteer participation at events by providing a participation certificate! WMI is happy to provide our logo and e-signatures.

Fellowship Reporting Requirements

It is a requirement for WMI Fellowships to complete two-types of reports:

  • Fellowship Meeting Report 2024: To be completed within one week of an in-person meeting or after a virtual meeting where important decisions are made. Please upload or email high quality photos from the meeting too.
  • WMI Fellowship Annual Survey: To be completed by a leadership member once a year. A link will be sent to the Fellowship Chairperson to then delegate for completion in January of each year. 

WMI Fellowships are also encouraged to keep an updated member list/directory, minutes from meetings, and updated financial records.

Many Fellowships find it especially helpful to plan their group’s meetings and activities with a twelve-month perspective. Use the WMI Fellowship Annual Work Plan 2024 tool to plan, assign responsibilities, and continue moving your fellowship forward!

Fellowship Development Fund

The Fellowship Development Fund provides financial support of up to $500 USD to official WMI Fellowships. This funding opportunity is available to groups that have newly formed (0-2 years) and fellowship groups that have existed for over 2 years with the focus on sustaining development and growth.  

The Fellowship Development Fund Goal

  • The goal of this funding source is to assist WMI Fellowships with partial targeted financial support to increase group participation, professional growth, and community impact.
  • The Fellowship Development Fund will not be used to acquire Fixed Assets such as computers, printers, phones etc.

Areas of Funding Support

Fellowships can apply for partial funding support to assist with:
  • Registration fee costs
  • Transportation stipends to support student scholars to attend meetings and community events
  • Community events
  • Fellowship income-generating projects
  • Professional and/or fellowship development workshops
Learn more and access the application here.

Questions or Concerns

To seek application assistance or to learn more about this program, please contact:

Phoeby Musonda
Central & Southern Africa Regional Coordinator
phoeby@wellsmountaininitiative.org 

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