Club Training: Volunteer Management

Welcome to the Technovation Volunteer Management Module!

In this module you will become familiar with the diverse roles within the Technovation program and gain insights into how you can effectively support your volunteers.

Volunteers make it possible for girls everywhere to turn bold ideas into real impact through technology.

In 2025, our global network of volunteers helped bring Technovation to life. Here’s how they supported student teams at every step:

volunteers with wide-ranging skills served as mentors

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volunteer hours were dedicated by judges in evaluating projects

Student Ambassadors inspired participation in their regions

Volunteer Roles

Technovation volunteers support girls as they grow into tech creators and problem solvers, offering guidance from ideation to final pitches. Whether mentoring a team, sharing expert advice, or reviewing submissions, there’s a role for every skill set.

Below is a brief overview of each volunteer role:

👨‍🏫

Mentors

Professionals, educators, parents or postsecondary students or faculty that directly support teams throughout the season

🧠

Coaches

Topic specialists from Technovation’s corporate partners who support teams through 1-hour coaching sessions throughout the season.

🌟

Student Ambassadors

Technovation’s previous students, called “alumnae” that support their peers in the program

⚖️

Judges

Volunteers that provide feedback and scores to teams who submit their projects in the competition

All Club Ambassadors will recruit and support Mentors. Their involvement with other volunteer roles (Coaches, Student Ambassadors, Judges) may vary depending on their region and program structure.

The table below outlines the main aspects of each Technovation volunteer role.

Role	Time Commitment	Main Responsibilities
Mentor	1–3 hrs/week *	Long-term team support
Coach	1hr/session	One-time topical help
Student Ambassador	Flexible	Peer support & outreach
Judge	3–5+ hrs	Submission scoring & feedback

* varies based on the schedule of each local program

MENTORS

The Role Of Mentors

Mentors can be industry professionals, educators, staff, postsecondary faculty and students, Technovation Alumnae, or parents. Here are some of the key roles of mentors:

❝ One of the things I appreciate the most is that being a Mentor in this program constantly pushes me to learn. In order to guide and assist the girls, I’ve had to acquire new knowledge and skills, ranging from technical tools to problem-solving methods.

Technovation Mentor

2024 Season

Mentor Training

We offer training to introduce mentors to their role, provide guidance on how to support students effectively, and walk through the program’s structure and expectations.

Online Training

All mentors are required to complete Technovation’s web-based mentor training, available through our official website and accessible through the Mentor dashboard. This ensures that every volunteer is aligned with our mission and has the tools to support students effectively.

Local Training

We encourage Chapter Ambassadors to host local mentor training sessions to build community and provide regional context.

You can:

Use Technovation’s online mentor modules as part of your local training
Adapt session content to highlight your local schedule, logistics, or student needs

Please Note: We are unable to share the mentor training in other format such as downloadable slides. All training content is hosted online.

How to Support Mentors

Emphasize available resources

Technovation HQ sends regular updates via email & Slack + opportunities to attend live sessions on different topics throughout the season. These resources are open to all mentors.

Encourage co-mentoring

Encourage volunteers to invite a friend or colleague to join them so that they can share the workload. Club Ambassadors can also pair up Mentors in their Club if volunteers are seeking additional support.

Build community

Encourage mentors to share advice and ask questions with each other

Communication methods

Use 1-2 methods of communication, such as Whatsapp, email or Slack. Check-in to find any pain points; be open to questions and feedback

Share information proactively

Share info on logistics & events with mentors in advance, if possible, before sharing with teams.

Mentor Resources

The Mentor Resource Page offers a wide range of materials designed to help mentors feel confident and supported throughout the season. These tools provide guidance on using the curriculum, working with students, and staying connected.

Encourage your mentors to explore the following key resources:

Pre-Season Checklist – A helpful tool for all Mentors to prepare for their season
Student Curriculum – The content that students will use to brainstorm a problem and build a tech solution
Curriculum Slides – Slides mentors can use to walk their teams through lessons and activities
Mentor Curriculum Guide – A companion to the Student Curriculum that helps Mentors successfully facilitate and plan team meetings
Pre-Built Meeting Agendas – Ready-to-use agendas for Mentors
Mentor Newsletter – Sent every three weeks with new resources, live session invites, and important updates.

Club Ambassadors interested in recieving the Mentor newsletter can sign up here.

COACHES

The Role Of Coaches

Coaches are topic specialists who volunteer through Technovation’s corporate partners. Teams can book 1-hour sessions with Coaches to get support on specific topics. All teams may book multiple sessions throughout the season on the following:

How Coaches Support Teams

Coaching provides technical and industry-specific help for teams

Teams might ask coaches about:

📧Keep an eye on your email to know when coaching will open in early 2026!

STUDENT AMBASSADORS

The Role Of Student Ambassadors

Student Ambassadors are selected Technovation Alumnae who have completed at least one full season of the program and help run Technovation by supporting their peers to participate in the program. More information on this program is coming soon!

❝ Being from an underserved community, I wanted to bring more opportunities for girls to my hometown. I am able to do that as a student ambassador.

Past Student Ambassador

Uzbekistan

JUDGES

The Role Of Judges

NOTE: To maintain fairness, Club, Chapter, and Student Ambassadors, and Mentors are NOT allowed to be Judges.

Judges are volunteer professionals from the tech and business world who offer thoughtful feedback to help girls continue learning in tech and entrepreneurship. Technovation supports them with online training, resources, and clear evaluation rubrics. Here are the roles of Judges:

❝ It’s not just about scoring projects; it’s about encouraging and guiding the next generation of innovators. Judging is a fantastic way to make a big impact with a manageable time commitment.

Rahul Goel

Technovation Judge, 2025

Judging Formats

Technovation offers two main ways to judge student submissions: through in-person pitch events or online judging.

In-Person Judging

Takes place at local Regional Pitch Events (RPE) hosted by a Chapter, where teams pitch live.
Results of official RPEs count toward Round 1 of judging if they meet a set of requirements. Club teams can participate in local RPE’s if they are available.

Online Judging

Any teams who submit but do not attend an RPE will have their projects judged online. This takes place in Round 1 and 2 of judging.

⏰ Judge Time Commitment:
3+ hours to score at least 5 submissions.

Safety

Technovation is committed to helping our participants use technology safely and responsibly. We aim to provide a safe space where students can experiment and build their resilience and perseverance.

We have developed a set of guidelines for all adults interacting with students in the program:

I still have a question

You can always reach out to Technovation’s Volunteer Engagement Team on Slack or at volunteers@technovation.org.

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