By setting up a mentoring program in collaboration with nonprofit, your company can contribute to the professional and interpersonal development of its employees and have a strong societal impact for the beneficiaries it supports. Did you know, for example, that 80% of mentors are proud of their company's commitment to mentoring? In this article, we give you all the basics you need to set up a mentoring program in your company, and (we hope) make it a success!
Mentoring: what is it?
Being a mentor means supporting a beneficiary (young people from disadvantaged areas, people with disabilities, women undergoing retraining, entrepreneurs, etc.) on a voluntary basis over the long term (from a few months to six years). A mentor helps his or her mentee in a variety of ways: with organization and time management, self-confidence, skills development, university or job applications... As you can see, no special skills are required, just your availability, attentiveness, advice and benevolence.
What kind of commitment is required as a mentor? Depending on thenonprofit program:
- an average commitment of 20 hours,
- over a period of 3 to 12 months (sometimes 18 months),
- meetings with the beneficiary 1 to 4 times a month (physical or face-to-face).
The aim of these sustained rhythms is to build a relationship of trust over time, by enabling mentors and mentees to meet on a regular and sustained basis.
Also read: All about mentoring
Mentoring: a strong impact on beneficiaries
Mentoringis a real tool for equal opportunity. The support and guidance of a mentor is beneficial to the associations' beneficiaries for many reasons. 70% of young mentees declare that they have progressed in their studies, are more at ease in society and have been able to better express their aspirations (source: collectif mentorat).
Here are 3 key impacts of mentoring for a mentee:
- Regain self-confidence: By listening, supporting and caring for their mentees, mentors help them regain self-confidence and motivation, the starting point for successful projects! Mentors can help overcome doubts, obstacles and self-censorship. A good mentor will do everything in his or her power to help the mentee reach his or her full potential.
- Discover a new field of possibilities: A mentor will provide his or her mentee with a new vision of things, new perspectives and an objective opinion on a situation. The mentee will then be able to step back, analyze different options and make informed choices in terms of career or studies. The mentor can also put his or her mentee in touch with his or her network to broaden his or her professional horizons!
- Developskills (technical and non-technical): In some cases, mentoring can enable the mentee to develop technical skills (IT skills, marketing skills, management skills...) by benefiting from his or her mentor's experience and expertise. More often, however, mentoring helps the mentee to develop soft skills such as communication, critical thinking and time management.
The benefits of mentoring foremployeesand the company
The societal impact of mentoring is undeniable. But did you know that launching a mentoring program also has many significant benefits for your company and its employees?
- Employeesatisfaction and well-being: By allowing your employees to mentor, you offer them a unique, personal project with high added value. With this new mission, employees can feel more fulfilled on a day-to-day basis and rediscover meaning in their careers, which can boost productivity and loyalty and reduce turnover.
- Skills development : Mentoring enables your employees to develop essential soft skills: leadership, active listening, empathy... Strong assets for advancing within the company and successfully completing team projects!
- Promoting diversity and inclusion: A mentoring program can even enable your company to recruit new talent from diverse backgrounds. Indeed, the people mentored by your teams can join your teams! For example, if one of your employees is mentoring a woman who is retraining, and you're looking for someone to fill a position that might suit her, the match can be made.
- Corporate image: Launching a mentoring program with nonprofit demonstrates your company's social commitment. This will help you attract new talent!
How do you set up a mentoring program in your company?
Are you convinced of the impact and importance of mentoring and want to set up a mentoring program in your company? We'll tell you everything you need to know about the various stages involved in bringing this project to fruition!
1. Identify thenonprofit
First and foremost, to launch your mentoring program, you need to find a nonprofit that matches the needs of your company and the expectations of your employees.ricesIf you have already defined the framework of your engagement program and the causes supported (which we strongly advise you to do), this step will be simpler. You can then selectnonprofit according to the cause and beneficiaries supported: support for young people, support for people with disabilities, support for women undergoing retraining...
To help you, you can use our directory, which has been specially designed to provide you with an overview of associations offering mentoring schemes for a variety of beneficiaries. The aim is to find THE association (or associations) with which to create a lasting partnership and offer your employees the chance to become mentors.
2. Establish a partnership
Once you've chosennonprofit with whom you'd like to launch a mentoring program, contact them to discuss the details (financial terms, duration of the partnership, etc.). Once again, we can help!
3. Define a framework and objectives
Identify the specific objectives of the mentoring program in collaboration withnonprofit. Discuss the expected results: number of beneficiaries supported, number of mentors mobilized, total duration of the program and final impact... Also decide whether you want to give your employees days to commit to mentoring during their working hours. By giving your employees days off, you'll be more likely to recruit mentors!
4. Recruit mentors
Use an internal communication campaign and forms to identify employees interested in becoming mentors. To maximize your chances of success, highlight all the benefits of mentoring. Plan a presentation session atnonprofit to clearly explain what is expected of mentors and how to get involved.
5. Animate your program
Throughout your mentoring program, don't forget to communicate and animate your community of mentors and future mentors. Organize meetings between different mentors, feature testimonials from mentors and mentees, and communicate about the impact of your program.
You could, for example, pass on to your teams our "Becoming a mentor" guide, which will help them take a fresh look at mentoring, break down the clichés surrounding it and give your employees the desire (and the means) to become mentors in their turn!
6. Evaluate and measure your impact
Evaluate your mentoring program on a regular basis, gathering feedback from mentors, beneficiaries andnonprofit. Adjust your program from year to year to maximize the impact and reach of your actions!
Contact Wenabi to launch or boost your company's mentoring program ✊
An example of a successful corporate mentoring program
Sanofi is committed to the inclusion of young people and equal opportunities. It was against this backdrop that the company launched its mentoring program, through which 700 young people from disadvantaged neighborhoods have been sponsored for nearly 10 years via five partner associations: Nos Quartiers ont des Talents, Télémaque, Capital Filles, Sport dans la Ville and Proxité. In 2021, Sanofi sponsored more than 250 students through its employee mentors. In particular, the company has contributed to raising young people's awareness of the business world by encouraging sharing sessions between students and employees.
The results speak for themselves: 88% of the students who completed their 3rd grade internship at Sanofi came from a disadvantaged neighborhood (i.e. 450 interns). 91 students were able to take part in job presentations by Sanofi employees.
Wenabi enables you to mobilize your employees in support of associations and the general interest. We can help you define your mentoring program and adapt its deployment on our platform. To find out more, contact us !
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