Four steps to help build support for mentoring across your organisation
Before you promote mentoring and the Charity Mentoring Network (CMN), build a clear case for why mentoring matters in your organisation. A strong case links an identified need to organisational priorities, shows the practical value for colleagues and gives leaders a clear role.
1. Identify the need mentoring can address
Start with what colleagues and the organisation need, not with the platform. Review staff surveys, appraisals and development conversations and look for recurring requests for career support, access to external perspectives or more development options.
Scouts did this before launching CMN. Career development was a recurring request from staff and volunteers. Alex Clark, Head of Culture and Learning, explained: “We knew that as we were rolling this out, we needed to start by understanding why mentoring is important.”
2. Connect mentoring to strategy and values
Explain how mentoring supports organisational priorities. At Scouts, it fitted the organisation’s learning culture and “Skills for Life” ethos. WWF-UK linked mentoring to employee feedback about career opportunities and positioned it as part of its wider career initiatives. Purple saw a dual benefit: employees could volunteer their expertise flexibly while developing their own skills.
Use evidence from your organisation to make this link. And be specific about the gap mentoring could help address and how it complements existing development activity.
3. Show what mentoring looks like in practice
Combine the organisational case with examples that make the benefits tangible. At Helen & Douglas House, HR Adviser Sophie Hartford used an external mentor to prepare for presentations and projects, discuss challenging workplace conversations, build confidence and explore career development. She extended the relationship for a further six months.
The relationship between Andi Varga of WWF-UK and Nicola Kent of YMCA St Paul’s Group also showed that mentoring can benefit both participants. Their conversations developed into mutual learning, accountability and a safe space for ideas and challenges.
Use short, specific stories like these to show colleagues what they might discuss with a mentor and what they could gain.
4. Turn leadership support into action
Ask leaders and managers to do more than approve the initiative. They can explain why mentoring matters, share their own experiences, mention it in development conversations and encourage colleagues to participate.
Prostate Cancer UK involved senior leaders, heads of department, line managers and volunteer managers before launch. As Senior L&D Manager Shanice McBean said: “It’s one thing to have them bought in, it’s another thing to have them as active champions for the project.”
Your case for mentoring should answer four questions:
- What need are we addressing?
- How does mentoring support our strategy and values?
- Who will benefit?
- What do we need leaders and managers to do?
Answer these before you start communicating the offer.
These insights and tips have been drawn from CMN case studies featuring Scouts, WWF-UK, Purple, Prostate Cancer UK, Helen & Douglas and Toynbee Hall.
Curious about using the Charity Mentoring Network in your organisation?
The Charity Mentoring Network hosts regular Virtual Coffee Mornings. They are friendly, informal group sessions where you can find out how the network works.