You can invite participants to join your mentoring program in bulk, either by uploading a CSV or by entering email addresses manually. Uploading a CSV also lets you pre-populate parts of participants' profiles before they sign up. It's one of many bulk actions available in your Mentorloop program.
Batch limit and duplicate handling
You can invite up to 500 participants at a time via CSV (max file size: 2MB). To invite more, repeat the process in additional batches. The system automatically filters out invalid addresses, duplicates, and anyone who has already been invited, so there's no risk of double-sending.
How do I invite participants in bulk?
1. Open the Invite participants modal
Select Invite participants from your program. You'll find this button in several places, including the Signups page and the Mentoring Bench.
2. Choose how to add participants
The invite modal gives you two options:
Option A — Upload a CSV file
Uploading a CSV lets you invite multiple participants at once and pre-populate their profile fields. There are two CSV files available to download from the modal:
- Signup Form Fields CSV — lists every profile field currently on your signup form (e.g. mentoring role, job title, department, location) along with the exact option values available for each field. Download this first as your reference guide.
- Bulk Invite Template CSV — the spreadsheet you fill in with your participants' details and upload to Mentorloop.
Column headers now show field labels
The Bulk Invite Template uses your signup form's field labels as column headers, for example, Department or Mentoring Role, rather than internal field names. If two fields on your form share the same label, those columns fall back to the internal field name so they remain distinguishable. Use the Signup Form Fields CSV to confirm the exact labels and option values used in your program.
Email is the only mandatory field. All other columns can be removed if you don't have data for them. Mentorloop will only store the fields you map in the next step after upload.
Option B — Enter participants manually
For smaller lists, you can type or paste email addresses directly into the text field, one per line. You can optionally include a first name, last name, or full name by separating it from the email address with a comma:
leah@example.com, Leahdylan@example.com, Dylanhelena@example.com, Helena
Including a name sends a personalised invitation. If you don't include one, the invitee still receives the standard invitation email.
Tip
Manual entry is best for small, ad hoc invites. For larger lists or when you want to pre-populate profile fields, use the CSV upload.
3. Review and send
After uploading your CSV, confirm the field mapping is correct. You can add a personal note (optional) before sending your invitations.
Done! 🥳
A confirmation prompt will appear once your participants have been successfully invited.
What field types does the Bulk Invite Template support?
The template supports all signup form field types:
- Dropdown (single-select) — e.g. mentoring role, department, location. Enter the exact option label as it appears on your signup form.
-
Multi-select — e.g. areas of interest, skills. To enter multiple values for one participant, separate each value with a delimiter of your choosing — for example:
Leadership; Communication; Strategy. You'll specify which delimiter you used after uploading. - Free-text — e.g. bio, mentoring goals. Enter the participant's response directly into the cell. Character limits configured on the signup form field still apply.
- Short text — e.g. job title, organisation. Enter the value directly.
Download the Signup Form Fields CSV first to see the exact labels and available options for your program. Use these as a reference when filling in the Bulk Invite Template to ensure your values match the expected format.
How do I customise the Bulk Invite Template?
The template is generated from your signup form's fields. You can simplify it before uploading:
- Remove columns you don't need — if you don't have data for a field (e.g. department or location), delete that column. Email must stay.
- Leave fields blank to let participants fill them in — any field you leave out of the CSV will appear blank on the participant's signup form for them to complete themselves.
- Use Mentorloop's downloaded template — rather than creating your own spreadsheet. The downloaded template uses the correct column headers and avoids formatting issues on upload.
Pre-populated fields are editable
When participants open their signup form, they'll be told that some fields have been pre-filled by their Program Coordinator. They can review and update any of those fields before submitting.
Where can I track the status of my invitations?
Head to the Signups page and select the Invitations tab to see the status of everyone you've invited.
You can invite up to 500 participants at a time via CSV. To invite more, repeat the process in additional batches of 500.
Learn about the capabilities of the Invitations tab
What do participants receive after being invited?
Each invitee receives an email with a link to join the program and complete their signup form. The link pre-fills their email address so they can get started straight away.
- Participants are informed if some fields have been pre-filled by their Program Coordinator.
- They can review and edit any pre-populated fields before submitting.