2a. Finding a Pairing - Evergreen Programs 🌲 (User-led)

Now that you have successfully registered for the program, the next step along your mentorship journey is to get paired. 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 Pairing as a Mentee
2. Finding a Pairing as a Mentor
3. Finding a Peer Pairing (if applicable)

Note: this pairing 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 Pairing as a Mentee:

Once your admin team turned on pairing, 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. If you're accessing the Directory for the first time, you should see a brief note about the page. When you're ready, you can click the Get Started button to begin with a quick tutorial on the Directory.

Click Next to progress through the tutorial:

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 pairings for you based on the information you provided in your Registration Questionnaire. 

• Note: pairings 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 options along the left-hand side. Together currently offers two types of filters in the Directory:

• Filter by Program Availability: filtering by program availability allows you to select if the user is open to a variety of different types of pairings (i.e. as a mentee, as a mentor, as a peer, or if you have saved them to your "Wishlist" previously)

• 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, simply click the dropdown beside the filter that you care about, and select an option. This will automatically filter your list to display the most relevant results. 

Once you have found a mentor you would like to pair with, you can click the Request for Mentorship button on their profile:

This will bring you to a page that will ask you what type of connection you would like to request with the user. In my case, since I am a mentee, I would like to request this user as a Mentor. After you have selected the type of connection you would like, click the Next button:

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 pairing later if you wish to continue past the number of sessions you select here. When you're ready, click Continue to move on:

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 pair with them! Once you've finished your note, click the Next button to proceed and send your request:

You will see a green notification banner appear at the top of the page, indicating your request has been sent. Now that your request has been sent, both you and your mentor will be notified by email immediately after submitting it.  To continue on to your Home page, click the Finish button: 

That's all to it, you're now paired and off to a great start! Click the Finish button once again to proceed to the pairing home page: 

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

Finding a Pairing as a Mentor:

In some cases, program admins can also allow for Reverse Mentorship/Mentor-led Pairings. If your program has this feature enabled, you would 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 pairing process with mentees, making it very easy to find the right match and get started. Once pairing begins for your program you will receive an email that looks a little like this: 

To get started, click on the Browse Mentees button within the email, this will prompt you to log in. Once you log in to the platform, you will be taken to the Directory to begin searching for a mentee. If you're accessing the Directory for the first time, you should see a brief note about the page. When you're ready, you can click the Get Started button to begin with a quick tutorial on the Directory.

Click Next to progress through the tutorial:

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 pairings for you based on the information you provided in your Registration Questionnaire. 

• Note: pairings 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 options along the left-hand side. Together currently offers two types of filters in the Directory:

• Filter by Program Availability: filtering by program availability allows you to select if the user is open to a variety of different types of pairings (i.e. as a mentee, as a mentor, as a peer, or if you have saved them to your "Wishlist" previously)

• 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, simply click the dropdown beside the filter that you care about, and select an option. This will automatically filter your list to display the most relevant results. 

Once you have found a mentee you would like to pair with, you can click the Request for Mentorship button on their profile:

• Note: Requesting a mentee always requires approval from the mentee you're requesting.

This will bring you to a page that will ask you what type of connection you would like to request with the user. In my case, since I am a Mentor, I would like to request this user as a Mentee. After you have selected the type of connection you would like, click the Next button:

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

After you select the number of sessions you wish to start with, the next step is to add a note for your Mentee to review along with your request. We typically recommend you start with a warm introduction and let your Mentee know what topics you're interested in and why you may want to pair with them! Once you've finished your note, click the Next button to review  your request:

Here is your last chance to review your request before you send it to your mentee. You will see a summary of your request, including:

• The number of requested sessions
• Your introduction note
• How long before your request takes to expire
  • Note: if your mentee does not approve it in time, the request will expire and you will need to either re-request them or look for another mentee.

When you're ready, click the Submit Request button to finalize your pairing request. Your mentee will be notified by email immediately after submitting:

You will see a green notification banner appear at the top of the page, indicating your request has been sent. Click the Finish button to proceed to the next page:

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 Pairing:

If your organization has enabled Peer to Peer Pairing for your program, you will also have the option to participate in a peer relationship instead of only traditional mentoring relationships.

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

Finding a Peer to pair with is very similar to the steps required from a mentee looking for a mentor, however, you will need to ensure you're registered as a Peer within your program in addition to your role as a mentee and/or mentor. 

Once you have confirmed you're registered as a Peer, you will receive an email from the program to kick off the pairing process. When pairing begins, you can begin searching for other peers to request.

To do so, click on the Browse Directory button from your home page for your program, or alternatively, simply head to the Directory and begin looking for a peer to connect with:

From the Directory, you will be able to see who is registered as a Peer under their profile. You may also filter by Role to only include those who are registered as Peers for example.

Once you have found a Peer you would like to pair with, click the blue Request button beside their profile:

• Note: Peer requests always require approval by the peer you're requesting.

You will then be taken to a page that will ask you to confirm what type of connection you would like to request. For Peer pairings, select the Request as my Peer box then click Next.

Next, you will need to select the type of commitment you want to request with your Peer. 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 pairing later if you wish to continue past the number of sessions you select here. When you're ready, click Continue to move on:

After you select the number of sessions you wish to start with, the next step is to add a note to review along with your request. We typically recommend you start with a warm introduction and let the person know what topics you're interested in and why you may want to pair with them! Once you've finished your note, click the Next button to review your request:

Here is your last chance to review your request before you send your request. You will see a summary of your request, including:

• The number of requested sessions
• Your introduction note

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

When you're ready, click the Submit Request button to finalize your pairing request. Your Peer will be notified by email immediately after submitting:

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!