Mentoring program template
A mentoring program template is a plan for running a cohort of mentor and mentee pairs over a set period: how pairs are matched, how they start, how often they meet and how the program closes. This one runs six months: matching and a kickoff in month 1, a mentoring agreement, a 45-minute meeting twice a month, a midpoint check-in in month 3, a monthly circle for mentors and a closing session in month 6.
- 0:00Catch-up5 min
- 0:05Last time's action10 min
- 0:15Today's topic20 min
- 0:35Next action7 min
- 0:42Check the relationship3 min
The 6-month mentoring program: start, meet, close
The organiser matches the pairs before month 1. Each month after that has two mentor and mentee meetings, one short task between them, and a mentor circle. Change the length to fit your cohort; keep the agreement at the start, the midpoint check-in and the close.
- 1
Start
Matched pairs with an agreement and a first meeting.
- Month 1
Matching and kickoff
- Application: goals, experience and preferences (mentees and mentors)
- The organiser matches the pairs
- Kickoff session for the whole cohort: how the program works
- Mentor briefing: the role and the boundaries
- First pair meeting and the mentoring agreement
Match on the mentee's goals first, then on availability. Keep mentors out of their mentee's reporting line.
- Month 1
- 2
Meet
Two meetings a month, each with a task in between.
- Month 2
Goals into a plan
- Two pair meetings
- Mentee: write the plan for the first goal
- Mentor circle: first month
- Month 3
Midpoint check-in
- Two pair meetings
- Mentee: one stretch task agreed with the mentor
- Midpoint check-in for mentees and mentors (private)
- Mentor circle: what's working across the pairs
Read the check-ins before the mentor circle, and contact any pair that hasn't met twice this month or rated the match low.
- Month 4
Going further
- Two pair meetings
- Mentee: a second goal or a harder version of the first
- Mentor circle
- Month 5
Independence
- Two pair meetings
- Mentee: plan what continues after the program
- Mentor circle
- Month 2
- 3
Close
Review what changed, and decide what continues.
- Month 6
Closing
- Final pair meeting: review the agreement and the goals
- Final reflection (mentees and mentors)
- Closing session for the whole cohort
- Each pair decides whether to keep meeting
- Month 6
Mentoring meeting structure: one 45-minute meeting
Give pairs the same shape for every meeting, so new mentors aren't left guessing and the mentee leads. Share it with every pair at the kickoff.
| Time | Block | What the facilitator does |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00–0:05 | Catch-up5 min | What's happened since the last meeting, in a couple of minutes each. |
| 0:05–0:15 | Last time's action10 min | The mentee reports on the action from the last meeting: what they did, what happened, what they learned. |
| 0:15–0:35 | Today's topic20 min | The mentee brings one question or situation. The mentor asks first, shares experience second, and doesn't solve it for them. |
| 0:35–0:42 | Next action7 min | The mentee names one action before the next meeting, and when they'll do it. |
| 0:42–0:45 | Check the relationship3 min | One question: is this working for both of you? Anything to change for next time? |
Three checkpoints: application, midpoint, final
Mentees and mentors answer separately, and only the organiser sees the answers. The final reflection repeats the application's goal question.
Application (mentee)
- 1What two goals do you want a mentor's help with?
- 2What kind of experience should your mentor have?
- 3How confident are you about reaching these goals today? (1 to 10)
- 4When can you meet, and how: online or in person?
- 5Is there anyone you shouldn't be matched with, such as your own manager?
Midpoint check-in
- 1How many times have you met so far?
- 2How well is the match working for you? (1 to 10)
- 3What has been most useful?
- 4What would make the second half better?
- 5Would you like the organiser to get in touch? (yes or no)
Final reflection
- 1How far did you get on your two goals?
- 2How confident are you about them now? (1 to 10)
- 3What did you learn that you didn't expect?
- 4Will you keep meeting your mentor (or mentee)?
- 5Would you recommend the program to a colleague? (0 to 10)
Six things each pair agrees in the first meeting
The agreement makes the expectations explicit before anything goes wrong. Both write it together, and revisit it at the midpoint and at the close.
The mentor circle, once a month
- What's going well with your mentee?
- Where are you stuck?
- What would you like the other mentors' view on?
- 1Our two goals for the six months
- 2How often and how we'll meet, and who books the meetings
- 3How we'll stay in touch between meetings
- 4What stays between us, and what we'd share with the organiser
- 5What each of us expects from the other
- 6What we'll do if the match isn't working
Four rules for the organiser
What keeps pairs meeting after the first month.
Match on goals, not on titles
Start from what the mentee wants to learn. Seniority alone is a weak reason to pair two people.
Brief the mentors
A mentor isn't a manager or a therapist. Give every mentor the agenda, the boundaries and the mentor circle before month 1.
Watch for silent pairs
Check each month which pairs have met. A pair that hasn't met in a month needs a nudge from you, not a reminder email.
Make it safe to re-match
Tell everyone at the kickoff that a match can change, no questions asked. Then honour it at the midpoint.
What keeps pairs meeting
The pairs meet on their own time. These keep the organiser in touch with all of them.
Pair meetings
Mentees book their mentor from the mentor's availability, with a set number of sessions.
A sub-group per pair
Each pair's channel, tasks and sessions shown only to that pair.
Mentor circle
A monthly session for mentors only, to swap what's working.
Program reports
Progress for the organiser or the HR lead, without showing what pairs write.
Mentoring program template · upcoach.com/templates/mentoring-program-template