Matching Formats: Group & Circle Programs

MentorStack supports four mentoring formats. Beyond classic 1:1 pairings, you can run group sessions (one mentor, multiple mentees) and peer circles (leaderless peer groups). Reverse mentoring (junior coaching senior) is also supported.

Enabling formats

Go to Settings → Program → Matching Formats to enable or disable each format. Only formats you enable will appear as options when creating matches or for members when browsing.

1:1 (default)

One mentor paired with one mentee. The classic format — structured, personal, and the best starting point for most programs. Enabled by default.

Group mentoring

One mentor paired with two or more mentees who share sessions together. Best for:

• Teaching or skills transfer (one expert, multiple learners)
• Cohort-based programs where peers benefit from each other's questions
• Scaling mentor capacity when you have more mentees than mentors

Creating a group match

1. Go to Matches → New match
2. Select the mentor
3. Add multiple mentees (up to your configured max group size)
4. Click Create match

All participants share the same message thread, meeting calendar, and goal progress view. Each mentee still has their own individual goals.

Max group size

Configure the maximum number of mentees per group in Settings → Matching → Max group size. The default is 5.

Circles

A peer group with no designated mentor — all members are on equal standing. Circles are for cross-team connection, peer accountability, or communities of practice.

Creating a circle

1. Go to Matches → New match
2. Toggle Circle (no mentor role — all participants are peers)
3. Add 3–8 members
4. Click Create match

Circles have shared messaging and meeting scheduling, but no goal-linking to a single mentor relationship.

Reverse mentoring

A junior or early-career employee mentors a more senior leader — typically on emerging skills, new technology, or perspectives the senior leader might not have day-to-day exposure to.

Functionally, reverse mentoring works the same as 1:1, but the "mentor" role is filled by the less senior member. The platform treats it identically — the distinction is conceptual and cultural.

To create a reverse match, simply assign a junior member as the mentor and a senior member as the mentee when creating a 1:1 match.

Mixing formats in one program

You can run all four formats simultaneously. A senior leader might be in a 1:1 match as a mentee (reverse program) while also running a group for their direct reports. MentorStack tracks each relationship independently.