Building a thriving mentorship program goes beyond simply matching mentors with mentees. To truly embed mentorship into the fabric of your institution, you need to cultivate a culture of mentorship where the work of mentors and mentees is recognized, valued, supported, and celebrated at every level. This isn't just about individual acknowledgment; it's about fostering an organizational mindset that champions mentorship as essential to success.
Effective celebration of mentorship takes many forms, from strategic data sharing to personal recognition and community engagement. The following offers a comprehensive look at various ways to shine a spotlight on your mentorship program and its participants. You can also review our Celebrate Mentorship Webinar here!
Leveraging Data & Storytelling
It is vital to transform raw data into compelling narratives that demonstrate the tangible impact of your mentorship program. By strategically analyzing and sharing both quantitative and qualitative insights, you can gain buy-in, secure resources, and amplify recognition for your program's contributions to institutional goals.
Sharing your program's celebratory insights with the right stakeholders is crucial for growth and deeper integration. When you report out program data and highlight wins, you not only increase buy-in but also actively engage faculty and staff in ongoing promotional and advocacy efforts.
Example: University of Wisconsin Green Bay
UWGB created an Impact Report to showcase data on student engagement and outcomes. Because of this program recognition, faculty and staff were more aware of and excited about the impact mentorship could have, and they recommended students who they felt would benefit from the program.
When your mentorship program’s goals – and your data – are in alignment with other initiatives and priorities, it becomes that much easier to gain buy-in and amplify the celebration. Progress can be shared, recognized, and built upon across the institution.
Example: University of North Carolina Greensboro
UNCG linked their mentorship goals to their Quality Enhancement Plan, embedding mentorship as a core strategy for student success across the institution.
Conduct an Impact Analysis to connect mentorship to key institutional outcomes like sense of belonging, retention, academic progress, or career readiness. This process allows you to definitively demonstrate your program's direct impact on these critical areas.
Take advantage of qualitative insights (e.g. testimonials) from your Mentor Collective Partner Dashboard, or in targeted outreach. These individual stories are powerful; they bring your data to life and give others a deeper, more human understanding of mentorship's true value.
Example: Saint Louis University
SLU features alumni mentor spotlights in their alumni newsletter, showcasing their commitment to mentorship post-graduation.
Engaging Leadership
Institutional leadership plays a crucial role in championing mentorship. When leaders at all levels actively recognize, support, and participate in mentorship initiatives, it sends a clear message that the program is a vital and valued component of the institution's success.
Encourage leaders to share success stories on social media, nominate mentors and mentees for awards, speak at mentorship events, and allocate time on meeting agendas to highlight mentorship's impact. This adds a powerful, personal touch that reinforces the program's value.
Personal advocacy goes beyond formal recognition; it involves actively and visibly championing mentorship through their individual platforms and personal stories. When leaders share their own experiences or directly engage with participants, it creates an authentic connection that truly resonates.
Example: University of North Carolina Greensboro
UNCG’s Provost drives around campus on a golf cart and interviews students about their mentorship experiences, promoting these videos on social media.
Example: University of Wisconsin–Superior
UW-Superior’s Provost, Dr. Maria Cuzzo, recorded a podcast about her own mentorship journey, shared institution-wide.
Leaders can explain the connection between your mentorship program and their departmental goals in meetings. By showcasing how mentorship directly supports their unit's objectives, you make it easier for the entire department to see the program's strategic value.
Example: San Francisco State University
Associate deans from every college at SF State are all involved and invested in their centralized mentorship program. They use Institution Provided Data to segment out their department’s relevant data.
Ensure your program refers participants to other support services, aligning with broader institutional support. This may be done by forwarding mentee flags to relevant individuals or offices and/or providing custom resources with an explanation of institutional resources.
Integrating Mentorship into Campus Experience
Celebrating mentorship also means integrating it into the student experience—not treating it like an add-on or extra activity. By making mentorship a natural and expected part of their journey from the outset, you enhance participation and perceived value.
Orientation is the perfect landscape for highly impactful engagement efforts, while students are already excited and engaged. From including mentorship as part of enrollment checklists to specific programming at Orientation, the options are endless to integrate mentorship.
Example: University of Rhode Island
URI has deans speak directly with families during Orientation about mentorship benefits, even walking side-by-side with them between sessions to share personal anecdotes.
Example: Augusta University
Augusta hosts a "Launch Week" during Orientation with tabling, cookouts, and a strong social media presence to celebrate mentorship and the program.
When promoting your mentorship program, having a clear purpose and value is essential to attract and retain participants. Clearly articulating the mentorship program’s purpose and value helps potential mentees and mentors understand, not only the “what,” but the “why.”
Example: University of California, Davis
UC Davis has made celebrating mentorship such a part of their culture that all students know that mentorship is a value-add for their student experience at the University.
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Consider who on your campus regularly engages with students: your faculty. Cultivating their awareness and active investment in your mentorship program can result in significant increases in student participation and engagement.
Example: Clark Atlanta University
At CAU, a faculty awareness campaign shares program information across campus, encouraging faculty to discuss involvement with students.
Expanding Marketing Efforts
Your program participants should be empowered to become enthusiastic advocates for mentorship. When peers share their positive experiences and actively promote the program, it creates a relatable and authentic form of marketing that resonates deeply with potential participants.
Encourage participants to share their stories through videos and quotes, to be shared on social media, landing pages, program communication, and other promotional materials.
Example: Augusta University
During their big BBQ, Augusta livestreams from the event and focuses attention on inviting students to join the mentorship program. Tapping into a widely attended event, on top of having students share their experience on social media, draws in students who might not have otherwise participated.
When students take ownership of mentorship, it becomes a vibrant, peer-driven part of campus culture. Who knows what will best resonate with students, than fellow students? It can also be a professional development opportunity, and time saver for program admin.
Example: Augusta University
Augusta launched a student club, called "Jags4Jags," where members market the mentorship initiative alongside other student organizations during major events.
Example: Augusta University
Augusta Utilize graduate assistants to create marketing campaigns in the student voice, such as a mini-mic series on Instagram asking students about mentorship's impact on their lives.
Think beyond your institution and consider how mentorship connects to your broader community. Highlighting your program publicly is an excellent way to celebrate student success and elevate the program’s impact beyond campus.
Example: Augusta University
Augusta gained local visibility by securing a feature on the local news, highlighting the mentorship program and participants.
Offering Recognition & Incentives
Tangible recognition and incentives for mentors and mentees, whether low-cost or more substantial, are a valuable tool. Gestures of appreciation can significantly boost engagement, reinforce positive behavior, and demonstrate the institution's gratitude.
Have leadership (Dean, Provost, Program Coordinator) send personalized notes or emails to participants to thank them for their dedication to mentorship.
Example: University of Delaware
Provide opportunities for participants to network, such as graduate student cocktail hours, internships, resume-building workshops, or lecture series featuring program alumni.
Example: Lehigh University
Explore scholarships, graduation stoles/cords, course credit, extra credit, or campus co-curricular transcript entries. Offer free or discounted tickets to campus events, meal cards, or discounts at bookstores/dining locations.
Offer personalized letters of recommendation for mentors to support their job searches or graduate school applications.
Example: Mentor Collective Template
Create mentorship certificates or recognition awards that can be given out during a public event, team meeting, or even via email with a bit of fanfare.
Example: Mentor Collective Template
Offer digital badges that participants can display on LinkedIn, email signatures, or resumes. Utilize resources like the Mentor Competency Rubric to link mentorship to professional competencies.
Example: University of Arizona
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