How Purple implemented mentoring with the Charity Mentoring Network
Global software provider Purple has been a corporate member of the Charity Mentoring Network (CMN) since June 2025. Here Esther Park, Senior Vice President for Talent and Culture, explains why they joined the network, how they introduced mentoring to employees and the benefits they are already seeing.
About Purple
Purple is a software company with employees primarily based in the UK, Latin America, and the US.
The organisation wanted to provide their global workforce with new opportunities to volunteer and develop skills in ways that suited flexible and hybrid working patterns.
Joining the Charity Mentoring Network offered a simple way for people to contribute their expertise, give back to charities and enhance their own professional growth.
Why mentoring?
Purple recognised that mentoring offered a dual benefit: it would enable employees to volunteer in a meaningful way while also supporting their own learning and development.
For employees, the ability to dedicate just an hour or two each month made mentoring an accessible and rewarding opportunity.
“Mentoring was a really good fit for us,” says Esther. “We wanted to give our people an opportunity to volunteer in a different way – an hour a month, for example – and also get learning and development opportunities.”
Implementation and promotion
Purple took a phased approach to launching mentoring. Rather than a high-profile launch, they began quietly, focusing on building early success stories before scaling up. To promote mentoring internally, Esther created a dedicated intranet site using Google Sites. Designed to be simple and user-friendly, the site included:
- An overview of CMN and why Purple had joined
- Links to sign up, register, and log in
- FAQs covering practical points such as time commitment
- Curated training resources, including short PushFar videos and simple guidance documents.
Keeping communications short and accessible helped employees feel confident about getting involved.
Building engagement
To support employees further, Purple took some practical steps:
- Follow-up emails were sent to everyone who registered, highlighting training opportunities and reminding them how to connect with potential matches.
- Training validation was important. Esther attended the PushFar training herself before promoting it internally, ensuring Purplytes would find value in it.
- Encouraging conversations with potential mentees and mentors helped people form connections quickly and with confidence.
Initial feedback has been highly positive. “The people who’ve had intro conversations with their mentees have been so positive. It’s been really nice . . . so far, so good,” Esther says.
Esther also became a mentor herself. Experiencing the process first-hand has been invaluable in advocating for the initiative and supporting those who are new to mentoring.
Outcomes and benefits
In just a few months, Purple has established a clear pathway for their people to take part in mentoring. Employees are engaging with the platform, using their volunteer hours in meaningful ways, and reporting positive learning experiences. The initiative is also enabling Purple to contribute to the wider community by sharing knowledge and expertise with charities.
Top tips for mentoring success
Based on Purple’s experience, the key lessons for successful mentoring implementation are:
- Start small and build momentum
- Keep communication simple and accessible
- Provide curated resources to make participation less daunting
- Lead by example – administrators should become mentors too.
- Reinforce engagement through follow-up communication and training.
To find out how to get your organisation involved, please come along to one of our upcoming virtual coffee mornings