Mentoring guides
Plan
How to start a mentoring program
Start a mentoring program in 8 steps: goals, format, recruitment, matching, structure, launch. With benchmarks and the mistakes that kill first-year programs.
Practical guides for everyone in a mentoring program: the admins who plan and run it, and the mentors and mentees who make each meeting count.
Build a program, step by step
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How to start a mentoring program
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Mentoring program examples
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Mentoring program business case
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How to recruit mentors
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Mentor training
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How to match mentors & mentees
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Managing a Mentoring Program
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Mentoring program engagement
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How to structure mentoring sessions
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Mentoring program evaluation
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How to report mentoring results
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Mentoring program ROI
Mentoring program types
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Employee Mentoring Guide
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Student Mentoring Guide
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Accelerator Mentoring Guide
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Startup mentoring program
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Leadership mentoring program
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Women's mentoring program
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DEI and ERG mentoring
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Alumni mentoring program
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Nonprofit mentoring program
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Youth mentoring program
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Reverse mentoring
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Peer mentoring
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Group mentoring
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Onboarding buddy program
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Speed mentoring
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Flash mentoring
Mentoring basics for mentors and mentees
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What Is Mentoring?
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What Is a Mentee?
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Coaching vs Mentoring
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Mentoring vs sponsorship
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What Makes a Good Mentor
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How to find a mentor
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Questions to ask a mentor
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Questions Mentors Ask
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Your First Mentoring Meeting
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Preparing for a Mentoring Meeting
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Setting Goals With Your Mentor
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Mentoring Glossary
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Your First 90 Days in a New Job
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Job crafting
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How to ask for feedback
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Build your developmental network
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Becoming a first-time manager
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Passing on deep expertise
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Customer discovery interviews
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Informational interviews
Templates
Choosing mentoring software
Using Mentornity: guides for admins, mentors and mentees
Accelerators & incubators
All guides
Build a program, step by step
- 1. How to start a mentoring program
Start a mentoring program in 8 steps: goals, format, recruitment, matching, structure, launch. With benchmarks and the mistakes that kill first-year programs.
- 2. Mentoring program examples
12 mentoring program examples, from onboarding buddies to reverse mentoring and accelerators: goal, matching, format, length and what to measure in each.
- 3. Mentoring program business case
Build a mentoring program business case and budget: a one-page structure, cost categories with formulas, honest value estimates and answers to objections.
- 4. How to recruit mentors
How to recruit mentors for a program: how many you need, where to find them by program type, what the invitation should say, and how to keep them.
- 5. Mentor training
Mentor training prepares volunteers for the role: a core curriculum, formats and their time cost, a 90-minute orientation agenda, and ongoing support.
- 6. How to match mentors & mentees
Mentor–mentee matching methods compared: admin rules, self-selection, hybrid. Which criteria predict good matches, scoring mechanics, and pitfalls to avoid.
- 7. Managing a Mentoring Program
Manage a running mentoring program in 30-60 minutes a week: watch six benchmark metrics, nudge flagged pairs, survey at midpoint, and close cohorts cleanly.
- 8. Mentoring program engagement
Why mentoring pairs go quiet after the first meeting, and how to keep mentees and mentors engaged: levers by phase, a weekly routine and metrics to track.
- 9. How to structure mentoring sessions
How to structure mentoring sessions across a program: a 6-month session-by-session plan, 3- and 12-month variants, and the shape of one 60-minute session.
- 10. Mentoring program evaluation
How to evaluate a mentoring program: a four-level framework, KPIs to track for participation, quality and outcomes, when to measure, and mistakes to avoid.
- 11. How to report mentoring results
How to write a mentoring program report: what leadership, HR, funders and participants want, a one-page outline, KPI formulas, ethical stories and cadence.
- 12. Mentoring program ROI
How to measure the ROI of mentoring: the formula, full program costs, benefits you can monetize, isolating the program's effect, and a worked example.
Mentoring program types
- Employee Mentoring Guide
Run employee mentoring that works: five program types, matching rules beyond titles, a six-month structure, ROI metrics for HR, and failure modes to avoid.
- Student Mentoring Guide
Design a student mentoring program that completes: three models, a five-hour alumni ask, weighted matching, a six-session semester arc, and reports deans read.
- Accelerator Mentoring Guide
Run accelerator mentoring that founders rate first: recruit 2-4 mentors per startup, combine office hours with lead mentors, and report engagement per startup.
- Startup mentoring program
How to design a startup mentoring program: four program models, building a mentor bench, matching by stage and need, office hours, tracking and reporting.
- Leadership mentoring program
How to design a leadership mentoring program for new managers, high potentials and senior leaders: selection, matching, goals, session topics and measures.
- Women's mentoring program
How to design a women mentoring program: program types, who mentors, sponsorship, matching criteria, circles, confidentiality and measuring progress.
- DEI and ERG mentoring
How to design an inclusive diversity mentoring program: ERG circles, cross-difference pairs, reverse mentoring, sponsorship, fair matching, data privacy.
- Alumni mentoring program
How to run an alumni mentoring program: three models, recruiting alumni mentors, matching criteria, light-touch formats, safeguarding, metrics and launch.
- Nonprofit mentoring program
How to run a nonprofit mentoring program with volunteer mentors: recruitment, safeguarding, data protection, models, launch checklist, funder reporting.
- Youth mentoring program
How to start a youth mentoring program: models compared, safeguarding essentials for minors, step-by-step setup, retention, closure, funding and budget.
- Reverse mentoring
Reverse mentoring pairs a junior employee as mentor with a senior leader. Definition, origin, examples, benefits and a step-by-step program guide.
- Peer mentoring
Peer mentoring pairs people at a similar stage so they can support each other. Where it works, how it differs from mentoring, and how to design a program.
- Group mentoring
Group mentoring brings one or more mentors together with several mentees. The main formats, pros and cons vs 1:1, setup steps and a sample session agenda.
- Onboarding buddy program
A buddy program pairs each new hire with a peer who helps them settle in. What a buddy does, buddy vs mentor vs manager, and a 30/60/90-day setup plan.
- Speed mentoring
Speed mentoring lets mentees meet several mentors in short, timed rounds. How to plan one: ratios, timing, a 90-minute run of show, prompts and follow-up.
- Flash mentoring
Flash mentoring is a one-off, short mentoring conversation about a single question. How it differs from speed and traditional mentoring, and how to run it.
Mentoring basics for mentors and mentees
- What Is Mentoring?
Mentoring is a relationship in which an experienced person helps a less experienced one grow. See what mentors do, the five main formats, and how programs work.
- What Is a Mentee?
A mentee is the person who learns from a mentor in a mentoring relationship. See what a mentee does, mentor vs mentee, and how to be a good mentee.
- Coaching vs Mentoring
Coaching builds one skill in a few months; mentoring shares experience over a longer relationship. See how both compare with sponsorship and training.
- Mentoring vs sponsorship
A mentor advises you; a sponsor advocates for you and spends influence to get you promoted. Key differences, a comparison table and how to combine both.
- What Makes a Good Mentor
A good mentor listens first, shares real experience, and shows up consistently. See six qualities that matter, common mistakes, and how programs pick mentors.
- How to find a mentor
How to find a mentor: decide what you need, look in the right places, send a short specific ask instead of 'will you be my mentor', and keep it going.
- Questions to ask a mentor
52 questions to ask a mentor, grouped by situation: first meeting, career, skills, workplace politics, leadership, feedback, their story, and closing.
- Questions Mentors Ask
A working list of mentoring questions grouped by purpose: opening, understanding, widening options, testing assumptions, committing to action, and closing.
- Your First Mentoring Meeting
A mentor's plan for the first meeting: a timed 45-to-60-minute flow, the questions to ask, the four things to leave with, common pitfalls, and the follow-up.
- Preparing for a Mentoring Meeting
A mentee's guide to each mentoring meeting: the three-line note to send the day before, what to bring, how to use the hour, and what to do afterward.
- Setting Goals With Your Mentor
How mentees set goals they will actually pursue: state over activity, goals that are yours, a light method, four worked examples, and the program forms.
- Mentoring Glossary
A mentoring glossary of 43 terms used in mentoring programs, from mentor and mentee to matching, cohorts, reverse mentoring, Kirkpatrick and ROI.
- Your First 90 Days in a New Job
How new hires settle in faster: clarify expectations, learn the unwritten rules, build a network, ask for feedback early and plan 30-60-90 days with a mentor.
- Job crafting
Job crafting explained: how to reshape your tasks, work relationships and the meaning of your job, with worked examples and a small experiment to try.
- How to ask for feedback
How to ask for feedback at work and get useful answers: specific questions, good timing, the SBI framework, worked examples, and how to handle what you hear.
- Build your developmental network
What a developmental network is, why one mentor cannot cover everything, how to map the people who help your career, and how to fill the gaps.
- Becoming a first-time manager
What changes when you become a first-time manager: the identity shift, delegation, one-to-ones, feedback, team climate, learning on the job and your own boss.
- Passing on deep expertise
How an experienced expert and a successor transfer tacit knowledge: map what is at risk, learn by watching and doing, capture judgment calls, check coverage.
- Customer discovery interviews
How to run customer discovery interviews: who to talk to, questions about past behavior, what counts as evidence, notes, and a debrief with your mentor.
- Informational interviews
How to do an informational interview: who to ask, a request message you can adapt, questions to ask, how to follow up, and three worked examples.
Templates
- Mentoring agreement template
A free mentoring agreement template: goals, meeting cadence, confidentiality, boundaries, roles and a no-fault exit, plus a one-page version. Copy or print.
- Matching questionnaire template
Free mentor-mentee matching questionnaire: mirrored mentor and mentee questions, answer types and a scoring table of must-match and nice-to-match criteria.
- Mentoring application form
Free mentoring application form template: mentee and mentor questions by section, answer types, required fields, variants and a consent statement.
- Mentoring conversation starters
72 mentoring conversation starters grouped by stage and theme, with who usually asks each, a session planner and topics to avoid early on. Print or copy.
- Mentoring meeting agenda
A free mentoring meeting agenda: a timed 60-minute template, versions for the first, midpoint and final sessions, a 30-minute check-in and a notes log.
- Mentoring evaluation survey
Free mentoring program evaluation survey templates: midpoint pulse, end-of-program surveys for mentees and mentors, per-session feedback, sponsor survey.
- Mentoring program proposal template
A free mentoring program template: 15 fill-in sections from goals and matching to RACI roles, budget, risks, evaluation and timeline. Copy or print it.
- Mentoring goal setting worksheet
A free, printable mentoring goal setting worksheet: three SMART goals, milestones, midpoint and final reviews, plus example mentoring goals by audience.
- Mentoring program email templates
12 free mentoring program email templates: announcement, mentor recruitment, match introduction, check-ins, survey and close. Subject lines included.
Choosing mentoring software
- How to choose mentoring software
How to choose mentoring software: requirements by program type, a 14-point checklist, a weighted scoring method, RFP and demo questions, and how to pilot.
- Mentoring software, explained
Mentoring software matches mentors and mentees, schedules meetings, structures sessions, and reports outcomes. What it does, what it costs, and how to choose.
- Build vs buy a mentoring platform
Build vs buy a mentoring platform: when spreadsheets and forms are enough, the hidden costs of building in-house, and a checklist to decide what fits.
- What is Mentornity?
Mentornity is mentoring software for companies, universities, accelerators, and communities: matching, scheduling, sessions, and reporting since 2015.
- Best mentoring software compared
How to choose mentoring software in 2026: eight platforms compared on public pricing, free plans, target segment, scheduling and languages, with sources.
- Free mentoring software
Free mentoring software compared honestly: free plans, free starts and DIY with forms and spreadsheets. What each gives up and when free is enough.
- Chronus alternative
Looking for a Chronus alternative? Chronus vs Mentornity on pricing, free plan, matching, integrations and languages, using public facts with sources.
- MentorcliQ alternative
Looking for a MentorcliQ alternative? MentorcliQ pricing, matching and integrations compared with Mentornity side by side, using public facts with sources.
- Together alternative
Looking for a Together mentoring alternative? Together and Mentornity compared on pricing model, free plan, matching, integrations and fit, with sources.
- Qooper alternative
Looking for a Qooper alternative? Qooper vs Mentornity on pricing, free plan, matching, integrations and languages, using public facts checked in October 2026.
Using Mentornity: guides for admins, mentors and mentees
- Admin Guide
A complete walkthrough of the Mentornity admin panel: settings, inviting people, matching, sessions, meetings, reports, certificates, and support requests.
- Mentor's Guide to Mentornity
A practical guide for mentors using Mentornity: joining, your profile, getting mentees, availability, meetings, forms, messaging, tasks, and getting help.
- Mentee's Guide to Mentornity
A practical guide for mentees using Mentornity: joining, finding a mentor, booking meetings, forms, messaging, tasks, and startup or group programs.
- Program Models
Matched, selective, pool, structured, freestyle and group mentoring explained in plain language, with a decision table to help you choose the right model.
- Video meetings in Mentornity
How video meetings work in Mentornity: connect Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams, sync your calendar, use built-in video, and fix a missing link.
- SSO and white label
What SAML single sign-on and white labeling include in Mentornity, who configures each one, what you provide, and how members sign in afterward.
Accelerators & incubators
- Startup accelerators and incubators, country by country
Verified lists of accelerators, incubators, startup studios and university founder centers, with type, sector focus and a link to each official site.
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