Best Practices

• Define clear goals and objectives
  • Purpose-Driven: Establish clear goals for the mentorship program (such as skill development, career advancement, leadership growth, onboarding support, etc.)
  • Program should have mission statement that includes who they serve and what they aim to accomplish
  • Create a logic model that can showcase how efforts are connected to the goals
• Develop measurable outcomes: Set clear metrics to evaluate the program’s success (e.g., participant satisfaction, retention rates, skill improvement)
• Include funding sources that support mentoring program
• Consider adding to the ODU mentorship definition based on the program’s specific goals
• Collect and publish program information: History, program function and design (length of the mentoring program timeline), etc.
  • Have information prepared to be added to Mentoring @ ODU webpage - Submit here
    • Program Name
    • Program Type (Peer to Peer, Professional Staff to Student, or ODU Faculty to Student)
    • Brief description (1 sentence describing the program and listing 1 unique aspect of the program)
    • Primary setting (One on one, or Group)
    • Student Eligibility (Any undergraduate, Any graduate, Other)
      • If other, please specify eligibility
    • If interested, contact first and last name, and email address
    • Link to website
• Create standard operating procedures and written policies for program longevity
• Plan to review and update program materials annually 

Mentor Recruitment:

• Create clear communications for potential mentor recruits that detail benefits, responsibilities, program practices, internal supports, and challenges of being a mentor
• Ensure that recruits receive messaging that reflects a culture that celebrates the positive attitudes and emotions that mentoring brings
• Determine how and where you will recruit diverse mentors who have the skills, motivations, and backgrounds that match well with the program structure and outcome goals
• Create a tiered recruitment strategy that may include referrals from current mentors and mentees, maybe former mentees, or those who have specific skills
• Have diverse mentors who reflect the mentee population
• Establish an application process that gathers information needed

Mentee Recruitment:

• Recruit mentees whose needs best align with program offerings/services
• Create clear communications for potential mentee recruits that detail benefits, responsibilities, program practices, internal supports, and challenges of being a mentee
• Provide different modalities and opportunities to connect, learn, and understand
• Provide opportunity to hear back from prior participants
• Share a public statement that outlines eligibility requirements of mentees
  • List out program dates and times and expectations 

Mentor Screening & Enrollment:

• Establish clear requirements and/or criteria for qualifying applicants to ensure the program standards and goals are met
• Establish application, interview, and selection processes
• If needed, establish vetting process for mentors. Examples include:
  • In-person or online face-to-face interviews
  • Criminal history check
  • Reference check
• Formalize their commitment to participation in the program, following program expectations and timelines

Mentee Screening & Enrollment:

• Establish clear requirements and/or criteria for qualifying applicants to ensure the program standards and goals are met
• Establish application, interview, and selection processes
• If needed, establish vetting process for mentees
• Formalize their commitment to participation in the program, following program expectations and timelines 

Require training for mentors and mentees that:

• Provides an introduction to the program
• Prepares them for their role
• Shares and assesses learning outcomes
• Consider if there is a difference in training for returning vs. new mentors and mentees
• Provide ongoing training and upskilling opportunities
   

Mentor Training

• Suggested topics the training should include:
  • Mentorship overview
    • Definition and purpose
    • Key mentoring skills, such as active listening, empathy, social capital, advocacy and support
  • Program specific information sharing
    • Program values, beliefs, and ethical principles
    • Program requirements, rules, and expectations, including participation in program activities
    • Mentoring relationship and limitations
    • Troubleshooting and/or concerns process
    • Program contact information
  • Mentoring relationship information sharing
    • Communication/outreach plan
    • Goal setting and expectations
    • Safety
  • University calendar and events
    • Academic calendar
    • Awareness to finals week and school breaks/closures
• Consider networking/engagement/team building activity
• Consider a moment to connect and share past experiences from returning mentors, including challenges
• Tools for mentors
  • Structured conversation resources
  • Resources and referral document, including academics, basic needs, safety, etc.

Mentee Training

• Topics the training should include:
  • Mentorship overview
    • Definition and purpose
    • Key mentoring skills, such as active listening, empathy, social capital, advocacy and support
  • Program specific information sharing
    • Program values, beliefs, and ethical principles
    • Program requirements, rules, and expectations, including participation in program activities
    • Mentoring relationship and limitations
    • Troubleshooting and/or concerns process
    • Program contact information
  • Mentoring relationship information sharing
    • Communication/outreach plan
    • Goal setting and expectations
    • Safety
• Consider networking/engagement/team building activity
• Consider a moment to connect and share past experiences from returning/past mentees, including challenges
• Tools for mentees
  • Developing an introduction message
  • Opportunities to engage
• Consider training method
  • In-person, virtual, asynchronous, or combination
• Gather feedback from participants to assess if the training met needs 

• Established criteria and process to determine potential compatibility
  • Shared backgrounds or experiences, interests, academic and career goals, etc.
• Established matching procedure, including confirmation of match
• Provide a formal introduction, sharing background and contact information
  • Consider confirmation or agreement form that highlights expectations and important dates, if applicable 

• Plan standard and timely check ins
• Consider community building opportunities
• Connect with needed resources/development
• Document experiences (pictures, video, notes, etc.)
• Schedule ongoing communication
• Plan for ongoing assessment
  • Suggestions/Recommendations:
    • Check in with your division on assessment assistance
    • Consider what demographic information you may want to include
    • Consider delivery of assessment
    • Use MonarchGroups to collect data when possible
    • Try to collect data during final meetings/events while individuals are present
    • Consider length of your assessment and types of questions (qualitative vs. quantitative, short answer vs. multiple choice etc.)
      • For example: In one word or a few sentences, how would you describe your experience? 

• Celebrate wins
• Provide opportunity to debrief
• Review assessment results and share success metrics with key stakeholders
• Clarify next steps
  • Programmatic updates and changes
  • Expectations of continuing or closing the relationship
  • Mentor/mentee participation in future program cycles