October 2024 Monthly Digest

Lauren Ficker

Updated January 30, 2025 14:58

Curious about what makes a perfect match? Discover the details in this month’s Monthly Digest! This month, we delve into the three elements of Mentor Collective’s matching philosophy and share our tips for using your matching data.

	Mentees Have Agency in their Match Our matching process recognizes that mentees seek different qualities in mentors. Using an algorithm with a weighted scoring system, we prioritize each mentee’s top preferences to create the best possible matches. Additional weight is given to the mentee’s most important criterion, ensuring that key factors, like career interests, are prioritized during auto-matching. As a partner, when you set up your matching survey, you get to use the default weighting we recommend or adjust the weights according to your program design preferences.
Mentors Control their Commitment Level Mentor Collective’s matching philosophy prioritizes mentors' control over their commitment level, acknowledging that each mentor’s availability varies. During matching, mentors specify their preferred number of mentees, and the algorithm respects this in assigning either Standard or Low Touch mentorships. Mentors can adjust their capacity if their circumstances change, allowing for smooth re-matching as needed. This saves you time, quickly pairing participants with high-quality matches, and connecting them via email and SMS.
	Mentorship Looks Different for Everyone This approach means mentorship is first and foremost centered around the experiences and needs of participants. We offer a library of 40+ structured Discussion Guides, aligned with mentee goals, and allow for custom guides tailored to specific needs. Mentorship should be identity-conscious, actively considering participant identities and fostering accessibility through flexible engagement methods. A participant-centered approach keeps mentorship goal-focused and meaningful, with all participants gaining something valuable.

Check out our webinar on matching to learn more!

Recommended Partner Knowledge Center articles:

Using Your Matching Data

On the Onboarding & Matching Tab of your Partner Dashboard, you can see quick top-line numbers for each step in your initiative's recruiting process, as well as participant funnel charts and top recruitment opportunities. Further explore how to use your Dashboard in this article.

You can review matching survey data in aggregate, export it for further analysis, or see a specific participant's individual responses. There are many applications for these insights, such as examining the “Mentees’ Top Matching Criterion” chart to see if mentees' preferences align with your current matching process. Discover how these data can create meaningful impact in this video clip or in our article here.

ICYMI: Assess For Impact

Our three-part webinar series is designed to empower you with the tools and strategies needed to run your own impact analyses and apply the findings to your institution's broader student success strategy. Effective matching is captured by these analyses, as it sets the foundation for successful mentorship relationships and overall program impact. ⬇️

Full Guidelines: Exploring Your Sense of Belonging Data

Full Guidelines: Exploring Your Retention Data

Full Guidelines: Exploring Your Academic Progress Data

Mentorship is most successful if it's participant-centered and data-informed, ensuring that both mentees and mentors thrive in their relationships and achieve meaningful outcomes. Don't miss this month's content on matching and impact!