What Does a Mentoring Program Administrator Do?

The demand for mentoring in organisations is at an all-time high with 98% of Fortune 500 companies in the US now implementing such programs in their workplace. This is a 14% increase since 2022 and correlates with a significant increase in mentoring focus across the ASX 200 as well. Part of that success comes from the hard work put in by an organisation’s mentoring program administrator, who oversees its success. 

Managing a mentoring program, however, can be a big responsibility even with the best mentoring software in 2024. Program admins need to be on top of these platforms and get a good grasp of how they operate so that the organisation can run a successful mentoring program. Without mentoring software, program administrators face a heavy daily workload. 

In this article, we’ll be talking about the responsibilities of program administrators and how mentoring software can help them.  

What Do Program Coordinators Do?

In a nutshell, a program coordinator is in charge of guiding the journey of the participants of the mentoring program. They are tasked with making decisions for the purpose, population, and timeline of the program, as well as its promotion within the organisation. During the program, many program managers have little choice but to be reactive to the demands of their cohort and leaders, unless they are well-supported, with clear insights and a wide view of program health.  

The job of a program admin can be incredibly rewarding, particularly in programs that succeed. Admins play a vital role in the positive change in the lives of the program’s participants. This can be a very fulfilling journey for the admin too.  

For admins that deal with large organisations and government agencies, the workload can be overwhelming. Thankfully, there are mentoring platforms available to help make their jobs easier. And although these platforms are helpful, they aren’t capable of fully running on their own. This is where the role of a program admin is needed. Here are the usual responsibilities of a program administrator: 

Promotes the Mentoring Program

Despite the increase of Fortune 500 companies that have adopted a mentoring program into their workplace, a lot of people still know very little about it. In fact, 76% of people think that mentorship is important, but only 37% have a mentor. Some employees still do not know how important and beneficial a mentoring relationship can be. This is why it is up to the program administrator to let the workplace know what mentoring is as well as its benefits. 

The admin must also ensure that the organisation is committed to running the program. This can be done by proving why organisations need mentoring. 

Sets Up the Program

Another responsibility of a mentoring program administrator is to create a policy for the mentors and mentees to follow. Thankfully with the right mentoring software, this can be set up easily. Administrators no longer have to set up the program on their own. A good mentoring platform should have essential features for the program to run efficiently.  

Identifies Potential Matches

Without mentoring software, program administrators have to identify the organisation’s top leaders and match them with potential mentees. Unfortunately, manual matches aren’t always the best option since they can be influenced by unconscious bias and unhelpful assumptions. Often, this can lead to an unsuccessful mentorship pairing in the organisation. 

Using the right mentoring software can help make things easier for the administrator, especially when working with large numbers in an organisation. While participants can choose their own mentor or mentee, it would be nice to have an option for evidence-based matching using an individual’s personality and values.  

Provides Resources

Administrators also need to provide resources for the participants of the program. This can come in the form of handbooks, guides, cheat sheets, videos, relevant books, and tips that can be useful for the mentoring relationship to progress.  This can be key to ensuring participants (particularly mentors) feel as though they are contributing and supporting their mentees effectively.

Evaluate and Measure the Program’s Success

The most important role of an administrator is to evaluate and measure the success of the mentoring program. Mentoring software helps make this job easier by giving admins an overview of each paired participant. They can use this mentoring tool to evaluate the mentee’s progress and how often they meet with their mentors. If problems arise, the admin can support either party and reassign them to another mentor. 

How Can Mentoring Software Help a Mentoring Program Administrator?

Most of the hard work needed from a mentoring program administrator is needed at the beginning of the program when they are setting things up. But with the right mentoring software, most of the hard work is basically done. The right mentoring software allows admins to be proactive in supporting the program by identifying and managing issues before they arise and understanding the mood and confidence of participants. 

If you are a program administrator of a large organisation, government agency, or membership-based association, we’d love to work with you. Brancher equips program administrators with useful mentorship tools to support you. Reach out to us today for a demo of how our mentoring software works.

Resources:

1. Cantalupo, Grace. (2022, May 19). Forbes. Does Mentoring Still Matter For Fortune 500 Companies?. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2022/05/19/does-mentoring-still-matter-for-fortune-500-companies/?sh=9ada2875d8c7

2. Cook, Sam. (2024, March 11). mentorcliQ. 2024 Mentoring Impact Report: 98% of Fortune 500 Companies Have Mentoring. https://www.mentorcliq.com/blog/mentoring-impact-report#:~:text=The%20number%20of%20US%20Fortune%20500%20companies%20offering%20visible%20mentoring%20programs%20has%20reached%2098%25

3. Comaford, Christine. (2019, July 5). Forbes. 76% Of People Think Mentors Are Important, But Only 37% Have One. https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinecomaford/2019/07/03/new-study-76-of-people-think-mentors-are-important-but-only-37-have-one/