Purpose: While information and communications technology provides new opportunities for supporting mentoring, there is a need to explore how effectively these potential benefits are being realized. This paper seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of a program in the small business context as a basis for proposing determinants of e-mentoring effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach: Using qualitative inquiry, this study aims to establish patterns in the characteristics of effective and ineffective e-mentoring partnerships using a model derived from information systems success field. Findings: The study establishes a basis for understanding how the potential benefits of structured e-mentoring are being realized in the small business context. Research limitations/implications: The study empirically establishes a range of determinants of effective e-mentoring in the small business context. Originality/value: The study provides a set of critical success factors and evaluation criteria for use by practitioners who are developing and evaluating the effectiveness of e-mentoring programs. (Contains 1 figure and 16 tables.)