Online mentoring programs usually involve collaboration among different organizations. For instance, the protegés may be students at a particular school, the mentors from a corporation, and representatives from both of these organizations organize the effort.

In addition to the program development elements that organizers will need to explore (goals of the program, how often online exchanges will take place, evaluating the participating organizations' readiness for such a program, etc. -- see first steps ), it's of critical importance to make sure all administrative tasks regarding the launch and maintenance of this program are assigned and agreed to.

These assignments should be put into writing and communicated to all organizing participants.

What organization, and what person, will be responsible for each task of launching and maintaining your online mentoring program? While everyone involved in putting together the program may contribute to each of the following tasks, there should be ONE person and organization who is ultimately responsible for actually doing the task, or making sure that the task is assigned appropriately.

Here is an overview of the key administrative tasks involved in the launch and maintenance of an online mentoring program; organizations are encouraged to adapt this list as needed.