# Mentoring FAQ

Short answers to the most common questions about mentoring programs in RandomCoffee, with links to the detailed articles.

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The most common questions about mentoring programs, with short answers. Each answer links to the article that gives all the details.

## Getting started

<Accordions>
<AccordionItem title="What is a RandomCoffee mentoring program?">

A type of program to run structured mentoring from end to end: enroll mentors and mentees, pair them with your rules, guide each pair through milestones, and give every pair a shared page to book meetings and track their progress. See [What is a mentoring program?](/admin/mentoring/mentoring-overview/).

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<AccordionItem title="Who is mentoring for?">

Any organization that wants to run mentoring at scale: onboarding buddy programs, reverse mentoring, DEI and ERG circles, leadership development or classic senior and junior mentoring. If you can define who the mentors and the mentees are, RandomCoffee can pair, guide and track them.

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<AccordionItem title="Is mentoring included in my plan?">

Mentoring programs are an add-on, available on the Pro and Enterprise plans. To add it, contact your sales representative or your Customer Success Manager. See [Availability](/admin/mentoring/mentoring-overview/#availability).

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<AccordionItem title="How do I create a mentoring program?">

In "Programs", click "Create New Program", then "Create from scratch", and choose "Mentorship". Your mentoring programs show a purple "Mentorship" tag, so you can tell them apart from your other programs. See [Create a mentoring program](/admin/mentoring/create-a-mentoring-program/).

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## Enrollment and audiences

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<AccordionItem title="How do mentors and mentees join the program?">

Two options: select them from your existing audiences, or share an open enrollment link so that people register by themselves. Open enrollment adds everyone who joined to a static audience. See [Registration](/admin/mentoring/create-a-mentoring-program/#registration).

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<AccordionItem title="Can someone be both a mentor and a mentee?">

Yes, for example to mentor on one skill and be mentored on another. Use a "Multiple Choice" category with the values "Mentor" and "Mentee", so that members can hold one role or both, and add them to both audiences.

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<AccordionItem title="Can I collect information from people when they register?">

Yes. With open enrollment, attach a registration form to the program and set up its enrichment: each respondent joins the program, and their answers fill your categories for your matching rules. See [Registration](/admin/mentoring/create-a-mentoring-program/#registration).

</AccordionItem>
<AccordionItem title="Can admins be excluded from the pairs?">

Yes. If admins are part of your mentor or mentee audiences, turn on "Exclude Admins from Intros" in the "Registration" settings.

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## Matching

<Accordions>
<AccordionItem title="How does the matching work?">

You define the rules (skills, seniority, department or any other category) and RandomCoffee proposes the pairs. You can let RandomCoffee send them automatically, or review, adjust and approve every pair before anyone is notified. See [Matching mode](/admin/mentoring/create-a-mentoring-program/#matching-mode).

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<AccordionItem title="What is the best setup for skill-based mentoring?">

A "Category overlap" rule between two "Multiple Choice" categories that share the same options: one for mentor skills, one for mentee skills. RandomCoffee then pairs people on the skills they have in common. See [Skill-based matching](/admin/mentoring/create-a-mentoring-program/#skill-based-matching).

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<AccordionItem title="Can a mentor be paired with more than one mentee?">

Yes, with "Mentor rematching": set a fixed number of mentees for every mentor, or let each mentor choose in a "Number" category. Some mentors can take one mentee, others three. See [Mentor rematching](/admin/mentoring/create-a-mentoring-program/#mentor-rematching).

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<AccordionItem title="What is the difference between optimizing participation and optimizing matching quality?">

"Optimize people participation" generates the best possible pairs for everyone, even if some rules are not perfectly met. "Optimize matching quality" only creates pairs that fully meet your rules, which may leave some people unmatched.

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<AccordionItem title="What is the difference between admin-led and automatic matching?">

"Admin-led": pairs are generated for you to review and adjust before anything is sent. "Automatic": pairs are generated and sent on your scheduled dates, without review. See [Mentoring sessions and matches](/admin/mentoring/mentoring-sessions-and-matches/).

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## The mentoring journey

<Accordions>
<AccordionItem title="What is a milestone?">

A step of the mentoring journey, in other words one of the meetings of a pair. For example: Kickoff, Assessment, Deep dive, Projects, Reflection, Wrap-up. Each milestone has its own name and goal. See [Agenda](/admin/mentoring/create-a-mentoring-program/#agenda).

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<AccordionItem title="What is the difference between a session and a milestone?">

A session is the event that creates the pairs, for example a new round of pairs every quarter. A milestone is one of the meetings a mentor and a mentee have within that session. A session includes all the milestones of your program. See [Sessions and milestones](/admin/mentoring/mentoring-sessions-and-matches/#sessions-and-milestones).

</AccordionItem>
<AccordionItem title="Do pairs book their own meetings?">

Yes, booking is built in. Pairs book each meeting from their mentoring page, then mark it as done once it took place. You follow the meetings booked and completed in the "Results" tab of the program. See [Your mentoring page](/members/mentoring/mentoring-page/).

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## Communication

<Accordions>
<AccordionItem title="How are mentors and mentees notified?">

You choose the channel (email, Slack or Microsoft Teams) and customize the opt-in and match messages, with a preview or a test email before going live. See [Personalize opt-in and match messages](/admin/programs/personalize-messages/).

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<AccordionItem title="Can I collect feedback along the way?">

Yes, with forms attached to the program. The opt-in form appears after a member accepts the opt-in, which is useful to collect data for your matching rules. The post-match form appears on the mentoring page, in each milestone. See [Program forms](/admin/mentoring/create-a-mentoring-program/#program-forms).

</AccordionItem>
<AccordionItem title="Can I share resources or guidance with participants?">

Yes, with program notes. Participants see them on the registration page (with open enrollment) and on their mentoring page. See [Program notes](/admin/mentoring/create-a-mentoring-program/#program-notes).

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## The mentoring page

<Accordions>
<AccordionItem title="What is the mentoring page?">

The shared page each pair gets once matched: profiles, milestones and progress, meetings, shared notes, resources, and a "Send a message" button to reach each other. See [Your mentoring page](/members/mentoring/mentoring-page/).

</AccordionItem>
<AccordionItem title="How do participants access it securely?">

Participants who are not signed in to RandomCoffee verify their email address with a 6-digit code sent by email. Only the members of the pair can open the page.

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<AccordionItem title="What information appears on a member's profile?">

First name, last name and email, plus the categories you choose in "Profile field visibility", in the "Participants" settings. See [Participants](/admin/mentoring/create-a-mentoring-program/#participants).

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## Setup

<Accordions>
<AccordionItem title="Can I run several mentoring programs at once?">

Yes. You can run different tracks in parallel, for example onboarding buddies and reverse mentoring.

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<AccordionItem title="Who is the point of contact for participants?">

The "Support Contacts" you choose in the "Participants" settings. They must be administrators of your RandomCoffee workspace. Participants reach them from the "Contact your administrator." link at the bottom of the mentoring page.

</AccordionItem>
<AccordionItem title="Does mentoring work with the other RandomCoffee features?">

Yes. Mentoring works with [broadcasts](/admin/broadcasts/create-a-broadcast/) for your internal communication, [forms](/admin/content/create-a-form/) to collect data and feedback, and [notes](/admin/content/notes/) to share resources.

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