Mentoring guides
Plan
How to start a mentoring program
Start a mentoring program in 8 steps: goal, format, mentor recruitment, matching, session plan, agreement, launch and measurement, in that order.
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: goal, format, mentor recruitment, matching, session plan, agreement, launch and measurement, in that order.
- 2. Mentoring program examples
12 mentoring program examples, from onboarding buddies to reverse mentoring and accelerators: goal, matching, format, length and what to measure.
- 3. Mentoring program business case
Build a mentoring program business case: a one-page structure, budget lines with formulas, a break-even estimate without invented ROI, and objections.
- 4. How to recruit mentors
How to recruit mentors: how many you need, where to find them by program type, what the invitation should say, and how to keep them for the next cohort.
- 5. Mentor training
Mentor training for program admins: a core curriculum, formats and their time cost, a 90-minute orientation agenda, and how to support mentors afterwards.
- 6. How to match mentors & mentees
Mentor–mentee matching compared: admin rules, self-selection and hybrid. Which criteria to use, how rule scoring works, and the mistakes to avoid.
- 7. Managing a Mentoring Program
Manage a running mentoring program in about an hour a week: watch six 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 them meeting: levers by phase, a weekly routine, warning signs and metrics to track.
- 9. How to structure mentoring sessions
How to structure mentoring sessions across a program: a 6-month 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 for participation, quality and outcomes, when to measure, and fair comparisons.
- 11. How to report mentoring results
How to write a mentoring program report: what each reader wants, a one-page outline, KPI formulas, ethical use of quotes, and a reporting cadence.
- 12. Mentoring program ROI
How to calculate mentoring program ROI: the formula, full costs, benefits you can put a price on, isolating the program's effect, and a worked example.
Mentoring program types
- Employee Mentoring Guide
How to run employee mentoring: five program types, executive sponsorship, matching rules beyond titles, a six-month structure and ROI metrics.
- Student Mentoring Guide
Design a student mentoring program: three models, a bounded alumni ask, weighted matching, a six-session semester plan, safety, certificates and reporting.
- Accelerator Mentoring Guide
How to run accelerator mentoring: recruit 2–4 mentors per startup, pair office hours with a lead mentor, protect mentor time and report 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 and reporting.
- Leadership mentoring program
How to design a leadership mentoring program for new managers, high potentials and senior leaders: tracks, selection, matching, 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 a diversity mentoring program: ERG circles, cross-difference pairs, reverse mentoring, sponsorship, opt-in matching and data privacy.
- Alumni mentoring program
How to run an alumni mentoring program: three models, recruiting busy alumni, what to match on, light formats, safeguarding, metrics and a launch plan.
- Nonprofit mentoring program
How to run a nonprofit mentoring program with volunteer mentors: recruitment, safeguarding, data protection, models, launch checklist and funder reports.
- Youth mentoring program
How to start a youth mentoring program: models compared, safeguarding for minors, step-by-step setup, keeping matches going, closure and budget.
- Reverse mentoring
Reverse mentoring pairs a junior employee as mentor with a senior leader. Definition, origin, topics, how it differs, and a six-step program guide.
- Peer mentoring
Peer mentoring pairs people at a similar stage to 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. Formats compared, pros and cons vs 1:1, setup steps and a 90-minute 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 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 one short mentoring conversation about one question. How it differs from speed and long-term mentoring, and how to run a program.
Mentoring basics for mentors and mentees
- What Is Mentoring?
Mentoring is a relationship in which an experienced person helps a less experienced one grow. What mentors do, five formats, and how programs work.
- What Is a Mentee?
A mentee is the person who learns from a mentor. What a mentee does, how the role differs from the mentor's, and how to become a good mentee.
- Coaching vs Mentoring
Coaching builds one skill over a few months; mentoring shares experience over a longer relationship. How both compare with sponsorship and training.
- Mentoring vs sponsorship
A mentor advises you; a sponsor uses influence to put you forward. The differences, a comparison table, and how to add sponsorship to a program.
- What Makes a Good Mentor
A good mentor listens first, shares relevant experience and shows up consistently. Six qualities, common mistakes, and how programs pick mentors.
- How to find a mentor
How to find a mentor: decide what you need, look where mentoring is already organized, send a short specific ask, and keep the relationship 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
Mentoring questions grouped by purpose: opening, understanding, widening options, testing assumptions, committing to action and closing a meeting.
- Your First Mentoring Meeting
A mentor's plan for the first meeting: a timed 60-minute flow, questions to ask, the four things to leave with, common mistakes 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 mentoring goals they will pursue: three tests, a light five-step method, four worked examples, and how goals fit the program's forms.
- Mentoring Glossary
43 mentoring terms in plain words, from mentor and mentee to matching, cohorts, reverse mentoring, the Kirkpatrick model, ROE and ROI.
- Your First 90 Days in a New Job
How new hires settle in: clarify expectations, learn unwritten rules, meet the right people, ask for feedback early and plan 30-60-90 days with a mentor.
- Job crafting
Job crafting explained: the three kinds, four practical moves from the research, worked examples, and a short experiment to try with your mentor.
- How to ask for feedback
How to ask for feedback at work: a four-part request, the SBI framework, example wording for three situations, and how to handle what you hear.
- Build your developmental network
What a developmental network is, why one mentor cannot cover every kind of career help, and how to map your own network and fill its gaps.
- Becoming a first-time manager
What changes when you first manage people: delegation, one-to-ones, feedback, speaking up, hard conversations, learning on the job and your own boss.
- Passing on deep expertise
How an 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 to 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.
- Matching questionnaire template
Free mentor-mentee matching questionnaire: mirrored questions for both sides, 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.
- Mentoring meeting agenda
A free mentoring meeting agenda: a timed 60-minute template, versions for first, midpoint and final sessions, a 30-minute check-in and a notes log.
- Mentoring evaluation survey
Five free mentoring evaluation surveys: midpoint pulse, end-of-program surveys for mentees and mentors, per-session feedback and a sponsor survey.
- Mentoring program proposal template
A free mentoring program proposal template with 15 fill-in sections, from goals and matching to RACI roles, budget, risks, evaluation and timeline.
- Mentoring goal setting worksheet
A free, printable mentoring goal setting worksheet with three SMART goal blocks, milestones, midpoint and final reviews, and example goals by audience.
- Mentoring program email templates
12 free mentoring program email templates: announcement, mentor recruitment, match introduction, check-ins, survey and close, with subject lines.
Choosing mentoring software
- How to choose mentoring software
How to choose mentoring software: needs by program type, a 14-point checklist, weighted scoring, RFP and demo questions, a pilot plan and a cost table.
- Mentoring software, explained
Mentoring software matches mentors and mentees, schedules meetings, structures sessions and reports results. What it does, what it costs, how to choose.
- Build vs buy a mentoring platform
When spreadsheets and forms are enough for a mentoring program, what building in-house really costs, and a checklist to choose DIY, build or buy.
- What is Mentornity?
Mentornity is mentoring software for companies, universities, accelerators and communities: matching, scheduling, sessions and reporting since 2015.
- Best mentoring software compared
Eight mentoring platforms compared on public pricing, free plans, target segment, scheduling and languages, using each vendor's own website.
- Free mentoring software
Free mentoring software compared: free plans, free starts and DIY with forms and spreadsheets. What each option leaves out and when free is enough.
- Chronus alternative
Chronus vs Mentornity on pricing, free plan, matching, integrations and security, using facts from each vendor's own website, checked October 2026.
- MentorcliQ alternative
Looking for a MentorcliQ alternative? MentorcliQ pricing, matching and integrations compared with Mentornity, using public facts with sources and dates.
- Together alternative
Together and Mentornity compared on pricing model, free plan, matching, integrations and target segment, using each vendor's own published facts.
- Qooper alternative
Qooper vs Mentornity on pricing, free plan, matching, integrations and languages, using facts from each vendor's own website, checked October 2026.
Using Mentornity: guides for admins, mentors and mentees
- Admin Guide
A 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, pool, structured, freestyle and group mentoring programs explained in plain language, with a decision table to help you choose a 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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