International Coaching Federation to Launch COVID-19 Pro Bono Initiative
ICF Coaches for Good will connect credentialed coaches with individuals impacted by COVID-19 pandemic.
Lexington, Kentucky, USA—Next week, the International Coaching Federation (ICF) will launch ICF Coaches for Good.
This groundbreaking initiative is designed to partner ICF-credentialed coaches with individuals and organizations who stand to benefit the most from pro bono coaching during the COVID-19 crisis.
ICF Coaches for Good will build on the success of ICF’s inaugural International Coaching Day (ICD) celebration. On May 6, ICF coaches from 87 countries worldwide donated an hour of coaching to a member of their community. The result was a wave of coaching that extended across time zones, uninterrupted, for 35 hours, beginning in Asia and Oceania and ending in British Columbia, Canada.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has required all of us to change our habits and adapt to new ways of thinking and being; we’re doing all of this as we look toward a future that has never seemed less certain,” ICF CEO Magdalena Nowicka Mook said. “Coaching is a powerful tool to help us find clarity in the chaos. ICF Coaches for Good will meet the increased demand for coaching powerfully by connecting the people who need it most with coaches who meet the highest standards of professional and ethical excellence.”
The initiative is powered by Soar, a new coaching platform from Paul Allen, the founder of Ancestry.com.
Participating ICF-credentialed coaches will have the opportunity to build a profile on the Soar platform and indicate their availability to deliver pro bono coaching sessions. (Participating coaches will be asked to allocate at least three hours per week toward the initiative through August 2020.)
“ICF-credentialed coaches represent the gold standard for the coaching profession,” Vice President of ICF Credentials and Standards Carrie Abner said. “Organizations and individuals that benefit from this initiative can be confident that every ICF Coach for Good has met rigorous standards for training, experience and professional practice. All ICF Credential-holders also pledge to uphold the ICF Code of Ethics.”
To receive coaching through the initiative, an individual must be invited to do so by an organization of which they are a constituent. ICF and Soar select these partner organizations through an online application process. Individual clients will each be eligible for two, one-hour pro bono coaching sessions with a coach they select on the ICF Coaches for Good platform.
In 2020, the International Coaching Federation (ICF) celebrates 25 years as the global organization for coaches and coaching. ICF is dedicated to advancing the coaching profession by setting high ethical standards, providing independent certification and building a worldwide network of credentialed coaches across a variety of coaching disciplines. Its 39,000-plus members located in 143 countries work toward the common goal of enhancing awareness of coaching, upholding the integrity of the profession, and continually educating themselves with the newest research and practices.
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