Program Process

• One way of evaluating mentorships is by keeping records about various checkpoints in the relationship. This involves selecting a set of factors that will be used to measure whether or not each party is fulfilling his obligations. For example, program process evaluations may look at how frequently the mentor meets with the protege, how long the relationship has lasted and whether or not each party treats the other with respect on an ongoing basis.
  
  

Program Outcomes

• Another way of evaluating mentorships is by identifying a set of expected outcomes and investigating whether those expectations have been met. For example, one goal that might be set for a mentorship would be supporting a gay college student who feels uncomfortable "coming out." If the protege feels more comfortable with his identity, and perhaps begins to disclose it to people in his life, the program could count that as a success.
  
  

Alterations to Programs

• The information collected from the program process evaluation and the outcomes evaluation can be used to revise future mentorship programs to make them as effective as possible. For example, it may be found that mentorship programs where the parties meet once a week are more successful in achieving expected outcomes than programs where the parties meet twice a week. Future programs can then be tailored according to this data. Keep evaluating the program this way so you can make changes as needed.
  
  

Comparing Programs

• Mentorship programs may also be evaluated by comparing the best practices of one type of program (e.g. Big Brothers) with those of another (e.g. Mentoring USA). Evaluators should identify which practices the programs have in common (e.g. weekly meetings) and what they do not have in common (e.g. male focus). This information can be used to determine which aspects of each program are effective and which are not.