About GMI
Global Mentorship Initiative (GMI) is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that helps historically underrepresented graduates secure their first professional roles and build thriving careers.
Many students come from backgrounds where they are the first in their family to enter the professional workforce, and their lack of connections or career exposure directly limits their opportunities.
To address this need, we offer a structured virtual mentoring program that pairs first-generation, low-income and refugee students with mentors who provide personalized one-to-one coaching during the critical window between graduation and their first career job.
74% of students who complete a GMI mentorship secure a job within 6 months of graduation. Moreover, within one year, that number increases to 88%, thanks to GMI’s proven mentorship model.
Since launching in 2019, over 25,000 students and mentors have joined GMI. Our diverse global community includes students in 150+ countries and 8 refugee camps, as well as mentors in 160+ countries.
Global, Accessible and Human-Centered
GMI’s mentorship program is free, fully virtual and requires minimal technology, making it accessible to graduates anywhere in the world. We partner with over 160 universities and youth-serving organizations worldwide to reach students in their own communities. We also offer mentorships in English, Spanish and French.
The program is powered by GMI’s global network of over 10,000 volunteer mentors, who are united in a shared passion for opening doors for underrepresented graduates. GMI provides mentors with a structured curriculum, prewritten materials, and guidance, making it easy for first-time mentors (70% of participants) to be effective from session one.
Our Origin Story
GMI began as part of the Rockefeller Foundation’s Digital Jobs Initiative, which aimed to create career opportunities for young graduates in high-unemployment areas. GMI’s founder, Jon Browning, served in a strategic leadership role with the initiative after a 24-year career at Microsoft.
He later co-launched the Global Impact Sourcing Coalition with the Rockefeller Foundation to promote digital job opportunities for youth in underserved communities. Jon developed the idea for GMI while working with job recruiters in Johannesburg, where first-generation graduates in high-unemployment areas struggled to find meaningful employment. Those with robust support networks, business connections and access to mentors had the advantage, leaving others behind. GMI aims to close this gap.
The GMI Difference
GMI’s structured career readiness mentorship is designed to equip first-generation, low-income and refugee students with the essential skills to stand out in the job market. The mentorship curriculum is highly practical, developed in partnership with industry practitioners, and continuously refined to match the evolving expectations of today’s employers. Through weekly one-to-one sessions, students receive real-time insights and confidence-building encouragement from their mentors.
The program is easy to implement, scalable and accessible anywhere in the world, ensuring that geographic location is never a barrier to mentorship. At under $300 per student, it is one of the most cost-effective career mentorship programs in the world.
