How to Start Measuring a Mentoring Program's Success

Every program administrator needs to be able to measure a mentoring program’s success. If you can’t prove the program is achieving its goals, there’s a chance that management will shut it down or the program participants will lose interest. This is why knowing how to measure the success of a mentoring program is key. 

As a program administrator, you must have the right tools to help you measure your KPIs. But before you can start measuring the success of your mentoring program, you need to ensure that your metrics have been decided and monitored from the start. 

Your mentoring program needs to use a measurement and evaluation process based on your program goals. Actionable insights into the relationship between a mentor and mentee should also be provided. 

By establishing these from the start, you’ll be able to easily track your program’s progress and see how it’s working for your organisation. In this article, we’ll teach you how to achieve this. At the same time, we’ll highlight the different Brancher tools you can use to keep track of your program’s success. 

The Importance of Establishing KPIs

Mentoring programs in the workplace offer a wide range of benefits, from boosting employee retention and promoting diversity in leadership to enhancing mental health support. However, businesses can only realise these advantages if their mentoring initiatives are measurable. 

Traditionally, Learning and Development efforts like mentoring are hard to quantify due to their qualitative nature, leading to two potential outcomes: the programs may be deprioritized in favour of more data-driven initiatives, or their success may remain unknown.

To avoid this, businesses must define their key objectives and KPIs before launching a mentoring program. Clear success criteria and measurable metrics are essential to tracking progress.

Brancher uses the Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model of 1959, which is an evidence-based psychological model that can be applied to evaluate the success of your mentoring program. The model evaluates these four levels:

• Level 1 (Reaction): How did mentors and mentees respond to the program?

• Level 2 (Learning): How much did mentors and mentees learn from the program and have their skills improved?

• Level 3 (Behaviour): Have mentors and mentees applied what they learned during the mentoring program?

• Level 4 (Results): What benefits has the organisation experienced as a result of the mentoring program?

How to Measure a Mentoring Program’s Success

A crucial aspect of any mentoring program is its ability to demonstrate success. Without measurable outcomes, the program risks losing management support or participant interest. Therefore, establishing metrics from the start is vital. These metrics should be:

• Aligned with program goals
• Designed to offer actionable insights into mentor-mentee relationships
• Integrated into the program’s design from the outset

When it comes to measuring the success of the program, organisations can have varying metrics and mentoring types. But we typically measure these through the following:

Level 1: Reaction

• Participant feedback
• Evaluation survey results
• Program satisfaction
• Match success rates
• Number of mentoring meetings
• Percentage activation on the mentoring platform (if relevant)

Level 2: Learning

• Pre/post-training evaluation
• Confidence
• Goals achieved
• Skills gained

Level 3: Behaviour

• Collaboration
• HR observations
• Performance
• Engagement
• Productivity
• Job satisfaction

Level 4: Results

• Attrition/turnover
• Promotions
• Sales
• Financial metrics
• Profits
• Organisational commitment

How to Collect Data for a Mentoring Program

To gather both qualitative and quantitative data, program managers can use:

• Surveys: Structured questions, often using scoring systems, make it easier to quantify feedback. Qualitative surveys can be used for more detailed insights, such as personal improvement or mentor-mentee relationship feedback.
• Organisational HR Data: Retention and promotion rates should be tracked with the help of HR to assess long-term impact. This data may take time to gather but is essential for measuring success.
• Mentoring Software: Specialised software can track engagement metrics like the number of mentoring sessions and relationships. This software automates many time-consuming tasks, providing better visibility into program performance.

Tips for Measuring and Tracking Success

• Monitor Progress Throughout the Program: Don’t wait until the end to assess success. Regularly review both qualitative and quantitative data, including turnover rates and participant feedback, to gain insights and make adjustments along the way.
• Set Individual Goals for Participants: Besides overarching business goals, mentors and mentees should also set personal goals. Tracking their progress helps ensure that the program is delivering value on an individual level.
• Gather Participant Feedback: Qualitative feedback can help program managers understand what’s working and what needs improvement. Anonymous surveys often encourage more honest and useful responses.
• Track Program Advocacy: A successful mentoring program should generate positive word of mouth. If participants aren’t recommending the program to others, it may indicate a lack of value or unmet goals.
• Use Mentoring Software: Corporate mentoring software can help streamline tracking and reporting, making it easier to manage larger programs. Automated tools for pairing, feedback collection, and data analysis help scale and optimise mentorship initiatives.

Evaluating and Reporting Mentoring Program Success

In addition to tracking progress, mentoring programs should undergo periodic evaluations. This involves reviewing all program data—from initial goals to feedback and outcomes. Effective reporting is key to proving ROI to leadership. Present data in a digestible format, focusing on the program’s initial objectives and how they were met.

In summary, for mentoring programs to become a valuable part of any organisation, they must be backed by data. Before launching a new program, ensure you have a clear plan for measuring its success. Using software tools can make managing and scaling the program more efficient and effective.

How Brancher Helps You Measure Your Organisation’s Mentoring Program’s Success

Launching a successful mentoring program can be challenging, especially when scaling it manually. Fortunately, there are tools available to simplify program management and boost effectiveness.

Brancher is a comprehensive mentoring platform designed to help organisations build, scale, and measure effective corporate mentorship programs that enhance employee engagement and retention. Through the software, you can easily measure success and leverage advanced features including:

• Automated matching: Easily pair mentors and mentees based on their personality, values, skills and more in just a few clicks.
• Pre-built training and discussion meeting templates: Eliminate guesswork with structured training and talking points/agendas, aligned with business objectives.
• Data dashboards and reporting: Monitor key KPIs and metrics, and use automated surveys to collect real-time employee feedback.

You can find these tools on your Brancher dashboard. Or you can call today for a demo of how these tools work.