Your mentorship program does not operate in a vacuum; it is a part of a larger ecosystem that your participants are already a part of. Partners should conduct continuous efforts in leveraging influential connections, existing support services and personnel, and research and analysis collaborators – all striving towards establishing a true community of mentorship at your institution.
Successful recruitment for your mentorship program often hinges on leveraging trustworthy and influential individuals or groups within the campus community.
Not sure where to go for support? The Marketing & Communications Department and Student Activities & Leadership Office are great places to start. Read on for examples from fellow institutions on creating cross-campus collaboration.
Prioritize Peer Buy-In
Start your recruitment by targeting specific and influential groups, such as student leaders, club officers, and members of the student government.
Peer buy-in is a powerful recruitment tool, and securing commitments from influential peers not only ensures trustworthy participants but also facilitates organic program promotion within their circles. These individuals can serve as effective ambassadors for your mentorship program in prominent spaces or events, such as student orientation, student organization fairs, Career Center events / workshops, or on-campus tabling.
What Are Other Institutions Doing?
Have you considered leveraging paid student employees to maximize the impact of peer-to-peer recruitment? Listen to how Holyoke Community College has seen success with this strategy by paying students to mentor in highly trafficked areas, driving interest in their program and increasing participation.
Communicating in the student voice can also make a big impact on your recruitment efforts. Hear how Augusta University or California State, Monterey Bay, use students to market their programs, from live streaming during recruitment events to celebrating participants on social media.
Hear from multiple institutions and learn how to recruit in a participant-centered, strategic, and visible way in our webinar, Boost Mentorship Recruitment Through Orientation.
Collaborate with Faculty & Staff
Engaging in promotional efforts with faculty and staff across your institution can have a significant impact on recruitment. This can be as simple as promoting the program in a college sponsored newsletter or attending a faculty senate meeting, or done on a larger scale by centralizing your institution’s mentorship strategy and cross-promoting opportunities in other departments.
What Are Other Institutions Doing?
Check out this webinar for examples of these strategies.
Some institutions include mentorship as a program requirement - as part of an enrollment checklist or as a way to complete community service. Others highlight their mentorship initiative through cross-department promotion at new student orientation. Deans from across the University of Rhode Island speak with parents at their orientation, highlighting the benefits of mentorship and encouraging participation.
Develop an Institution-Wide Culture of Mentorship
Ensuring students know the value of mentorship can have a dramatic impact on your recruitment efforts. At the University of California, Davis, mentorship opportunities go beyond their affiliation with Mentor Collective. Incoming students are expected to engage in multiple types of mentorship throughout their student experience. These mentorship opportunities are promoted in every staff-to-student interaction at the school, from academic advising conversations to institution-wide messaging. Students know what mentorship can offer them, so they are inclined to opt-in when recruited.
Want to learn more? Check out the Six Elements of a Culture of Mentorship here.
Leverage Institutional Leadership
Establish rapport with influential leaders at your institutions, and ensure they understand and believe in the impact your mentorship program can have. A mentorship invitation message from the president, provost, or relevant vice presidents adds credibility and signals that the mentorship program is an institutional priority.
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