The importance of a good mentor is no secret. As someone new in the association space half a decade ago, I leaned heavily on the connections I made both within Breezio and across the association space to familiarize myself with the industry. Building connections within your industry is one of the best ways to advance in your profession, and as an association, you can act as the home for building these connections between your members!
A study on Fortune 500 companies highlights just how impactful mentorship programs can be:
Whether formalized or informal, knowledge-sharing happens in your community every day. Experienced members naturally educate and support newer members, and as the creator of your community, you can take intentional steps to encourage and amplify these interactions. By fostering an environment where mentorship thrives, whether through structured programs or by promoting peer-to-peer learning, you can strengthen member engagement and ensure that your community remains an active, valuable resource.
Let's review how to put into practice elements of mentoring and how it can be used to diversify your community engagement strategy while providing more value to members!
Position your community as a space where members can expand their expertise, develop skills, and seek guidance from peers. As referenced above, younger generations want to improve skills in their field, so incorporating elements of this into your community can be a great way to engage a younger audience. This could be as simple as encouraging experienced members to share best practices or creating dedicated discussion spaces for mentorship and career growth.
Many community platforms, including Breezio, have features that are catered to developing mentor/mentee programs in your community. For example, one scientific organization using Breezio has integrated mentorship directly into their member directory. Members can indicate whether they are open to mentorship opportunities, making it easy for mentees to connect with potential mentors.
Incorporating this into your directory can be a great way to develop mentorship in your community since members can see another member's contributions and accolades in the system before reaching out to them. This also encourages those seeking to be a mentor to become active in the community before highlighting themselves as open for mentorship opportunities.
Not all meaningful connections happen in person. Virtual networking events, such as happy hours, panel discussions, or structured mentor-matching sessions, allow members to expand their professional circles beyond geographical limitations. These events create an accessible space for members to meet potential mentors or mentees, fostering relationships that might not otherwise have formed.
Your online community doesn't have to just be a space for virtual connections. Since members are already engaged in the system, your community can be a great place to promote local meetups and chapter events.
A non-professional athletic association uses Breezio for this exact purpose. As a member of their community, users are able to connect with other members in their chapter to coordinate meetups. This gives members the opportunity to connect online and plan smaller gatherings, or identify key individuals they want to meet at larger chapter events.
Mentorship is not just about professional growth. It strengthens your community, increases engagement, and makes your community a space for members to connect, learn, and thrive. Whether through structured mentorship programs, virtual events, or informal knowledge-sharing, creating opportunities for mentorship within your association’s online community can lead to long-term benefits for both individual members and the organization as a whole.
By making mentorship a cornerstone of your engagement strategy, you can position your community as an essential resource for career development and meaningful connections.