From One Click to a Lifelong Calling

By Stephanie Makhlouf, Programme Manager at forgood

We often talk about employee volunteering in terms of hours logged and activities completed. But some of the most powerful stories on our platform don’t fit neatly into a single campaign or a once-off day. They start with one small “yes” and quietly grow into something much bigger.

This is one of those stories. In 2019, Thuleleni Mbhansa, an employee at Momentum Group, saw a need on Momentum Group Volunteers, the group’s employee volunteering platform. A community organisation in Freedom Park, Soweto, was looking for mentors for its learners. She signed up. Seven years later, she is still there, and her role looks very different.

Celebrating with learners at a Phakamani Young Minds Academy event

From mentor to mentor of mentors

The Cause behind that first post is Phakamani Young Minds Academy (PYMA), a community-based organisation that supports children and young people through after-school education, tutoring, mentorship and pathways into further study and work. What began in a single backroom now reaches more than 1,200 children and young people.

Thuleleni started where many volunteers do: one learner at a time. For several years she offered guidance, encouragement and accountability to young people navigating school and life. As she puts it, the experience gave her “a deep understanding of both the potential of young people and the importance of having trusted adults who can guide them.”

Thuleleni with members of the PYMA team

Then something shifted. After years of mentoring, she realised her knowledge could reach further if she shared it. Today, she:

Trains new mentors, designing and facilitating sessions on mentorship skills and best practice

Shapes the programme, advising on training content and the strategic direction of PYMA’s mentorship approach

Supports the team behind the scenes, offering ongoing virtual support to the staff member who leads the programme

Develops the next generation, coaching recent university graduates, some of them former learners, to become mentors themselves

Bokang Mokoena, PYMA’s Executive Director, sums it up simply: she started out by responding to a need for a mentor. Now she manages the mentors, and mentors the mentors.

The multiplier effect

One mentor can change a handful of lives. A mentor who trains other mentors changes many more. That is exactly what has happened here.

No single volunteer can take credit for a 94% pass rate, and Thuleleni would be the first to say so. But results like these are what becomes possible when a community receives sustained support rather than short-term help.

Learners enjoying a PYMA youth day

Perhaps the most meaningful outcome is the cycle it has started. Learners progress to university. Graduates come back as mentors. Those mentors guide the next group of learners. In Thuleleni’s words:

“Young people are not simply beneficiaries who need assistance. They are future mentors, professionals, leaders and contributors.”

Recognised for her commitment

Thuleleni’s dedication hasn’t gone unnoticed. She is a past winner at the Lesedi Awards, Momentum Group’s annual programme recognising employees who volunteer, and her work with PYMA continues to inspire colleagues to get involved.

What one connection can become

Thuleleni’s journey shows what employee volunteering can look like when a connection is given room to grow. A single response on a platform became a seven-year relationship. That relationship turned a volunteer into a leader, and a mentor into someone who builds mentors.

It’s also a reminder for companies. Many Momentum Group employees began with once-off mentoring sessions at PYMA. As they saw the difference they were making, they chose to stay.

Thuleleni with Bokang Mokoena, Executive Director of PYMA

Quick tips for growing long-term volunteer relationships

• Make the first step easy. A clear, specific need on your platform is often all it takes to get someone started.
• Partner for the long haul. Consistent relationships with the same Cause build trust on both sides.
• Let roles evolve. Experienced volunteers can move from doing to teaching, and from teaching to shaping strategy.
• Recognise your champions. Awards and stories like this one inspire others to take that first step.
• Close the loop. Help beneficiaries become contributors, and the impact keeps going long after one volunteer steps back.

As Thuleleni says, “Charitable work is not simply about giving time. It is about using experience, knowledge and relationships to build stronger systems.”