6 Awesome Tips for a Mentoring Programme Administrator

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The programme administrator has the most important role within mentoring programmes. As the admin, you have the responsibility of ensuring it's smooth running, along with its success.

It can seem like a daunting task with a heavy workload added to your usual daily responsibilities. However, there are many benefits of running a successful programme and your users will experience these benefits in the long term, and be grateful for them!

If you are new to mentoring and want more information, here at Pushfar we have a wide range of resources you can access, to help begin your journey into mentoring, alongside monthly webinar sessions which are free of charge to join.

If you are well versed in mentoring and are looking to set up a programme, we have some tips below for you to consider as you get started:

1. Have Some Help

Managing a mentoring scheme, especially the first one within your organisation, can seem like a large amount of work on top of your existing role. There’s no denying that mentoring programmes require a lot of resources, but, in the end, it’s completely worth it.

Acquiring help from people in the organisation, and having a team responsible for the planning and managing of the programme itself, will reduce stress and help you not feel so overwhelmed. Delegate responsibilities between the team and bounce ideas off each other, two heads are always better than one!

2. Use a Mentoring Platform

If you want a programme that's easy to manage, consider hosting your programme via a platform such as PushFar. Hosting your programme through a platform, allows you to set, manage and track relationships, alongside being able to export all data for review. A platform would also encourage user engagement, with email notifications and/or an app with push notifications, your users will be reminded to keep on top of their relationships.

Using a smart algorithm, a platform such as PushFar will be able to suggest matches for your users without the need for you to get involved - asking relevant questions in regard to what they can help with as a mentor, and the areas they want support with as a mentee, alongside being able to tailor this to capture anything else you want from users. The aim is to take the pressure off you when it comes to matching, although if doing this manually is a preference for you, you can still enable this through a platform. If your concern is additional workload, a platform would be ideal for streamlining your programmes and reducing the number of spreadsheets, ultimately making less work for you and keeping all your information in one place.  

3. Create a Culture

Before committing to any operation, it is important to build interest within the organisation first, a good place to start is if you can bring upper management on board to help promote the idea. Employees look up to those in senior roles, getting them on board is a great way to build momentum around the programme. As mentoring is done on a voluntary basis, you will need to really sell the concept, and ensure you have enough of a balance between those wanting to be mentored and those happy to be a mentor. Remember, to promote the vast number of benefits related to mentoring, within all areas of your organisation.

4. Start Small

You don’t have to jump in with large numbers when you’re just starting out, we would recommend beginning with smaller numbers and scaling up/adding new programmes as time goes on. This gives you the opportunity to receive feedback and make any adjustments before onboarding more participants. Aim for the one programme to be set up first, and once this has proven valuable and successful, you can work on starting others.

5. Have a Plan

Your programmes will need a clear goal on what you would like to achieve, it is important to have these secure before moving forward, as the goals affect the matching. Setting yourself deadlines and dates of completion will ensure you are focused and motivated to stay on track.

Once you have gauged interest, ensure your numbers will be on par enough, so all participants will be included and mentees won’t be left without a mentor.

6. Prepare Support

To promote mentoring within your organisation, you will need some supporting materials. Having resources available and time dedicated to supporting users through the process is essential. Scheduling training and Q+A sessions that people can join will show that they have someone to help throughout the process. You can also create your own agreement for mentors/mentees with FAQs if you prefer. We at PushFar host monthly webinars for mentors and mentees, free of charge for anyone to join!

Starting a mentoring program, no matter the size, often feels like an overwhelming task. We’re here to help you on your journey and make sure that the process is simple, effective, and successful. If you want to learn more about mentoring and how it can be used within your organisation, book a free demonstration with us today.