Am I allowed to take mentees off-platform?

You are encouraged to communicate with your mentees through various channels such as email or custom Slack workspaces to personalize the mentoring experience. However, please keep in mind that while external communications can enhance the mentorship experience, all critical mentorship-related data and discussions, such as billing plan changes and pauses to your subscription plan, should be documented on the MentorCruise platform.

This ensures that in cases of disputes or refund requests, we have all the necessary information to make informed decisions.

Prohibition of Off-Platform Payments

Circumventing the MentorCruise platform for processing payments is strictly prohibited. Directing mentees to make payments outside of MentorCruise not only breaches our trust but also places both mentors and mentees at risk.

Violating this policy by suggesting off-platform payments can lead to immediate suspension from MentorCruise. We will investigate reported violations thoroughly, and depending on the severity, you may receive a warning, or in cases of repeated misconduct, a suspension will be enforced.

Risk to Mentors

You compromise your activity metrics on the platform, such as cancellation rates and payment records, which are vital for maintaining your reputation and ability to attract new mentees.
Without the support of MentorCruise, you will face challenges independently, including issues with payments, chargebacks, or taxes.
By circumventing the platform, you weaken the community and the collective value it provides to every member.

Risk to mentees

Off-platform transactions mean you lose the protective measures MentorCruise offers regarding payments and dispute resolutions.
You may be subject to unclear or unfavorable terms of mentorship that are not endorsed by MentorCruise.
Managing or canceling subscriptions becomes more complicated without the platform's straightforward controls.

Exceptions to This Policy

There are exceptions where off-platform engagements are permissible:

If there is an existing strong relationship with a mentee prior to using our platform, you may continue this arrangement off-platform, though we still recommend using MentorCruise for its benefits.
For engagements that are outside the scope of MentorCruise offerings, such as large-scale consulting projects or pro-bono work, managing these privately is allowed.