Member FAQ
You will receive an email from SINE staff 2-3 weeks after the application deadline indicating whether or not you have been selected to continue in the orientation process to become a SINE member at this time.
SINE staff will reach out to you via email to let you know the status of your application within 3-4 weeks after the application deadline.
SINE IN events are quarterly opportunities for all SINE Members and Mentors to come together. These events will have workshops with guest speakers that will present on topics within the four SINE focus areas. There will also be opportunities to engage in subject matter related to growing as a Mentor and Member. SINE INs aren’t only for personal and professional development, but also a space that will allow for connections to be made outside of Mentoring Circles throughout the wider SINE community.
Mentors and Members commit to attending at least two SINE INs each year while involved in a Circle.
Once you complete the application and orientation process, you will begin your Mentoring Circle experience:
- Engage in a 1-year commitment to Mentoring Circles
- Each Circle meets monthly with 3 mentors and 7-9 mentees
- Attend at least two quarterly SINE IN (Intentional Networking) Events while enrolled in a Mentoring Circle
- Complete annual Social Mobility Scorecard (reporting & accountability tool)
- Complete SINE Application
- Attend SINE Member Orientation & Mentee Training
- Begin Mentoring Circle experience
- Register for and attend the virtual Financial Fundamentals Course, and complete Pre + Post Course Surveys
SINE strives to connect diverse rising leaders to meaningful opportunities and share valuable information focusing on financial education, leadership development, wealth building, and civic & community engagement.
SINE is a network of historically underrepresented college graduates from communities of color and low-income rural areas in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Members are young professionals/recent college graduates, who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), and commit to build wealth and grow professionally through SINE.
No. The role of the mentor is not to provide financial advice or services. Rather, mentors provide support and walk alongside SINE members as they work to grow in the focus areas of financial education, professional/leadership development, wealth building and civic & community engagement.
Mentoring meetings are virtual/video meetings. Given physical/social distancing and safety guidelines and precautions, programming has been designed for a fully virtual format. The possibility of including options for in-person meetings and events at a future date exists, but there is no expectation or plan for Mentoring Circles to meet in person at this time/until further notice.
You are only asked to share information like debt, savings, how much you earn, etc., with SINE via the secure Portal and surveys/reporting tools, to track your progress and measure impact. This is to help YOU stay accountable and understand how you are moving through your social mobility experience.
Growth is a process; real change takes time. Once fully oriented as a SINE Member, you will begin a 1 year Mentoring Circle experience. (See time commitment question.) Over your first 12 months as a SINE Member, if you put in the effort, you will set strong foundations to reach your long-term goals.
After the first year, SINE Members are asked to stay engaged by attending quarterly events and providing updates on their progress through surveys/reporting. There will also be other optional ways to engage in overtime based on identified needs.
We will keep up with you and support you as you reach the next stages of your wealth building and leadership journey. If you tap in, the SINE community will walk alongside you as you progress in your professional and wealth building journey for years to come. We’re all in.
Following the application process, the orientation phase will require investing:
- 2 hours attending the SINE Member Orientation
- Approximately 10 hours of financial education through the online financial fundamentals course (2.5 hours/month in the first 4 months of circle engagement)
During the first year of SINE Membership, you’ll commit to spend at least:
- 1-2 hours monthly participating in mentoring circle meetings
- 1-2 hours attending quarterly SINE IN (intentional networking) events
- Approximately 30 minutes of surveys/reporting per quarter
There is no cost to apply.
We do not charge a membership fee; what it takes to be a member is your time and energy. This includes honoring your commitments, such as attending circle meetings, participating in discussions, and being an active part of the community.
SINE employs a culturally responsive cohort model to encourage accountability in community and connection to a professional network while focusing on social mobility. In addition to mentorship and financial education/wealth-building, SINE emphasizes leadership development and civic & community engagement as core elements of increasing social mobility.
Members do not need to have any finance-related background, or come from a specific industry or profession. Members and Mentors represent all fields, including but not limited to: Finance & Accounting, Business & Entrepreneurship, Marketing & Communications, People & Engagement, and Tech.
Students who hold a Bachelor’s and are currently enrolled in grad school, or have received a postgraduate degree within the last 5 years, are welcome to apply.
SINE members must hold an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree at the time of application.
By our current requirements, Members should have graduated with a 2-year or a 4-year degree within the past 5 years and be 18-35 years of age; OR hold an undergraduate degree and are currently pursuing a postgraduate degree and be under 40 years of age at the time of application.
Our desire is to build a network of leaders who have a strong connection to the region; leaders who see themselves making this the place to build a career and participate in the community. As such, we currently accept applicants who have a significant connection to Oregon or Southwest Washington (such as they are from/grew up in; and/or attend(ed) high school/college in Oregon/SW Washington). We want to ensure that the leaders of Oregon and Southwest Washington reflect the people who live here.
SINE is an initiative of Oregon-based nonprofit The Contingent.
No; but all Members have a strong connection to Oregon or Southwest Washington. Our vision is to see today’s college graduates of color and low-income rural graduates close current income and wealth gaps and increase wealth and social mobility so that Oregon and SW Washington’s community leaders reflect our region’s growing and diversifying population.
SINE is a network of historically underrepresented college graduates from communities of color and low-income rural areas in Oregon. Members are young professionals/recent college graduates, who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), and commit to build wealth and grow professionally through SINE.