When Group Loops are useful and how to best manage them
Group Loops are an often-overlooked feature on Mentorloop. Here’s a guide on when they’re useful, why you would use them, and how to best manage them.
Mentoring doesn't just have to be one-on-one. You can run group mentoring in many formats:
- 1 to Many: One mentor overseeing many mentees
- Peer Mentoring: Many mentors, or Many mentees, sharing knowledge as a peer community
- Expert Mentoring: Deliver expert advice or information, often via C-Level Leadership
- Skill-Based Mentoring: A group of mentors and mentees, working on the same skill
- Common Experience Mentoring: for those who share a common experience (e.g. being a new manager, a new starter, or DEI)
Learn more about group mentoring
1: Many: How to manage an uneven number of mentors to mentees
1:Many Mentoring is a practical solution when mentor and mentee numbers don't balance evenly — rather than leaving participants unmatched, a single mentor can take on a small group. It's also ideal when demand for a particular mentor outstrips availability, giving more people access to high-value expertise without overloading the individual. And as a bonus, mentees benefit not just from the mentor but from each other's questions and perspectives.
Peer Mentoring: How to create peer communities
Put up to 10 mentees in each Group Loop (all mentees) and up to 10 mentors in each Group Loop (all mentors). This allows them to connect with others in the program and open up opportunities for peer-to-peer mentoring. This is also a good way to keep participants you have yet to match engaged in the program while you work on getting them paired up.
Learn more about managing uneven numbers in your program
Expert Mentoring: Using Group Loops to Involve Senior Leaders at Scale
Group Loops let senior leaders contribute meaningfully to a mentoring program without the time commitment of 1:1 mentoring — one session, one topic, high impact.
Why Senior Leadership Group Loops work:
| Benefit | Detail |
|---|---|
| Scalable expertise | One leader reaches many mentees in a single session |
| Equitable access | Everyone gets exposure to senior people, not just a lucky few |
| Program credibility | Visible leadership signals that the organisation takes mentoring seriously |
| Community building | A quarterly cadence creates rhythm and connection across the program |
How to set up Senior Leader Groups in Mentorloop:
- Create a public Group Loop on the leader's chosen topic
- Keep it open for ~2 weeks while the session recruits participants
-
Close the group once the session is complete — keeping things tidy and time-bound
For more information on Group Loop Types, and how to set them up, see our Program Coordinator Group Loop resource.
Using Groups for Skill-based Mentoring
Mentoring circles or clusters. Participants in your program who share some things in common (e.g. new managers or new transfers) can be introduced to each other via a Group Loop so they can support each other or even form some peer mentoring relationships. They can even break away into 1:1 relationships and enter into a more formal mentoring relationship.
Learn more about mentoring circles/clusters.
Pro Tip: Using Group Loops to enable group mentoring and mentoring circles/clusters can also be a way to give participants more opportunities to build their Personal Advisory Boards.
Common Experiences: How to manage a small group with specific needs or similarities
Group Loops aren't just for expert sessions — they're also a practical way to support distinct groups within your program. Here are two common examples:
| Use Case | How it works |
|---|---|
| Cross-departmental programs | Pair people across teams for 1:1 mentoring, then place colleagues from the same field in a shared Group Loop — so they can exchange learnings and stay connected to their own community |
| DEI support | Connect underrepresented cohorts (e.g. cultural minorities, recent immigrants, LGBTQIA+ members) via a dedicated Group Loop to provide peer support and foster a sense of belonging |
| New Starters or New Managers | Provide support, share experiences, and build relationships organically. |
What type of Group should I choose?
Choosing your Group Type depends on the purpose of your Group, and how you want participants to access your group. See below the 3 Group types, how participants join, and what they can see on their 'Find a Group' page.
| Group Type | How Participants Join | What participants see on their 'Find a Group' page |
| Public Group |
|
Group member avatars and the group loop description are visible to all participants in the program |
| Private Group |
|
Group member avatars and the group loop description are visible to all participants in the program |
| Hidden Group |
|
Participants cannot see a hidden group on their 'Find a Group' page |
Once in a group loop, participants will be able to see each other's profiles regardless of the group type.
Advice from our Customer Success Team
Keep your Group Loops at or under 15 participants:
"It can be quite overwhelming if you have more than 15 participants in a Group Loop. This is because it can be difficult to manage how the relationships are going and if there are many in a Group, participants might have difficulty finding important information or resources with the amount of messaging that could go on."
Don’t forget to reach out to individuals in Group Loops:
"We acknowledge that people progress and learn in different ways, so we would still encourage either the Program Coordinator or mentor to reach out to their mentoring connections. Some participants might not feel comfortable reaching out or participating in a big group, preferring 1:1 contact."