Looking Ahead to 2019: A Letter From Our CEO

EDGE Nation,

We have much to look forward to in 2019 as we build around our four key pillars: 1) Expansion, 2) Digital Infrastructure, 3) Growing with Partners and 4) Experiences that Transform.

EDGE has become the nation’s leader in whole-life, intergenerational mentoring through the third space we have created outside the home that is not where you go to work or church.

In 2019, we want to focus more resources on investing in our mentors and their ongoing development, as well as staking out a few new hubs outside Indianapolis for geographic expansion. We already have mentors and mentees in EDGE from 40 states, but there has been national interest in bringing the EDGE model to cities throughout the U.S. Atlanta is currently top on our radar list.

Additionally, we will continue to invest in recruiting top talent to optimize your EDGE experience. We recently selected a mentoring software platform we will be implementing over the next couple months that you will have access to in 2019.

Look for new events and experiences to attend and sharpen your own development, while meeting interesting people to connect with and learn from on your journey.

2018 has been our most impactful year yet, and you’ve played a critical part in making this a reality.

Here are just a few key highlights:

We created a strategic plan through 2021 that helped to refine our mission/vision/values and set a course for the near future. Many thanks to the Lilly Endowment for enabling us to hire the talent and create the margin to make this happen.
We added over 60 mentors, 230 mentees and introduced a couple new products such as Guest Mentors and EDGE at Work.
We hosted over a dozen experiences from Women’s events to special events in partnership with Harrison Center (Enneagram and Ian Cron), High Alpha/Hyde Park (Brett Hagler) and Trinity Forum (Michael Wear/Allison Melangton) to our Annual Connect Breakfast for Corporate Partners/Donors (Chris Ballard, GM of Indianapolis Colts) to a couple socials and our first-ever EDGE Day of Service at Shepherd Community Center.
The EDGE story was told on nearly 20 podcasts and other earned media outlets this year. Our blog continues to grow with stories of impact featuring many of you.
We moved to a new office in the Herron-Morton neighborhood of Indianapolis (19th & Central) and added a couple key new hires: Anne O’Brien and Trevor DeWitt.
Finally, we hosted our third annual EDGE|X conference at Traders Point Church with nearly 3,000 attendees and survey feedback declaring it was the best one yet.

We are grateful for your decision to be part of #EDGENation and hope you are experiencing value in each of your EDGE interactions.

Don’t hesitate to drop me a note at dave@edgementoring.org with your feedback.

Finally, if you feel that EDGE has positively impacted your life – consider contributing financially either on a monthly or one-time basis. Our promise is to be excellent stewards of your resources and hopefully continue to earn your trust by our work and service.

Sincerely,