We have poured our love, mind and experience into this program guide- just for you! You can also find the short link in our MentorWIN group.  

Yes, we have our MentorWIN group! When you join the program, we ask that you join this group. You can post your questions, suggestions or recommended readings all in this group. Here is the link! 

Yes! Our rockstar braintrust member Selin Üstüner gave us a MentorWIN Program Refresher Training.. Here is the training video. Enjoy!

TurkishWIN Learning Center is a well-kept secret in our digital platform. You can find book and video recommendations to accompany you in your learning journey to reach your goals, brush up competencies and to fully engage in our programs. 

MentorWIN Program Videos are at this link. 

MentorWIN Book Recommendations are at this link. 

• BinYaprak Mentorluk Yazıları: https://binyaprak.com/yazilar/kategoriler/mentorluk

• BinYaprak Mentorluk Yazıları: https://binyaprak.com/videolar/kisisel-gelisim/mentorluk

• TurkishWIN Learning Center Videos: https://turkishwin.com/learning-center/videos

• TurkishWIN Learning Center Book Recommendations: https://turkishwin.com/learning-center/book-recommendations

• UN Women, Mentoring in the Workplace: Mentoring Manual https://www.weps.org/resource/mentoring-workplace

• UNM Mentoring Institute: https://mentor.unm.edu/blog

• Mentorloop:  https://mentorloop.com/blog/

• Mentoring Works: https://mentoring-works.com/blog/

• MSF Mentoring and Coaching Hub YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrl-CQHkVBAbpOqOXHuGO7w/videos

• EMCC – European Mentoring and Coaching Council

(Avrupa Koçluk ve Mentorluk Konseyi): https://www.emccglobal.org/

• EMCC Türkiye (Yönderlik ve Koçluk Derneği): https://emccturkey.org/

• International Mentoring Association: https://mentoringassociation.org/

• MSF Mentoring and Coaching Hub: https://mentoring-coaching.msf.org/en/

Your mentoring relationship will thrive when you actively listen, ask effective questions, give or get feedback, and recognize contributions.

Recognition of skills, strengths, experiences, and commitments is an invaluable part of your mentoring journey. We recommend that both of you, mentors and mentees, recognize and give positive feedback to each other.

Video Suggestion: We recommend Christopher Littlefield’s TEDX talk, “What do you want to be acknowledged for?” for a fresh perspective.

Exercise: The ability to give recognition serves us and others. The more we can recognize our accomplishments, the more we can recognize others. We leave you with two precious questions:

1. How often do you recognize your accomplishments?
2. If you were to give yourself three compliments right now, what would you recognize? Please go ahead:-)

Your mentoring relationship will thrive when you actively listen, ask effective questions, give or get feedback, and recognize contributions. 

Mentoring involves key skills like active listening, using a range of questions, challenges, and support.

Common challenges and barriers to becoming a good listener:

• Viewing a topic as uninteresting
• Criticizing a mentee’s appearance or her/his communication style (verbal cues, nonverbal cues, or both) rather than responding to her/his message
• Becoming “overstimulated” by something the mentee says, such that we begin thinking of our own rebuttals and fail to hear the rest of what the mentee has to say
• Listening only for facts and not paying attention to the body language
• Tolerating, creating, or failing to adjust to distractions
• Faking attention
• Listening only to what is easy to understand
• Allowing emotion-laden words to interfere with listening (e.g, preferred group designations; racist, sexist, or homophobic language)
• Permitting personal prejudice or deep-seated convictions to impair comprehension
• Wasting the advantages of the differential between speech rate and thought-processing speed

Your mentoring relationship will thrive when you actively listen, ask effective questions, give or get feedback, and recognize contributions.

Two of the most important parts of a mentor/mentee relationship is giving and receiving feedback.

To give, get and reflect on constructive feedback, we recommend using the nonviolent recommendation method. You can learn more about this life-changing method by reading the book: “Nonviolent Communication,” by Marshall B. Rosenberg.

Of course! Mentor/mentee relationships continue based on the mutual interest of both parties. Officially, the program ends after six months, but best mentoring relationships continue well afterwards as a sisterhood relationship.

Every good thing comes to an end. As you get ready to celebrate this amazing mentoring journey, we suggest you review the following: 

• Discuss whether you met the goals you have set to begin with
• Evaluate your achievements
• Talk about the next steps and fill in the exit/evaluation survey by TurkishWIN

We ask that you fill out the check in survey in week four of your mentoring journey. Unless you reach out to us individually at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., only then will we know you are having difficulties meeting up! 

If you both agree that you cannot set a reasonable flow for your meetings, you can request to be unmatched. Just let us know! We want both of you to have the best mentoring experience ever.

You can share this information with us in our surveys or drop us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject ‘mentoring issue’. We will try our best to get you in touch with your mentor/mentee to resolve the matter.

Chemistry is a critical issue in a mentoring relationship. We expect your mentoring journey to end in six months and after 6-10 hours in meeting time. Well, life happens and you may decide to end the relationship earlier. To give you some guidance, we encourage you to end your mentoring relationship when the following happens.

Life happens: You have a family, health issue, or may have gotten a sudden promotion- the best kind of disruption. Whatever the reason, if you feel you are overwhelmed and will not be able to invest your time and energy in this precious relationship, we suggest you check out.

Breach of confidentiality: Confidentiality is at the center of a mentoring relationship. Both the mentor and mentee should respect this safe space and not share anything that is discussed during mentoring sessions. If there is a breach of confidentiality in your mentoring relationship, you have every right to terminate the match.

Breach of the EMCC or Your Code of Ethics: If you feel there is an ethical conflict (conflict of interest etc), we suggest you end your mentoring relationship.

Your unmatching will take place in two steps: 1) Please let your mentor or mentee know re: your reason for terminating the relationship; 2) Please send us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We will assist you re: the next steps.

Privacy is at the center of a mentoring relationship. Both the mentor and mentee should respect this safe space and not share anything that is discussed during mentoring sessions. If there is a breach of confidentiality in your mentoring relationship, you have every right to terminate the match. 

If you are looking for further guidance, please review EMCC’s Code of Ethics here. 

We suggest that you formalize your mentorship partnership with an agreement form. It is best to discuss and execute your mentoring agreement in your first meeting with your mentee/mentor. A sample form is provided here and in our mentoring guide. 

If you feel there is an ethical conflict (conflict of interest etc), we suggest you end your mentoring relationship.

If you decide to end your mentoring relationship, we are always here to support you. Your unmatching will take place in two steps in this order: 1) Please let your mentor or mentee know re: your reason for terminating the relationship; 2) Please send us an email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We will assist you re: the next steps.

We follow all the process by the surveys we send for the mentor and the mentee after 4, 8 and 12 weeks as well as at the end of the mentoring journey (24 weeks after the match). These short surveys help us to learn and grow. 

You can access the shortcut of these surveys in the mentoring hub in your TurkishWIN profile. 

You can fill out your mentor  application in four quick steps: 

1. Create a mentor profile (under edit profile menu)
2. Your profile will be listed at https://turkishwin.com/mentors

1. You will hear from interested mentees. We ask that you respond re: the match in a 3 week grace period.
2. The next steps of your mentoring journey will be communicated via email.

It is easy breezy! 

Your profile is now listed under TurkishWIN mentors here. And, you will directly hear from a TurkishWINner who would like to become your mentee. If you think your experience matches with her mentoring objective, say yes! If not, please say no:-) 

If you have any questions about our mentoring program, please reach out to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

You can unmatch your mentoring match by going to the Mentoring Hub in your Profile and completing the unmatching step. Please make sure you act quickly so that your mentee does not get a lot of planning and preparation underway. 

If you have trouble with this step, you can reach our team with your unmatch request at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The sooner you let us know about your request the better for both parties.

Yes, please! If you have  time, you can take on more than 1 mentee. Simply edit your mentor form and increase your capacity. You can find your mentor form under “edit profile.”

We know you are excited about your mentoring journey with your mentee. Who wouldn’t! 

Joining you in your excitement, we have created a short checklist for you re: your first meeting: 

• Review the mentee's LinkedIn profile and mentoring objective 
• Reflect on how you will introduce yourself to your mentee 
• Check out SWOT or GROW models to frame your mentee's development journey. You can download Sample Mentee Development Plan and other resources at this link. 
• Leave your day-to-day activities behind. 

You can simmer on these questions while getting ready: 

1. What kind of assistance can you provide to your mentee?
2. Where were you physically and mentally in your mentee's age or work stage?
3. What kind of meetings will you have together?
4. How often will you meet?
5. Where will you meet?
6. What are the key factors you believe are important for a successful mentor-mentee relationship?
7. Think about what the basic principles are for you in the mentoring relationship.
8. Think about how you find meaning in the mentoring process.
9. Think about what you might have in common and differing aspects. These conversations help initiate and strengthen the relationship.
10. Think about what subjects you can experience and contribute to your mentee.
11. Am I a good listener? Can I listen effectively? How long can I keep my focus on the snow side? How much of my focus is on myself and what I want to say?
12. How open are my questions? How many questions do I ask to understand the other party, to make them think, and to broaden their perspective? How much and/or in what situations do I tend to ask closed, judgmental questions and narrow down the options?

Asking good questions is not simply an effective listening technique; it is also helpful in encouraging problem-solving and keeping the mentoring relationship-focused and on task. Let's explore the use of three different types of questions: investigative, discovery, and empowering. These open-ended questions, when used correctly, encourage dialogue.

Investigative Questions: Because they seek information and objective facts to provide enough background to move the mentoring conversation forward, they should be used on a limited basis. Examples are:

• What have you accomplished so far?
• How long have you been working on this?
• When is your due date?
• Where do you think you lost focus?

Discovery Questions are used to tap into your own knowledge, experience, and insight and lead you into drawing your own conclusions and learning from experiences. Examples of these types of questions are:

• What have you learned from this experience?
• What could you have done differently?
• What does this tell you about your approach?
• What's the best thing that could happen for you?
• What's the worst thing that could happen to you?
• What do you think are your alternatives?

Empowering Questions: These questions call upon taking ownership and making plans for the next step by asking "what happens next." Empowering questions push for action and ask for commitment. Examples are:

• What is your next step?
• What do you have to do to make it happen?
• What problems or obstacles might occur that would prevent you
• from achieving the best result?
• What will you do if the first plan does not work as well as you
• expect?
• What resources do you have; what do you need?
• How can I help you succeed?

You are a rockstar and an investor in another woman's career development. Thank you for participating in our mentoring program as a mentor.

We would love for you to stop and reflect from time to time as this journey is a learning and development journey for you as well. We invite you to reflect on these questions:

• Am I a good listener? Do I actively listen to my mentee?
• Do I ask open-ended questions? How often do I use my questions to make her think? Do I ask questions that hint at my judgment and what I am thinking?
• Am I open to receiving feedback? How do I give feedback?
• Is my feedback constructive? Do I use nonviolent communication techniques?
• Do I recognize others and acknowledge their accomplishments? Do I recognize others' strengths and praise that? How is my communication language in giving my acknowledgments? Am I aware of my own achievements? Do I recognize and praise my own achievements?

Mentors are gatekeepers in keeping a safe and trusted space for the mentoring relationship to deepen and flourish. When in doubt, always be on the conservative side to maintain confidentiality.

And... you are awesome! Never forget that-)

We know. Sometimes you do not have enough hours in a day. Life happens! No worries, you can change your mentoring status at any time by updating your mentor form in your Profile. Simply change the “Active” field to “Passive”.

We will nudge and check back to see when you are ready to get back to our mentor pool from time to time. 

You can fill out your mentee application in four quick steps: 

1. Create a mentee profile (under edit profile menu)
2. Pick a mentor and indicate your interest at: https://turkishwin.com/mentors 

1. You will hear back directly from your mentor re: the application in 3 weeks.
2. Our team will communicate to you re: the next steps of your mentoring journey via email.

It is easy-breezy! 

You are awesome! You are carving time and energy to invest in your personal development.

A mentee's journey flows, when three magical elements are in her mentoring relationship: Passion for self-development, openness, and trust.

The first step to self-development is self-reflection. We invite you to take a moment to simmer on these questions:

• What do I expect from mentoring and my mentor?
• What are my development areas? Did I identify my needs clearly?
• What do I expect from myself?
• Am I open to going outside of my comfort zone?
• Am I open to receiving feedback? How comfortable am I with giving feedback?
• When do I get defensive?
• What do I do when I stumble?
• When and how do I ask for help? When will I ask for help from my mentor?
• How do I keep myself motivated?
• Will I make myself and this mentoring relationship a priority to make the best use of the next 6 months?

How did you feel completing this exercise?

We know you are a rockstar- keep on shining!

Goal-setting is most effective when it is done in the context of a greater vision. This requires taking the time to think clearly about what the purpose of your mentoring is and where you want to be at the conclusion of the mentoring relationship.

What skills, competencies, experiences, and knowledge will you need to have to reach your goal? Which of these do you have now? When you identify the gap between where you are and where you want to be, the goals will emerge. Empowered with this knowledge, you can seek the mentoring relationship that works for you.

We highly recommend that you set SMART goals. Remember you have 6 months in this journey. 

SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Action-Oriented, Realistic, and Time-bound. 

We would like to share a few articles that may help you set SMART goals:

• Mentorlukta Hedef Koyma Ustalığı by BinYaprak (in Turkish)
• Setting Smart Goals

Fabulous, you have completed the first step and set a goal by completing your mentee application. Now, it is time for you to pick your mentor and apply for a match! Surf the available turkishwin mentors at this link and send your request.  When your request is approved by your mentor,  your mentoring journey will begin!

We give our mentors a grace period of three weeks to confirm applications. You will hear back soon, no worries!  You can always email our team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for any questions you may have. 

If it has been over 3 weeks, which sometimes can happen because it may not be a good time for her, you can apply for a new mentor. We have amazing TurkishWINners, who are waiting to meet you. If you would consider finding another mentor, you can follow this link. 

Yes! Please visit your Mentoring Hub in your profile and cancel your request. After cancellation, you can apply to a new mentor!

Easy breezy! You can update your mentoring form from your TurkisWIN profile (edit profile/mentee form).

Yes! As the mentee, we ask you to  lead in defining your relationship boundaries, meeting agenda, communication channels, meeting dates, defining what makes this relationship safe for you, work style, etc.

In particular, we recommend that you ask your mentor re: the frequency of your meetings and her preferred channels of communication. Some mentors stick to a monthly meeting schedule with recurring calendar invitations and set agendas. Others may be open to constant WhatsApp banter and bi-weekly meetings. 

Your first meeting will be special. Are you ready? 

Here is a short checklist for you: 

• Sum up your working history 
• Write a mentoring objective statement 
• Check out SWOT or GROW models to frame your development journey. You can download Sample Mentee Development Plan and other resources at this link. 

You can simmer on these questions as you prepare: 

1. What are your professional/personal goals and objectives?
2. What kind of challenges are you facing that you would like to challenge with your mentor?
3. What are the three things you would like to achieve through the mentoring program? Rank them in order of importance.
4. What are the three things you would like your mentor to provide?
5. Which skills do you desire to develop in the next 6 months?
6. Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years? How do you see yourself growing (personally/professionally)
7. What are your priorities?
8. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
9. What makes you unique?
10. What do you expect from yourself and your mentor on this journey?
11. Keep asking yourself “does this help me achieve what I want to be?"
12. How open are you to improve? How willing are you to step out of your comfort zone?
13. How open are you to receive feedback? How comfortable do you feel about giving feedback? In what situations do you find it difficult or defensive?
14. What will you do when you face a challenge, an obstacle, or unwittingly resist change? How will you motivate yourself?
15. What are the internal resources that you can take advantage of?
16. What do you need to do to be prepared and stay on track when you have difficulties?

Yes! Every one of us is the master of our own universe and has something to offer. You can fill out both applications at the same time.

The TurkishWIN mentoring program matches TurkishWINners with peer-to-peer, senior-to-junior, Diaspora-Turkey, or loca- local mentor/mentee connections.

We recommend that our matched mentors/mentees have at least 6 meetings in this six months long program and meet more frequently in the first couple of months. After six months, you will decide whether to continue or end the program.

You can watch this introductory video to get a deeper understanding of the program. 

Our mentoring program is for our members-only.

Mentoring paves the way to a rewarding experience for the mentor and the mentee to exchange knowledge, lessons, and business acumen.

Mentoring is:

• one-to-one
• person-oriented
• asking open questions
• providing experienced insights
• challenging one to think beyond immediate day-to-day issues
• setting milestones for agreed deliverables
• encouraging one to achieve specific goals
• focused on growth and development
• designed to aid the mentee in taking ownership of personal growth and development
• an equal partnership with two-way learning
• confidential

Mentoring is not:

• direct sponsorship
• doing it for you
• free consultancy
• a substitute for qualified professional advice
• tied to the advancement
• remedial

You can also find more details about mentoring in our mentoring guideline. 

You are not alone. Period. Someone else had overcome a similar challenge, felt the same pain, had similar gains and stood where you are- in your shoes- thinking about the next steps. This is where sisterhood and our collective wisdom comes to play.  In short, do not reinvent the wheel and benefit from the wisdom of our sisterhood universe. 

For those of us who had great mentors, it is time to pay it forward. You know what it felt like to be in a transition and you have experienced the magical power of a friendly nudge. Give a sister a hand now. 

So, for all  these reasons, we think mentoring is important. 

It's essential to have experience in the area you are mentoring someone in. Indeed, you can't teach well if you haven't experienced, learned from practice, and applied the same principles yourself. It's also important to have people skills.

A mentor is a trusted counselor or guide. Your activities could include giving technical assistance, clarifying roles and responsibilities; identifying and analysing learning experiences, opportunities and gaps; encouraging analysis and reflection; structuring learning and work and confronting through questioning, listening and giving feedback.

In the beginning, we ask that you develop a safe and protected environment and be a supporter, protector and guide. As the mentee develops confidence and becomes less dependent and more autonomous, we suggest you  develop a more analytical, reflective, critical, challenging role.

After you read the mentoring guideline, please check out our learning center for book and video recommendations. You will also receive bi-monthly newsletters and event invitations to sharpen your mentoring skills. Please join our MentorWIN group to stay in touch.

Mentors play different roles according to the needs of the mentee. A mentor wears all these hats listed below. Observe your mentee and decide what she needs at each meeting. 

• Sounding board: helps the mentee think through their own ideas, out loud. Ask good questions to help the process.
• Experience sharer: shares their own experiences in areas that are relevant for the mentee, when appropriate.
• Critical friend: speaks the truth as they see it, and challenges and tests the mentee’s ideas.
• Listener: listens carefully, allows time, and encourages the mentee to reflect.
• Counselor: focuses on the emotional aspects of issues, discusses and explores with empathy.
• Career coach: helps think through career options, goals, and learned lessons.
• Networking coach: discusses how to build, maintain and use a professional network.
• Behavior coach: helps with the personal behavioral change of the mentee on specific issues.
• Motivator: offers encouragement and helps the mentee build self-belief.

Mentoring skills can be divided into organizational and interpersonal skills.

The mentor’s activities could include giving technical assistance, clarifying roles and responsibilities; identifying and analysing learning experiences, opportunities and gaps;  encouraging analysis and reflection; structuring learning and work and confronting through questioning, listening and giving feedback.

You can read up more on these skills in our program guide here. 

We would be missing out on something if we did not prepare a do’s and don’ts list for you! 

Here you go:

Do's:

• be committed to this new relationship
• be an active listener! Guide and help her put her ideas into action
• find constructive ways to challenge your mentee
• share similar experiences so your mentee understands that her problem is not unique
• use open questions to encourage the mentee to think creatively and form her own conclusions
• let mentees know that there are no shortcuts
• this is a valuable time for the mentees. Please focus on their business, as you are the expert in that field
• respect your mentee, her values & beliefs
• get her focus on the things that need to be done
• encourage her by pointing out her skills
• be consistent, but flexible. Expect changes in plans
• always do follow-ups
• foster a caring and supportive relationship. Showing that you care will boost confidence
• it is a common remark that mentors learn from mentees a great deal
• focus on developing the mentee professionally and personally
• support and facilitate. You do not have all the answers; you are a ‘learning facilitator’
• explain your personal work style and preferences
• remind your mentee to prepare a written outline or an agenda for the meeting
• after the meeting take notes of what was discussed and progress made

Don'ts:

• expect your mentee to lead every meeting or suggest activity
• make your mentee learn by trial
• give random advice or criticism
• expect a clone of yourself
• talk negatively about your mentee to others
• lecture
• share personal problems unless it is related to the current disposition
• lend money
• assume the role of the problem solver
• impose your vision
• attempt to force your mentee in one direction
• forget she knows her business better than anyone else

Yes, we do! 

• Read the mentoring guideline!

• Make sure your mentoring meetings take place within the framework of the EMCC Global Ethics Code.

• Add "This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it." to your safe list to receive our program emails in a timely way.

• Be prepared for your first meeting and think about how you will present yourself to your mentee.

• Communicate your expectations to your mentee. What would you like to accomplish? What is your mentoring objective?

• Learn your mentee's expectations from you and the mentoring relationship.

• Your mentee is in the driver's seat of this relationship. But if you feel she needs guidance, please step in and contribute to the flow.

• If your mentee has questions about the mentoring journey or milestones, you are her first stop for answers. Please guide her.

• Discuss your relationship's confidentiality principles with your mentee. Assure her that you will not share any information from your meetings with anyone without her permission.

• Make sure you are on time and fully present at your scheduled meetings. If you need to make changes, inform your mentee, explain the reason and propose a new date.

• Discuss and execute your mentoring agreement in your first meeting with your mentee.

• Remind your mentee that she is responsible for her development during this mentoring relationship and it is important to come to the meetings with the agenda.

• Encourage her to question her current situation and the targeted one. Make her think with your questions and reflections.

• Share the fact that it is extremely important to be aware of your own strengths and weaknesses for being able to improve.

• You may need to give examples from your own experiences. Be prepared to share:-)

• At the beginning of each conversation, follow up the actions taken from the previous meeting, but do not make her feel she is reporting to you. No judgments please:-) “Where are you regarding that? What went well? Where did you have difficulties? What do you need?" You can follow up with questions like these.

• At the beginning of each meeting, turn the agenda of your mentee into a clear meeting goal. "What do you want to achieve in this meeting?

• Avoid teaching or giving advice and direction; Try to listen, ask, encourage and guide.

• Notice, reflect, and appreciate her progress and strengths.

• Make sure you are not the one who speaks more in the session.

• At the end of the meeting, ask her to clarify the first step she will take to reach her goal after the meeting.

• Make sure you set the date for the next meeting; This is your mentee's responsibility but a gentle reminder always works.

• Throughout your mentoring relationship, behave in accordance with the agreement regarding each other's boundaries.

Glad you asked! A mentee invests in her future. She seeks feedback, both positive and  constructive. She is committed to demonstrating professional growth and advancement within her development plan.

As a mentee, you will work toward building your skills and achieving your goals with the help of your mentor. You will lead and manage your mentoring partnership. All meeting scheduling chores and follow-ups are your responsibilities.  

We will support you in every step of the way! After you read the mentoring guideline, please check out our learning center for book and video recommendations. You will also receive bi-monthly newsletters and event invitations to sharpen your mentoring skills. Please join our MentorWIN group to stay in touch for updates.

We have a world of suggestions in our program mentoring guideline but here is a short list for you to simmer on.

Do's:

• be committed to this new relationship
• define your goals early
• have a written outline or an agenda for your meeting
• be clear about your needs
• be willing to learn from others
• be open to receiving feedback
• be ready to step outside the comfort zone
• respect your mentor’s time
• consider all advice your mentor provides
• learn about your mentor’s goals, career, professional development
• show appreciation
• ask for feedback
• keep your relationship professional

Don'ts:

• expect mentors to solve your problems
• expect your mentor to define your goals
• expect mentors to do your work
• expect hands-on operational support
• expect that you will be provided training or coaching services nor technical business advice
• assume that your mentor has unlimited time for you
• be defensive
• talk negatively about your mentor
• bring another person to your meeting with your mentor unless it is mutually agreed ahead of time

Yes, we do! 

• Read the mentoring guideline!
• Make sure your mentoring meetings take place within the framework of the EMCC Global Ethics Code.
• Add "This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it." to your safe list to receive our emails in a timely way. You will get event invitations and more!
• Be prepared for your first meeting with your mentor. Prepare the agenda, how you will present yourself, and your mentoring objective.
• Communicate your expectations to your mentor. What would you like to accomplish? What is your mentoring objective?
• Lead in defining your relationship boundaries (meeting agenda, communication channels, meeting dates, defining what makes this relationship safe for you, work style, etc.)
• Learn the expectations of your mentor from you and your mentoring relationship.
• You are in the driving seat of this relationship. Follow up on meeting dates and set the meeting agenda to support your development plan.
• If you have questions about this mentoring journey or milestones, please ask them to your mentor or the TurkishWIN team.
• Discuss and execute your mentoring agreement in your first meeting with your mentor
• Discuss your relationship's confidentiality principles with your mentor.
• She will be sharing her personal experiences with you. Assure her that you will not share this information with anyone.
• Make sure to be on time and fully present at your meetings.
• You are the lead and responsible party for scheduling your mentoring meetings and for all the relevant follow-ups. If you need to change a meeting's date, please do so with a reasonable lead time and explaining the reason for the change.
• Share your development goals and your strengths with your mentor.
• Take advantage of your mentoring journey by sharing your goals, asking for feedback, and reflecting on the next steps.
• Ask questions to your mentor for inspiration and new perspectives. You can ask her about her development areas and her strengths.
• Set SMART goals. Make your goals specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based.
• Your mentor's role is to guide you find your way to your mentoring goal.
• She will not tell you what to do. She will listen to you actively, ask you questions and encourage you to find your way. Always remember this.
• Make sure you speak more than your mentor at your mentoring meetings:-) Your mentor will share her experiences- yes. Your active participation is key in the discussion.
• At the end of each mentoring session, make sure you have identified actionable steps and most importantly your next step:-)
• Be kind to yourself and enjoy this awesome experience. .

Our mentoring program has been active since 2012. We give back and share our know-how to build networks that support women. 

You can read about our biggest give back programs, EBRD Women In Business Mentoring Program and The Million Women Mentors, in detail. Here is what we were up to! 

2021 - ongoing I EIB (Aegean Exporters Associations)'s Export-Up Mentorship

Export-Up Mentorship Program's goal is to support young or female entrepreneurs in achieving their export-oriented business goals by meeting with a successful business person (mentor) who will convey their own experiences. We brought together EMCC Turkey and EIB together in this #WinTogether program. We #giveback in sharing our network and know-how to support EIB reach its goal.

2018 I MEF University Mentoring Pilot

We have worked with the Career Center team to design and support a pilot mentoring program. 

2018  I Gedik University Mentoring Pilot

We have worked with the Career Center team to design and support a pilot mentoring program. 

2016 I Antalya Women Entrepreneurship Network Mentoring Pilot

In this active NGO, we have trained the program managers, gave the kick-offtrainings and shadowed the team during their pilot mentoring program. 

2016 I EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women Program

We have contributed to the design of the mentoring experience of this program. 

2015 I Yeditepe University Alumni Network Mentoring Program

We have worked with the Alumni Office to design and launch a mentoring program that connects students with alumni. Today, this program is growing strongly.

We have two co-creation partners and an amazing braintrust to help in giving back. 

Co-Creation Partner: EMCC Turkey

TurkishWIN Mentoring Program has been designed and executed in accordance with EMCC International Standards for Mentoring and Coaching programs, acknowledged by EMCC Turkey. EMCC Turkey is also an important partner of the Milyon Kadına Mentor program as well. You can find out how you can take advantage of the EMCC Turkey programs here.

Co-Creation Partner: Evolve

We are grateful to the amazing Evolve team, Evrim Yerli and Selin Üstüner for their support during the design of the Mılyon Kadına Mentor program.

We are the proud partner of the EBRD Finance and Advice for Women in Business Programme, funded by the European Union (EU), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and the Republic of Turkey. 

We manage the Mentoring program end to end i.e. offer training, manage the selection and matching process, and offer follow-up communication. The program launched in March 2015. 

We have matched 120 entrepreneurs across Turkey throughout the program and it is still ongoing. For more information, here is the link.

We ask for your participation to join the program as a mentor twice a year. If you missed the call and are interested, please drop us an email! 

The Million Women Mentors program connects private, public, and NGO sector leaders with young women (15-25-year-old) for mentorship opportunities in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields.

The program goals are:

• Activate companies and change agents by providing an umbrella for mentorship programs targeting female high school, university students, and young professionals.
• Convene leading STEM mentoring program across Turkey to raise awareness of the amazing work of our stakeholders
• Curate 1,000,000 mentoring relationships to support women and girls in STEM careers over the next 10 years.

The program was founded together with the U.S. Chamber’s U.S.- Turkey Business Council and its Women in Business Initiative, alongside the project partners TurkishWIN's BinYaprak platform and TOBB. The program convenes STEMConnector’s global expertise and TurkishWIN’s wide network of mentors and mentees and is supported by our Founding Circle partners: Beba Foundation, Limak Holding, Logo Yazılım, PepsiCo Turkey, and Petrol Ofisi.

You can join the movement by:

• Becoming a mentor: Apply at this link and pick "team TurkishWIN"
• Submitting a pledge and leading a team: You can find out more information here.
• Becoming a partner with your NGO: Drop us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We would be delighted to meet with them! Please drop us a note at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or grab a team member at a meeting. 

We work with EMCC Turkey on a pro-bono basis to help set up one mentoring network that supports women. In this new program, the launch of the EIB (Aegean Exporters Associations)'s Export-Up Mentorship was our first collaboration in 2021. 

In 2022, we will post an official call for application for our next sister network intake. Stay tuned! If you have nominations, send them our way at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

For entrepreneurs

EBRD Women In Business Mentoring Program -you find out more here. 

EIB (Aegean Exporters Associations)'s Export-Up Mentorship- you can find out more here.

Ernst & Young Turkey Entrepreneurial Winning Women Program accepts applications annually. In 2021, the application criteria for the business  were: 

• To have at least 3 MM TL in revenue in the last 2 years
• To be headquartered in Turkey 
• To be in operation for at least 3 years 

You can learn more about the program here. 

Cherie Blair Foundation for Women’s  Mentoring Women in Business programme matches women entrepreneurs from low and middle income countries with professional mentors of any gender elsewhere in the world. You get a dedicated business Mentor for one year, meeting online for two hours a month to work on personal and business goals. You can learn more about the program here. 

For business professionals 

Yönetimde Kadın Derneği (Women on Board Association) has an 18-months program has 4 main components:

1. Mentoring program: The opportunity to meet with the most effective business people of the Turkish Business World with an average of 9 times during 18 months.
2. Competency assessment and feedback process: The opportunity to recognize strengths and open areas for improvement.
3. Certificate program: Training opportunities on different subjects from experienced names from the business and academic world with the Independent Board Membership Certificate Program accredited by respected universities and institutions. 
4. Complementary development journey: Up-to-date, detailed, need-based seminars, panels, conferences. Networking.

As of 2021, the program participation fee was 75,000 TL + VAT. You can find out more at this link.  

The program’s enrollment is open every two years for a new cohort of 50 women.