Beyond launch day:
How to build momentum for mentoring
Drawing on real case studies from Charity Mentoring Network (CMN) members, these practical tips show what it takes to make mentoring thrive in your organisation.
Far from being a one-off event, launching mentoring should be seen as a part of an ongoing process of promoting and engaging colleagues around mentoring and how it can benefit them.
1. Prepare before launch
Prostate Cancer UK identified three phases to launching mentoring across the organisation: pre-launch, launch and post-launch. Before inviting colleagues to use CMN, the L&D team became familiar with the platform and administrative functions. They briefed senior leaders, heads of department, line managers and involved volunteer managers. The team also prepared weekly staff communications, a blog and an all-colleague email.
Similarly, Purple, a CMN corporate partner, took a phased approach. Rather than holding a high-profile launch, it began quietly and focused on building early success stories before scaling up. Esther Park, Senior Vice President for Talent and Culture at Purple, says start small and build momentum.
2. Use different communication channels
A key theme from many of our case studies is to use multiple communications channels to launch your mentoring initiative. Prostate Cancer UK used emails, blogs, live demonstrations and team meetings. Scouts used staff and volunteer newsletters, SharePoint, its intranet homepage, learning management system and an all-colleague meeting. It later ran Power Hour sessions and used short videos and a Teams channel.
Toynbee Hall’s first 15-minute presentation generated interest but no immediate engagement. They then developed five-minute presentations which had far more engagement. These covered CMN, benefits, commitment and confidentiality, included personal testimony, and ended with a sign-up QR code. Joseph Appiah, Training, Development and Wellbeing Manager at Toynbee Hall, recommends using existing all-staff and manager meetings rather than creating additional events to promote mentoring.
3. Give mentoring an identity
Mary’s Meals International created what L&D partner Ashleigh McNeilly describes as: ‘a bit of a brand’ so when we do send out any comms, people recognise what it is and what it’s all about’.
The charity’s launch communications included a ‘coming soon’ announcement, a formal launch and, two weeks later, a reminder with login links. They also created a SharePoint hub to share mentoring information and resources.
4. Communicate, communicate and communicate some more
The launch is just the start of your mentoring campaign. Prostate Cancer UK used CMN participation statistics and new resources as reasons to remind colleagues about the opportunity. Senior L&D manager Shanice McBean says: ‘Your launch is never really just the one moment thing. It’s ongoing, and you’ve got to keep plugging and keep pushing.’
Purple emailed everyone who registered, highlighting training and reminding them how to connect with potential matches. Mary’s Meals included reminders, a link to a resources hub and a staff success story in its quarterly L&D newsletter. Scouts introduced new starters to CMN through welcome communications and induction events.
5. Consider organisational timing
Mary’s Meals found that its July launch came after employees had set their personal development goals and committed to other priorities. The case study also reports that mentoring activity slows as the organisation approaches its busiest period. Their explicit advice is to be mindful of the best times to promote mentoring and engage colleagues.
Scouts aligned its launch with National Mentoring Month. Helen & Douglas House launched more widely on National Mentoring Day and continued promoting mentoring during National Mentoring Month.
Prostate Cancer UK’s final advice is to be patient: ‘People are really excited by the opportunity, but there are a million and one reasons why that doesn’t translate to them immediately signing up. Don’t be disheartened by that.’
Members of the Charity Mentoring Network get access to a wealth of resources to support launch and engagement via the Welcome Pack. Such as:
The insights and tips from this article 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.