How WWF-UK implemented mentoring with the Charity Mentoring Network
WWF-UK has been a member of the Charity Mentoring Network (CMN) for 7 months. Here Andrea (Andi) Varga, a learning and development specialist at the charity, discusses the role of mentoring in the organisation and how she launched CMN internally.
About Andi’s role
Andi Varga is the Learning and Development Specialist (UK) at the world’s leading conservation charity, the World Wide Fund for Nature, a role she has held for over two years. Her work focuses on evolving the organisation’s approach from traditional training to a culture of continuous learning and development. A passionate advocate for coaching and mentoring, Andi has led numerous initiatives that support employee growth, including the recent introduction of a mentoring programme.
Why mentoring?
Mentoring aligns well with WWF-UK’s broader strategic aim of supporting career development. Feedback from employee engagement surveys shows that colleagues want more clarity on the career opportunities available to them at WWF-UK. The organisation recognised that mentoring is a practical intervention that could enhance professional growth and that the Charity Mentoring Network is the perfect partner to deliver it.
Implementation and promotion
Mentoring was introduced during a virtual get together event of 250 colleagues. Andi positioned mentoring as a key part of the organisation’s career initiatives rather than an L&D initiative. It was then promoted in all relevant places on the intranet.
Promotion was designed for maximum accessibility and engagement. As well as using intranet pages, Andi promoted the network in emails and newsletters to drive visibility. She thinks it is important to keep information succinct so people can easily see what’s involved – without that there is a danger you will lose people.
“It is always challenging for our workforce to find time for things. So if something takes too long – a very complicated process to apply, for example – I will lose most of the applicants,” she says.
How the programme is managed
WWF-UK’s mentoring programme is built around a light-touch, employee-led model. Individuals are encouraged to sign up directly through a link on the internal page, with no need for line-manager approval. Clear information is provided about ethics, data protection, and technical support. Updates and promotional material are refreshed quarterly to maintain relevance.
Building engagement
Andi is focused on gradual, high-quality engagement with the CMN rather than rapid scaling. This approach helps the organisation adopt new initiatives. “It’s about quality and making sure that there’s an understanding around mentoring, easing the organisation into it,” she says.
Modelling the right behaviours is important too. Andi models commitment to mentoring as both a mentor and a mentee, sharing her experiences to build trust and enthusiasm and so that she can credibly advocate for mentoring. So far, 18 people have registered on the platform, a strong start for a first wave.
“I was the first person to register on the platform, I have found a mentor, I have found a mentee and I’ve had my first meetings with both of them. I love it. I have experienced it myself and I am fully behind it,” says Andi.
Future plans
Andi plans to integrate mentoring more deeply into future organisational events. For instance, mentoring will feature in the autumn career fair, building on momentum from previous career development days. The long-term vision is to embed mentoring into broader talent development strategies.
Top tips for mentoring success
Based on Andi’s experience, the key lessons for successful mentoring implementation are:
- Align the programme with strategic objectives such as career development
- Make access easy and intuitive to encourage participation
- Use internal communications effectively to promote the initiative
- Model the behaviour by actively participating
- Build slowly and focus on quality over quantity
- Use existing events and platforms to give the programme visibility and relevance
To find out how to get your organisation involved, please come along to one of our upcoming virtual coffee mornings