Program Builder is Mentorloop Pro's three-step setup wizard. It walks you through choosing how you'll match, building your signup form and branding your program, so you can be ready to launch in as little as 10 minutes.
Mentorloop Pro empowers you to take ownership of setting up, launching and growing a successful mentoring program. This guide takes you through everything you need to know to make your way through Program Builder, it really is as easy as it seems.
Program Builder is available on the Mentorloop Pro package.
Step 1: Select your matching style
There are three matching styles to choose from on Mentorloop Pro:
- Manual Match
- Self Match
- Blended
Which one you choose depends on your program's unique goals. If you're unsure which would be the best fit, our guide to the matching styles on Mentorloop Pro explains how they differ, where each works best, and the pros and cons of each.
As the name suggests, Blended offers the best of both Self and Manual Match, it lets you encourage people to take charge of their own mentoring journeys while still making it possible to step in when someone needs a hand finding a match. For that reason, it's our recommended approach, and it's automatically selected for Pro programs at the start of the build. You can change it in Program Builder if you'd prefer a different style.
Step 2: Configure your signup form with Program Themes
Building a unique signup form is key to seamless registration and effective matching for your people, but deciding what to ask can be challenging if you're starting from scratch.
With Mentorloop Pro, Program Themes do the heavy lifting by giving you a signup form and set of matching rules oriented towards your program goals. Each theme is built on the success of hundreds of programs that have gone before you, so you can launch with confidence. There are three themes to choose from:
- Classic
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- Community
An effective signup form makes inviting and onboarding your mentors and mentees easy. It collects basic information about your participants, their individual goals and other details to help them get the most out of mentoring, and it informs the all-important matching process.
As you build your form, keep an eye out for the customisations available to you, including adding your own answers specific to your organisation, making questions optional or required, and even removing questions altogether if they're not relevant to your program.
Selecting the right theme can seem daunting, but it doesn't have to be. We'll select a theme for you automatically based on the information you've provided and what we think will be a great fit. You can always choose a different one if you'd prefer, our deep dive into Program Themes can help you decide.
Important: you can't make changes to your signup form after launch, so play around with the different themes in Program Builder and review your form thoroughly before hitting the launch button.
Step 3: Make it yours (optional)
The third and final step is all about customising the look and feel of your program, including:
- Program name
- Branding colours
- Organisation logo
- Signup form introduction message
Customising these at this stage is completely optional since, unlike your signup form, they can be updated at any time before or after launch from your Program Settings.
Explore your free demo
And there you have it, Program Builder complete! Now it's time to explore Mentorloop Pro in demo mode to see how it sets your people and program up for success. We recommend using the demo data available at this stage to test out some key tools, as well as the participant experience.
Not sure where to start? Give these a go:
- See how Mentorloop helps you create great mentoring matches, i.e. "Loops".
- Learn how to measure the success of your program from your PC dashboard, then dive deeper on the Sentiment page.
- Browse your program settings to see where you can customise further, including adding a dashboard introduction message and updating your Recommended Reading.
- Experience Mentorloop as your participants will by inviting up to three test participant accounts, just as you would if your program were live.
- From those accounts you can explore a demo version of the Participant Dashboard, practise using Self Match, and see what a 1:1 Loop looks like.
Once you launch, all demo data, including test participant accounts, is permanently removed from your program. Changes to your Program Settings, however, remain post-launch and can be updated at any time.
For more guidance on getting the most from your demo, check out our launch checklist for Mentorloop Pro.
Launch your program
Once you've completed Program Builder and explored your demo, it's time to launch. Choose your subscription by clicking the Pay and launch button directly from your dashboard.
Don't forget to check out this launch checklist to make sure you haven't missed any key steps in the lead-up to launching your mentoring program.
PC training video: building your signup form
Frequently asked questions
How long does Program Builder take?
For most programs, as little as 10 minutes. It's a guided, three-step process, choose your matching style, configure your signup form, and (optionally) add your branding, so you can move from setup to launch quickly.
Can I change my signup form after launch?
No. Your signup form is locked once your program launches, so it's worth taking the time in Program Builder to trial different themes and review every question carefully before you hit launch. Branding and program settings, by contrast, can be changed at any time.
Which matching style should I choose?
It depends on your program's goals. Blended is our recommended approach and is selected automatically, as it lets participants self-match while you step in where needed. See matching styles on Mentorloop Pro to compare all three.
What happens to my demo data when I launch?
All demo content, including your test participant accounts, is permanently removed at launch so your program starts clean. Anything you set in Program Settings stays in place and remains editable afterwards.