Now that you have successfully registered for the program, the next step along your mentorship journey is to get matched. You've put some time and thought into your responses, so don't miss out on finding the right match!

We will split this guide into three sections, so feel free to skip ahead to the section most relevant to you:

1. Finding a Matching as a Mentee
2. Finding a Matching as a Mentor
3. Finding a Peer Matching (if applicable)

Note: this matching guide is specific to Evergreen programs, if you're not sure which program format your organization is using, please reach out to your admin team to confirm. Curious about the differences? Check out our article here.

Finding a Matching as a Mentee:

Once your admin team turned on matching, you will receive an invite to begin searching for a mentor. The invite will look a little like this:

To get started, click on the Choose your Mentor button. Once you log in to the platform, you will be taken to the Directory to begin searching for a mentor. At first, you will notice a list of some recommended matches for you based on the information you provided in your Registration Questionnaire. 

• Note: You can toggle between the type of match you are looking for by selecting either Mentors, Mentees, or Networking (Peer) in the match tab located towards the top left-hand side of the page.
• Note: matches are sorted by default in order of the highest match score. Your "Top overall matches based on preferences" will be at the top of the list.

You can click on each user to review their profile on the side of the page:

Once you have made your way through the tutorial, you are free to browse the Directory as you wish. At first, you will notice a list of some recommended matches for you based on the information you provided in your Registration Questionnaire. 

• Note: matches are sorted by default in order of "Best Match", with the highest match score being at the top of the list.

You can click on each user to review their profile on the side of the page:

If you want to narrow down your results further, we encourage you to make use of the Filter Button along the top left-hand side: 

• Filter by Questionnaire Response: you may also filter by an individual's response to specific questions that were asked in your Registration Questionnaire. To do so, click the All Filters button for more options! This will automatically filter your list to display the most relevant results. 

Once you have found a mentor you would like to match with, you can click the Match with this Mentor button on their profile:

This will launch the matching process page where you will need to select the type of commitment you want to request with your Mentor. We have three options for you to select from:

• An Introduction Session (i.e. start with only 1 session)
• Help with a Specific Topic Across a Few Sessions (i.e. more than 1 session but less than the maximum available)
• Long Term Mentorship (i.e. typically 6 sessions)

Select whichever you feel comfortable with! You can always add more sessions to your matching later if you wish to continue past the number of sessions you select here. After you select the number of sessions you wish to start with, the next step is to add a note for your Mentor to review along with your request. We typically recommend you start with a warm introduction and let your mentor know what topics you're interested in and why you may want to match with them! When you're ready, click Next to setup your first session:

Next, you will need to select the type of commitment you want to request with your Mentor. We have three options for you to select from:

• An Introduction Session (i.e. start with only 1 session)
• Help with a Specific Topic Across a Few Sessions (i.e. more than 1 session but less than the maximum available)
• Long Term Mentorship (i.e. typically 6 sessions)

Select whichever you feel comfortable with! You can always add more sessions to your matching later if you wish to continue past the number of sessions you select here. When you're ready, click Continue to move on:

You will see a green notification banner appear at the top of the page, indicating you have been matched. Now that you have been matched, both you and your mentor will be notified by email immediately after submitting it. Before we can complete the matching process, you must schedule your first session. To continue on to your Session Agenda, click the Next button: 

On this page, you will get a chance to review and edit your session agenda, to complete the matching process, click the Finish button:

Now that you're matched with your Mentor, you can begin scheduling immediately!

Finding a Matching as a Mentor:

In some cases, program admins can also allow for Reverse Mentorship/Mentor-led Matches. If your program has this feature enabled, you will be able to request a mentee to begin your mentorship journey.

• Important: If reverse Mentorship is not enabled for your program, you will need to wait for a mentee to request you as their mentor.

Mentors share a similar matching process with mentees, making it very easy to find the right match and get started. Once matching begins for your program you will receive an email that looks a little like this: 

The process of requesting a mentee mirrors the same steps as a mentee requesting a mentor. For information on how to make requests, please follow the same steps, beginning from the Directory, in the first section of this article, Finding a Matching as a Mentee.

Once your mentee reviews your request, you will be notified once they approve or decline the request by email. If the request is approved, you can begin scheduling immediately! If for whatever reason the request is declined or expires, you can always come back to the Directory and try requesting a different mentee instead.

Finding a Peer Matching:

If your organization has enabled Peer to Peer Matching for your program, you will also have the option to request a peer relationship instead of only traditional mentoring relationships. The process of requesting a Peer mirrors the same steps as a mentee requesting a mentor. For information on how to make requests, please follow the same steps, beginning from the Directory, in the first section of this article, Finding a Matching as a Mentee.

Curious about what Peer Matching is? For more information, check out our article here: What is Peer Mentorship?

Note: Unlike mentor requests, peer requests do not expire.

Your Peer will have three options after receiving your request:

1. Approve all the requested sessions (i.e. in my case, 3)
2. Approve an introductory session only to start
3. Decline (with the option to provide a response)

After your Peer reviews the request, you will be notified once they approve or decline it via email. 

If the request is approved, you can begin scheduling immediately! If for whatever reason the request is declined or expires, you can always come back to the Directory and try requesting a different person instead.

Have more questions? Submit a request here and let us know how we can help!