1. Start with what the program is for
A career transition program, a founder cohort, and an internal leadership track need different matches. Write down what each participant should gain, then decide which criteria best support it.
Mentor-mentee matching
Mentor-mentee matching you can explain.
Mently recommends pairs based on skills, goals, and mentor capacity, shows why each pair was suggested, and leaves the final decision with your team.
Brands that trust us
Why matching by hand stops working
Matching from application forms and spreadsheets can work for a small cohort. As the program grows, it takes longer and gets harder to do fairly. Mentor-mentee matching tools give your team a repeatable way to pair people without giving up its judgement.
It takes too long
Reading every application and weighing every possible pair can delay a cohort before it even starts.
Decisions are hard to explain
When pairing lives in one coordinator's head, it is difficult to justify a match or repeat the process next intake.
The same mentors get overloaded
Popular mentors take on too many mentees while others in your network go unused.
How it works
From matching criteria to confirmed pairs
Step 1: Define your criteria
Choose whether to match on skills, goals, industry, or availability, and decide what a good match means for your program.
Step 2: Review recommendations
See suggested pairs with match scores and why each one was recommended.
Step 3: Adjust and confirm
Change any pair you disagree with, approve the rest, and notify participants.
Step 4: Track how pairs perform
Monitor pairing effectiveness over time, and reassign when a pair needs it.
How Mently helps
Matching tools that keep your team in control
Recommendations with scores and reasons
AI-powered recommendations rank candidates and show the signals behind each suggested pair.
Matching engineSkills-based pairing
Map each participant's goals to the expertise available across your network.
Capacity-aware allocation
Take mentor capacity into account so you do not over-assign some mentors while others sit idle.
Mentor networkManual override with an audit trail
Your team can change any recommendation or create a custom pair, with a record of those decisions.
Pair performance over time
Keep monitoring pairs after they are confirmed, and reassign participants when a match is not working.
Analytics & outcomesPart of the wider program
Matching connects to the cohorts, sessions, and milestones your team already manages in Mently.
Program management
Matching guide
How to match mentors and mentees
2. Collect the right profile data
Ask mentees about their goals and the skills they want to build. Ask mentors about their expertise, their availability, and how many people they can realistically support. Only collect what you will use to match.
3. Rank your criteria
Not every criterion matters equally. For a skills program, expertise may matter most. For a mentor network with limited time, availability may decide whether a pair ever meets. Agree the order before you look at names.
4. Check capacity and review the results
Make sure no mentor is carrying too many mentees, then have someone who knows the participants review each pair. Staff often know things a profile does not show, such as a potential conflict of interest.
5. Plan for matches that do not work
Check in early, watch for pairs that go quiet, and make it easy to reassign without blame. Then compare results across pairs so your next intake benefits. See how to track mentorship outcomes to make that comparison possible.
Who it's for
For programs where the match matters
Nonprofits and community programs
Pair participants with volunteer mentors on shared goals and availability, with staff review before pairs go live.
Volunteer mentor managementAccelerators and talent programs
Match founders and participants to relevant mentor expertise across each cohort.
Accelerator mentor managementHR and L&D teams
Connect employees with internal mentors around the skills your organisation wants to develop.
Employee development programsWorkforce development programs
Pair participants with mentors who have experience in their target field.
Workforce development
Outcomes
What changes when matching has a system behind it
Less manual sorting
Your team starts from ranked recommendations, not a blank spreadsheet and a stack of applications.
Decisions you can stand behind
Scores, reasons, and an audit trail make it easier to explain how each pair was made.
A fairer load on mentors
Capacity stays visible during matching, so requests can be spread across your network.
FAQ
Mentor-mentee matching questions
How do you match mentors and mentees?
Define what the program should achieve, collect profile data on goals, skills, and availability, and rank your matching criteria. Then generate or draft pairs, check mentor capacity, and have staff review each one before confirming it.
What criteria should I use for mentor-mentee matching?
Most programs start with skills, goals, industry, and availability. The right order depends on your program's purpose, and mentor capacity should always be checked so that no one is over-assigned.
How does Mently's matching work?
You set the criteria for your program, and Mently suggests pairs with match scores and the reasons behind each one. Your team reviews the recommendations, adjusts them as needed, and approves the final matches.
Can we still match people manually?
Yes. Admins can override any recommendation or create custom pairs, so you can use as much or as little of the automated matching as your program needs.
What happens if a match is not working?
Program staff can monitor how pairs are doing over time and reassign participants when needed.
Is Mently for individuals looking for a mentor?
These matching tools are built for organisations running mentorship programs. If you run a program, book a demo or start a free trial to see how matching could work for it.
See how your next cohort could be matched
Book a demo and bring your matching criteria. We'll show you how they could work in Mently.