How Tearfund piloted and rapidly embedded the Charity Mentoring Network
Tearfund began exploring the Charity Mentoring Network (CMN) at the start of 2025 and launched a six-month pilot in July. Led by the HRBP for the Fundraising and Communications Group (GFC), Clare Woods, they set out to understand staff appetite for mentoring by testing the platform across GFC, Core Operations and Asia Region, as a part of broader career-development activities.
Despite positioning the pilot intentionally as a ‘test and learn’ phase, engagement quickly exceeded expectations. Within months, more than 50 people registered on the platform and a dozen active mentoring relationships had formed.
The team’s engagement plan was built on what it calls norms, sparks and nudges.
Launching the pilot: signalling intent and building early interest
Tearfund introduced the mentoring pilot with a clear message: this is a new opportunity to experiment and learn together. By limiting the first rollout to the Fundraising Group (around 150 people), Core Operations and the Asia Region, the organisation could observe patterns of engagement and gather insight into how mentoring might work at scale.
Early communications framed the pilot as part of a wider focus on career development and opened the door for staff to try something new with no pressure to commit before they were ready.
Creating norms that make mentoring feel part of everyday work. Tearfund set out to make mentoring a part of everyday working life. It did this by:
Creating a dedicated mentoring space. A Google Chat mentoring channel became the hub of ongoing activity. Every week, the HR lead posted a new prompt, resource or point of inspiration, such as using DISC profiles as a lens for mentoring conversations and even creating a space invaders style game with a mentoring theme to drive conversation in the group. The goal was simple: keep mentoring present in people’s minds.
Celebrating new joiners. Whenever someone joined CMN, they were publicly welcomed in the channel. This generated visible momentum and encouraged others to explore the platform.
A centralised hub. Tearfund created an internal hub that brought together everything staff needed:
- Why mentoring matters
- What’s in it for mentors and mentees
- Registration links
- How-to guides and resources.
The hub acted as an easy starting point for anyone considering mentoring, reinforcing the message that support was readily available.
Using sparks to stimulate curiosity and excitement. Alongside steady weekly communication, Tearfund strategically introduced “sparks”- tactics to put the spotlight on mentoring.
Mini roadshows. Clare visited teams across the pilot Groups, often accompanied by staff already involved in mentoring. These colleagues shared short, personal testimonials about how mentoring had helped them.
National Mentoring Day campaign. For National Mentoring Day, Tearfund created:
- A collection of staff video clips and written quotes describing the benefits they experienced
- A special reverse-mentoring event (see below).
Reverse mentoring. As part of the National Mentoring Day activity, senior leaders offered 15-minute reverse-mentoring slots. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive:
- 100% of respondents rated the activity as a valuable use of time
- 80% of participants are eager to participate again.
- The most popular improvement suggested was that the sessions should be longer
Targeted nudges to help staff move from interest to action
While registration numbers were strong, Tearfund identified a familiar mentoring challenge: staff would sign up but not always progress to forming a mentoring relationship. Common stumbling blocks included uncertainty about profile wording, hesitation over choosing a mentor or struggling to find a match.
To address this, the team implemented monthly nudges:
- Reviewing who had registered but not yet matched
- Emailing tailored encouragement, including prompts to use AI to refine profile text
- Advising mentees to contact several potential mentors rather than waiting for one response.
Where staff struggled to find a match, Tearfund contacted their dedicated Account Manager at CMN directly for support. These nudges played an important role in helping participants move from initial curiosity to committed mentoring relationships.
Results of the pilot so far:
- 53 staff registered on the CMN platform
- 12–13 active mentoring relationships
- High engagement in communication channels and events
- Positive feedback from both structured and informal activities
The organisation is planning to expand mentoring to the rest of the organisation. One area still under review is how best to engage international colleagues, where early adoption has been lower.
Lessons Learned
Based on Tearfund’s experience, several insights stand out:
Consistency matters. Weekly communication builds familiarity and keeps mentoring visible.
Make joining feel celebratory. Welcoming new participants publicly helps normalise involvement.
Use real stories. Peer testimonials – whether in meetings, videos or quotes – are highly persuasive.
Design moments of excitement. Events like their reverse mentoring sessions create a buzz and make mentoring feel dynamic.
Support people to overcome hurdles. Proactive nudges help staff overcome early barriers, especially around matching.
Be open to creative solutions. Where platform matches aren’t obvious, personalised support can unlock great outcomes.
Top tips for new Charity Mentoring Network members:
- Build mentoring rhythms into weekly communication.
- Provide a simple, central hub for information and resources.
- Use storytelling and peer advocacy to bring mentoring to life.
- Create high-energy moments that spark renewed interest.
- Monitor who needs support and provide gentle, personalised nudges.
- Encourage flexibility – great matches don’t always come from obvious places.
To find out how to get your organisation involved, please come along to one of our upcoming virtual coffee mornings