• Show Up: Commit to at least one meaningful conversation each month over the 9-month program, ending at the Annual Convention. Meetings can be virtual or in person. If life gets in the way, reschedule – consistency matters more than perfection.
• Set Expectations: Use your first conversation to talk through goals, communication preferences, availability, and what each of you hopes to gain. Clear expectations build stronger partnerships.
• Be Curious: Come ready to ask thoughtful questions, listen with intention, and learn from one another. The best conversations are often the ones you didn’t plan.
• Keep It Confidential: What’s shared between a mentor and mentee stays between them, unless both agree otherwise. Avoid sharing confidential company, employee, or customer information. Trust is the foundation of every strong mentoring relationship.
• Be Honest: Celebrate successes. Share mistakes. Ask difficult questions. Offer respectful feedback. The most valuable conversations aren’t always the easiest ones.
• Respect Each Other: Respect each other’s time, experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds. You don’t have to agree on everything to learn from one another.
• Follow Through: When you agree to make an introduction, share a resource, complete an activity, or take a next step – do it. Small actions build trust. If you need to reschedule, pause, or step away, say so. Don’t ghost your partner.
• Focus on Mutual Growth: This isn’t recruiting or selling. It’s two professionals learning from one another, investing in each other’s development, and strengthening the future of our industry.
• Have Fun: Some of the best professional relationships begin with a single conversation. Enjoy the experience, celebrate progress, and let the relationship develop naturally.
• Participate in GAWDA Events: All pairs attend at least two GAWDA Young Professional Peer Mentorship virtual meetings, plus any in-person GAWDA events they’re able to join together.

A note for mentees: If your mentor recommends something to read, try, or reflect on, come back with what you learned or how it went. Mentors stay engaged with mentees who show up prepared. You can also review the full Mentorship Commitment PDF here.

• Relationship Building: Share your career story, invite your partner to a Peer Mentorship meeting, make a meaningful industry introduction.
• Personal Effectiveness: Identify your strengths, talk through confidence and imposter syndrome, build a plan for managing time and priorities.
• Communication & Influence: Practice giving and receiving feedback, discuss how to gain support for an idea without formal authority.
• Leadership Development: Talk through leading without authority, work through a personal leadership development plan.
• Business & Industry Understanding: Review an org chart, tour a facility, discuss an industry trend shaping the future.
• Career Growth: Review your career goals and build a 12-month career action plan.

This is a sample only – the full Topics & Activities list (60+ items) is available as a downloadable PDF here.