Guides for people who run mentoring
Written by the people who answer the support tickets, for the person who has to make a program work.
Plan your program
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.
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.
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.
Launch and recruit
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.
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.
Run the program
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.
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.
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.
Measure and report
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.
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.
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.
Recently shipped
The last three things we put live. Every change we make has a page of its own.