A 2025 Guide to Building a Women’s Mentoring Program

In 2015, just 17 percent of C-suite executives were women. In 2024, that number increased to 29 percent, according to McKinsey and LeanIn. While this increase is great, the fact remains: women, especially women of color, continue to be underrepresented from middle management to the C-suite.

If women aren’t seeing people like them in management positions, how can they envision themselves getting there someday? It’s up to human resource professionals and higher-ups to implement programs in their organizations to encourage women and foster their professional development.

Launching a women’s mentoring program can help empower women in your organization and help you in HR and L&D create systemic change as your company grows.

In this guide, we’ll cover the importance of and how to start a women’s mentoring program at your company. Let’s get started.

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Why is a women’s mentoring program important?

After the pandemic, it became evident that women were more affected than men when it came to employment. Women lost jobs more often or had to reduce work hours for child care more than their male counterparts. As we work to recover from those effects, it’s vital now more than ever for organizations to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to support women and other underrepresented groups.

Implementing DEI initiatives like a women’s mentoring program helps foster that diversity and encourages women in your business. Female mentorship programs can help women by:

• Encouraging and retaining women in leadership positions: A women’s leadership mentoring program can help them build the necessary skills, confidence, and networks to thrive in leadership roles. When women advance to these roles, it leads to a more balanced gender representation in senior positions.
• Bridging the gender pay gap: Mentorship programs can equip women with negotiation skills and resources to advocate for fair pay, which can help bridge the gender pay gap. 
• Breaking stereotypes and biases: Mentorship provides an opportunity for women to be mentored by other successful women in their field, challenging stereotypes and biases about women's capabilities and roles in the workplace. 
• Providing a safe space for growth and development: Women may face barriers and challenges in the workplace due to their gender. A women's mentorship program can provide a safe and supportive space for all women to discuss and overcome these challenges, thus promoting their professional growth and development.

🤩 Need inspiration? Read about real, successful mentoring programs 

Infusing diverse perspectives through a women’s mentorship program

Women’s mentoring programs help boost diverse perspectives through all levels of your company. Having a diverse perspective provides several benefits, from employee satisfaction to customer happiness. Some of those benefits include:

• Increase in creativity and innovation: Diversity in the workplace brings individuals with different perspectives, experiences, and skills together. Through different types of collaboration, employees can work together to come up with more creative ideas or innovate on new products.
• Enhanced decision-making: Diverse teams will naturally consider multiple viewpoints and ideas. Those viewpoints can help them make more effective decisions and build better strategies.
• Improvements in company culture: When you show you value and promote gender diversity, you help employees feel included. Employees may feel more comfortable, leading to better employee satisfaction.
• Understanding customer needs better: If your business caters to a diverse audience, then having a diverse workforce means it’s easier to understand that audience and cater to their needs.

🎯 Read our guide to learn how to set and achieve DEI goals.

Types of women’s mentorship programs

Before you start a women’s mentoring program, you’ll want to research the right mentoring models for your company, and in some cases, you may run more than one type. For example, some women may be interested in a leadership track while others might want peer learning. Types of women’s mentoring programs include: 

• One-on-one mentoring: Many companies have formalized, one-on-one mentorship programs for female employees to support professional growth and development within the organization.
• Virtual mentoring programs: A virtual program connects female professionals with mentors who are located in different parts of the world via online platforms like Zoom or Google Meet.
• Non-profit mentoring programs: These programs are often organized by non-profit organizations or women's groups to provide mentoring and support to women.
• Reverse mentoring programs: Reverse mentoring pairs more experienced women with women who are just starting out to exchange knowledge, skills, and perspectives. 
• Industry-specific mentoring programs: Programs tailored to specific industries and provide mentors who have expertise in that particular field can help women learn more about their chosen industry and work on ways to advance. 
• Peer mentoring programs: In peer mentoring, women from similar backgrounds or career levels are paired together to provide support and guidance to each other. 
• Leadership development programs: These programs focus on developing leadership skills and qualities in women.

Participating in a women’s mentorship program helps women build meaningful connections, create a strong network, gain valuable insights and advice, and receive encouragement and motivation to reach their professional goals. Make sure mentees feel that they have a safe space to share their challenges and receive advice on overcoming them.

How to start a women’s mentoring program

As you begin designing your women’s mentoring program, remember that any successful program will require careful planning, effective communication, and a commitment to growth from all the participants and stakeholders.

Here are steps to create your own women’s mentorship program:

Define your goals and objectives

The first step to setting up a successful women mentorship program is to clearly define the goals and objectives. Goals may include improving leadership skills, career advancement, networking opportunities, or personal development. Having a clear purpose can help guide the structure and activities of the program. 

🧠 Read about the 9 most common mentorship goals and how to tailor them to your company. 

Identify the target audience

You’ll need to identify the group of women who would see the most workplace mentorship benefits, whether it’s based on their career level, industry, or specific challenges they may be facing. Understanding the needs and preferences of your target audience will help you build a program that meets their needs. 

Recruit mentors and select mentees

The success of your women’s mentorship program depends heavily on the quality and commitment of mentors. Identify potential mentors within your organization or in the community who have the skills and willingness to support and guide the mentees. Reach out to them and explain the goals and expectations of the program. 

Once mentors have been recruited, carefully select mentees who would benefit the most from the program. You might do this through an application process or by asking for nominations from managers or employees. Consider the goals and objectives of the program when selecting mentees to ensure a good mentor match.

Develop a structured program

Success requires you to learn how to structure a mentorship program. This includes setting up regular meetings between mentors and mentees, providing training and resources, and outlining goals and expectations for both parties. It is also important to consider how long your female mentorship program will run and how often progress will be evaluated. 

Provide training and resources

Mentors and mentees may have different backgrounds and experiences, so providing mentee and mentor training programs and resources can help bridge any potential knowledge or skill gaps. This can include workshops, online resources, or networking events for both mentors and mentees. 

Foster a supportive environment

A key aspect of successful women mentorship programs is creating a supportive and open environment for mentors and mentees to interact. This can include setting ground rules for communication, confidentiality, and respect, as well as providing opportunities for networking and group activities. 

Monitor progress and evaluate the program

It is important to regularly monitor the progress of female mentoring relationships and gather feedback from both mentors and mentees. This will help identify any issues or challenges that may arise and make adjustments as needed to ensure the program is meeting its objectives.

Celebrate successes and continually improve

As the program progresses, it is important to recognize and celebrate the achievements of both mentors and mentees. This can help motivate participants and showcase the impact of the program. 

A successful female mentoring program should be an ongoing process that evolves and improves over time. Collect feedback from participants and use it to make necessary changes and improvements for future iterations of the program. 

How to choose women mentorship program participants

Planning a women’s mentorship program is one thing—but for the program to be truly successful, you need to choose both the right mentors and the right mentees. Here’s how you choose the best fits for a women mentoring women program.

Choosing mentors

Let’s say you’re creating a women’s mentoring program that’s focused on increasing women in your organization’s leadership by 25% in the next five years. To do that, you’ll need to pick mentors who have the skills and expertise to help you reach those goals. Find women within your company who’ve already reached management levels and ask them to help. Other tips on finding suitable mentors include:

• Find ones who will be available and can commit: Your selected mentors need to have the time and willingness to commit to the mentorship program. Mentoring for women requires a significant amount of time and effort, so it’s important to find mentors who are genuinely interested in helping and supporting others.
• Choose a mix of mentors: Diverse perspectives are important in a mentorship program, too. To offer a well-rounded and diverse mentorship experience, it is important to have a mix of mentors from different backgrounds, experiences, and industries. In turn, mentees will get a broader perspective and more opportunities to learn.
• Look for mentors who suit the mentees’ needs: Consider the specific needs and goals of the mentees when selecting mentors. This will ensure that the mentors have the necessary skills and experience to guide and support the mentees in achieving their goals.
• Offer training to all of your mentors: If you want the mentorship program to be effective, then you need to make sure you’re training your mentors and giving them access to any resources they would need. Your training might include information on goal-setting techniques, ways to communicate, or coaching and development strategies.

🏆 Our mentor handbook can help new mentors learn the ropes

Choosing mentees

In the same vein, you’ll want to be selective with your mentees as well. They also need to have the commitment and time available to participate in the program. If they can’t commit, then it’s hard to measure how effective your efforts are. Other tips for finding the right mentees include:

• Make a profile of your ideal target group: Establish a set of criteria for selecting mentees, such as level of experience, career goals, and compatibility with potential mentors. With that profile, you can easily identify the most suitable candidates for the program.
• Do research to learn about potential mentees: Interview potential mentees or run a survey to gather information about their career goals, challenges, and expectations from the program. This way, you can find participants who have goals that align with your program’s purpose.
• Get recommendations: Ask for recommendations and referrals from colleagues or supervisors to identify potential mentees who would thrive in mentoring for women. Also, have mentees submit recommendations to verify why they’d be a good fit.
• Train your mentees too: Mentee training is just as important as training the mentors. Mentees need to know their role in the program and what they’re there to do—without that knowledge, they’ll be going in blind. Prepare them as much as possible. 

Tip: Together’s mentor matching software can seamlessly pair mentors and mentees with a 98% match satisfaction rate.

9 tips for overcoming women’s mentoring program challenges 

A women’s mentoring program is a great thing, but there are going to be some challenges of mentorship you’ll need to plan for so your program can succeed.

1. Establish a strong mentor network. 

When it comes to mentorship for women, one challenge is a possible shortage of mentors. Women are often underrepresented in senior or leadership positions, making it difficult to find experienced and successful female mentors. To overcome this challenge, you can reach out to other organizations, professional networks, and alumni associations to expand your women’s mentorship program. 

2. Let mentors and mentees know up front how much time to commit.

Both mentors and mentees may have limited time and resources to commit to the female mentoring program. This can result in missed meetings, delayed responses, and a lack of motivation. To address this issue, the program should have a clear time frame and expectations in terms of commitment from both parties. Regular check-ins and follow-ups can keep the mentor-mentee relationship on track. 

3. Use mentor matching software to find the right people.

Finding the right mentor and mentee match is crucial for the success of a mentoring program. It can be tough to find mentors and mentees with similar interests, backgrounds, and personalities. To overcome this challenge, use a compatibility assessment or software to match mentors and mentees based on their goals, skills, and preferences. 

4. Try to choose diverse mentors and mentees. 

Mentoring for women may unintentionally exclude women from different backgrounds, such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender presentation, or socio-economic status, leading to a lack of diverse perspectives and experiences. That can limit the effectiveness of the mentoring program. To promote diversity and inclusivity, the program can actively recruit mentors and mentees from diverse backgrounds and provide training on intercultural competence. 

5. Create a strong communication and feedback loop in the beginning.

Effective communication and constructive feedback are vital for the success of a female mentoring relationship. However, some mentees may feel intimidated or hesitant to share their concerns or ask for guidance from their mentors. To address this challenge, the program can provide training on communication and feedback to both mentors and mentees. 

6. Provide as many resources and support as possible.

A female mentorship program may struggle with limited resources and support, making it challenging to provide ongoing training, networking events, and other resources for mentors and mentees. The program can seek partnerships and funding from other organizations to support initiatives and provide resources for mentors and mentees. 

7. Constantly review and update your program. 

With the constant evolution of workplace dynamics, traditional mentoring practices may not be as effective in addressing current challenges and needs. Monitoring and measuring the women’s mentoring program can ensure it aligns with the latest industry trends and the needs of their mentees. 

8. Work to prevent mentor burnout.

Mentors may experience burnout if they feel overwhelmed or do not receive enough recognition and support for their efforts. Your program can address this by acknowledging the mentors' contributions, providing training and support, and rotating mentors to avoid burnout. 

9. Set up accountability with goals and expectations.

Without clear expectations or a system of accountability, mentors and mentees may not fully commit to the program. The program can set specific goals, track progress, and provide regular feedback to ensure both parties are accountable for their commitments. 

Measuring impact and long-term sustainability for your women’s mentoring programs

To measure the impact of women mentoring women, you’ll need to collect data throughout the program. Conduct surveys at the beginning, throughout the program, and at the end to see how things have changed. You’ll want to get feedback from both mentors and mentees to evaluate the effectiveness and make any adjustments. 

Continuously evaluating your program can help make sure the right participants are selected and that the program is meeting its goals. Also, reach out to mentees a while after the program has ended to see how they’re doing in their careers or if they’ve achieved other goals so that you have data to measure the long-term impacts. 

If your program is successful, it might be easier to get your C-suite to consider other DEI initiatives within the company—and you could carry over the mentorship model to other areas, too.

Start your women’s mentorship program today

If your organization’s lacking in girl power, it’s time to make a change. Consider a women’s mentoring program that’s designed to help women in your  company grow both professionally and personally. With Together, you can create a program that matches the best mentors and mentees and helps you manage the program from start to finish.

‍Book a demo with one of our mentorship experts to learn how we can help you create an impactful, meaningful mentorship program.