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Mentoring program names may not seem like a big deal, but they play a key role in engaging your employees. Before you launch a mentoring program, put some thought and effort into some mentorship program names.
In this short article, get inspiration and ideas to help you capture the culture you want to create in your mentoring program. Review these tips and some examples of creative names for mentoring programs to get started!
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Why are mentorship program names so important?
Your mentoring program names are how you introduce each program and capture the interest of potential mentors and mentees. On top of that, a clear, fun, and compelling program name will help increase your program's engagement while reflecting the culture you want to create within your program.
This is why it’s so important to choose a good name to be your long-term choice. After all, it is only fair to brainstorm thoroughly and come up with something catchy, unique, and meaningful if it is to represent your company’s values. Changing the name after the fact will only create confusion and negatively impact engagement.
How to choose mentor program names
Choosing mentoring program names is easier said than done. It can and should involve thoughtful consideration and evaluation. Will the name entice employees? Will it attract them to participate in the program? Does the program name reflect your goals and vision?
Let’s unpack these factors before we dive into some examples of names for mentorship programs.
Consider your goals
Begin by reflecting on the goals that drove you to offer the mentoring program in the first place. What do you hope to accomplish with it?
Take the SMART approach when determining your mentorship program goals. This goal setting method helps you design mentorship goals that are:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Actionable
- Realistic
- Time-bound
With your goals and purpose in front of you, it’ll be easier for you to come up with a few mentorship program names that reflect your program’s targets. For example, here are some common goals for mentoring programs:
- Building more connected cultures in hybrid or remote workplaces
- Supporting new hires through onboarding programs
- Preparing and offering training opportunities for new managers before they assume leadership roles
- Supporting diversity initiatives and improving team culture
- Mentoring employees with high potential to take on future leadership roles in the organization
What type of mentoring program do you have?
As mentioned above, take stock of the goals that led you to offer the program. Do you want to accelerate your mentees' professional and personal growth and development? Does the program aim to guide them and offer continual feedback and advice from industry experts?
Write down your goals in a list and have it on hand to help you choose names and the type of mentoring program you should offer.
💡Learn how to choose the right mentoring models for your program
Look at examples of other mentoring programs
Identifying your mentorship program niche will help you run a thorough search and look at examples of successful mentoring programs with similar themes. Looking to others for inspiration is a great way to gain a better understanding of different types of programs and help you come up with creative names for mentoring programs in your company.
Brainstorm potential names
Brainstorming potential names for mentorship programs means putting pen to page, no wrong answers, just get any and all your ideas down. Doing this will help you get those creative juices in motion and come up with fun and innovative names. Here are some ways you can generate the best mentoring program names:
- Creating a list of relevant words and adjectives describing your target audience—then mix and match to explore how each sounds
- Adding names to your list of words
- Googling for ideas and words to craft a unique program name
- Listing words that are specific to your industry
Shortlist mentor program names
After completing the above steps, you’ll most likely have a sizeable list in front of you. Now it’s time to start analyzing each one and weeding out the names that don’t fit your program goals, your industry, or your specific company culture. We recommend pairing your list down to 5 to 10 mentorship program names to keep it manageable.
Get feedback from leaders and participants
Now it’s time to pick a winner, but we recommend against being a one-man jury. There's nothing to say you can't select a winning name yourself, but remember, the mentorship program will cater to an audience too.
Put your list in front of your leadership team, others in HR and L&D, potential participants, or other trusted stakeholders and have them vote on which mentorship program names they like best.
Tip for coming up with mentor program names
When brainstorming ideas for your mentoring program names, here’s a simple formula that can help focus and inspire you.
Audience + goal of program + “mentoring program”
Here are a few examples of how this focuses your program intention and goal:
- New hire + onboarding + mentoring program – programs with this structure can focus on building connections between remote teams, launching buddy programs for new hires, or employee resource groups, etc.
- High potential + career development + mentoring program – this would cater more to one on one mentoring. The focus of these programs could be on succession planning, leadership development topics, or a high potential development program.
- Manager + leadership training + mentoring program - the focus of these could be new manager onboarding processes, coaching for managers, human-centered leadership, etc.
Behind every mentorship program is a truly noble goal and how you name your program should reflect that. This simple formula can help you stay focused and keep your goals and audience in mind while you brainstorm names for mentoring programs.
50+ creative mentorship program names
When choosing mentoring program names, remember to:
- Make them reflective of the values and goals of your company
- Make them catchy, memorable, and meaningful
- Make it unique and creative, and try not to copy others too closely
- Avoid difficult and lengthy names
- Choose a program name that would be marketable and an asset for promotions
Here are some examples of mentoring program names. Consider each one and get those creative juices flowing to create your own. Some are cheesy, some may not apply to your company, industry, or program type, but it’s all in the name of inspiration.
Creative mentor group names
If you’re brainstorming mentoring group names, here are a few to get you started:
- Marketplace Gurus
- The Forte Force
- Elevate Together
- High Five Force
- Achievement Corps
- Mentorship Network
- Attainment Alliance
- Learning League
- Motivation Station
- Wisdom Knacks
- Collaborative Growth Program
- Better Together
Creative names for onboarding programs
Giving an onboarding program a creative and fun name can be a challenge. Here are a few examples to help you brainstorm:
- [Company Name] Launch
- New Hire Navigator
- First Steps Program
- New Hire Foundations
- Up to Speed
- New Hire Ignite
- First Steps to Success
- New Hire Inspire
- Rise and Guide
Buddy program names
A cross-functional or onboarding buddy program has a little more wiggle room when it comes to naming. Here are a few examples:
- Connection Compass
- [Company Name] Bridge
- Peer Connect
- Collab Crew
- Peer Partners
- Thrive Together
- Linked in Success
- Guiding Partners Program
- Workplace Buddy Hub
- Thoughts to Thoughts
Employee resource group (ERG) names
If you’re starting an employee resource group based on knowledge sharing, shared interests, or cater to a certain demographic of employee, the name can be as niche, serious, or full of puns as you want. Here are a few examples of employee resource groups:
- Dare Mighty Things
- Knowledge is Power
- Positive Impact
- Culture Connect
- Next Chapter Crew
- Code and Coffee
- Green Team
- Inclusion Hive
- Ctrl+Alt+Inspire
Leadership mentorship program names
Quick and snappy names for mentoring programs that focus on leadership development coaching and training are hard to come by. Here are some examples to get the wheels turning:
- Leadership in Motion
- Next Gen Leaders
- Leadership Loop
- Stepping Up
- Coach and Conquer
- Pathway to Leadership
- Lead to Success
- [Company Name] Visionary Program
- Aspire Leadership Program
- Forge Ahead Program
Need help planning the rest of your mentoring program?
Mentoring program names can't be just anything. When brainstorming ideas for a catchy and attractive program name, you have to make sure it’s snappy, easy to remember, not too long, and really speaks to what your program is about.
Mentoring program names can often look fancy on paper, but they absolutely have to reflect the focus of your program. If you don’t have all the details figured out, Together can help! Our mentorship platform can help you organize all your thoughts and ideas into one place while our mentoring tracking system makes administration a breeze.
While you continue planning all aspects of your program, read about how to structure a mentorship program to make sure you’re hitting all the crucial points. Not sure what else you need? Read about mentoring activities to include, how to match mentors and mentees, or, if you want more personalized help, book a demo with one of our experts!
