Findings Reveal Three Reasons That Mentoring Matches End Early

Werntz, A., Jasman, M., Cherry, J., Borer, A., Johnston, A., Meany, M., Stettin, J., McCarron, T., & Rhodes, J. E. (2026). Beyond the mentor-youth dyad: The role of parents and mentoring program staff in predicting volunteer mentor persistence. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning. https://doi.org/10.1080/13611267.2026.2632131

Introduction

Youth mentoring programs invest heavily in recruiting volunteers, yet many matches end before producing meaningful benefits. Research consistently shows that longer matches yield stronger outcomes for young people, while premature closures can cause harm. Keller’s (2005) introduces a systemic model of mentoring that positions the mentor-mentee dyad within a broader network that includes parents and program staff. This study examined why volunteer mentors leave Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) and whether their relationships with mentees’ parents and match advocates predicted how long they stayed.

Methods

Participants were 120 former volunteer mentors from a community-based BBBS program in a large northeastern U.S. city. Survey data, collected in fall 2020, included open-ended responses to questions about reasons for ending the match, along with quantitative ratings of relationship quality with mentees’ parents, match advocates, and the program overall. Qualitative responses were coded using content analysis. Correlational and regression analyses examined associations between these relationships and match length.

Results

Three reasons for ending matches emerged from mentor responses. External challenges like moving, job changes, and school demands were cited most often (65% of mentors). Parent and program-related challenges came second (42%), with difficult relationships with parents mentioned more than problems with match advocates. Relationship challenges with the mentee were least common (23%).  Ultimately, mentors who got along well with their mentees’ parents stayed longer. This relationship was the strongest statistical predictor of match length, and it held up even after accounting for how mentors felt about the program overall. How mentors rated their match advocates, surprisingly, did not predict match length. A mentor who feels like a partner with a child’s parent is more likely to stick with the match. 

Discussion

The mentor-parent relationship emerged as the most consistent predictor of match longevity—more so than attitudes toward the program or the match advocate relationship. Qualitative data reinforced this: scheduling difficulties, value differences, and poor communication with families were frequently cited barriers.

Implications for Mentoring Programs

The mentor-parent relationship is trainable and programs should treat it that way. When mentors have difficulties with families, match advocates can make the difference between a closed match and a continuing one—helping mentors look past surface-level silence to understand what’s actually going on in a family’s life. It is important to train mentors on family communication from the start so match advocates are close enough to the relationship to notice when things are slipping. Therefore, supporting the mentor-parent connection may be just as important as supporting the mentor-mentee one.

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