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by Francis McGee
At GAIN, we are committed to maintaining a sustainable organisation while driving meaningful change in the insurance and investment industries. Our ambitious three-year strategy, launched in May 2024 is designed to drive forward neuroinclusion by building awareness of neurodiversity, helping members to develop neuroinclusive workplaces, growing talent streams, and harnessing the expertise of our individual members and our growing ecosystem of specialist service provider partners.
Strategic progress
We’re working through the specific commitments we made for year one of the strategy. We have launched our online service provider hub, we have enhanced our career club job board offering, we are doing extensive work with our investment sector members and stakeholders on their priorities, we’ve published resources and delivered events, and we are reviewing our industry benchmark tool to make it more streamlined. We’ll report fully on our progress later in the year.
One pledge we made was to review our income strategy. We said we would
Seek new members: we now have 47 corporates and over 1,600 individuals in our movement
Offer sponsorship opportunities: we’ve offered event sponsorships, research partnerships and tie-ins with specific products and services, but unfortunately largely without success. We remain committed to innovating and identifying new ways to fund, and accelerate, our mission
Review our membership prices, following an interim review early in 2024. We explained that we would use our experience over the first few years to judge the operational capacity and financial resource required to deliver products and services
We have come so far and the journey to date has only been possible with the help of our dedicated corporate members and individuals, who have stepped forward with a passion for neuroinclusion and a desire to see lasting change.
Strengthening our foundations
The first two years of our existence, our effort was entirely voluntary on the part of our original steering group. During 2022 and 2023, an influential group of businesses joined us as members, and their funding enabled to grow the team and deliver effective and relevant services.
As a not-for-profit organisation, we reinvest our income in delivering our mission. We must operate sustainably, so members can rely on us, and to do this we must cover our running costs, which have been kept exceptionally low thanks to the dedication of our volunteers. We need to invest to professionalise our delivery and streamline our operating platform. That’s key to delivering change at pace and scale.
Member input
As we move into the next phase of our journey, we are reassessing, rebalancing, and setting up an organisation for the future. As ever, we are guided by our members, and so to establish what the future should look like we conducted corporate member research at the end of 2024. We are incredibly grateful to all who have taken to time to participate, your insights are invaluable.
Key headlines from that work were:
GAIN is recognised for its supportive environment that fosters understanding and challenges misconceptions about neurodiversity
GAIN is viewed as a passionate partner committed to doing the right thing for colleagues and enhancing workplace inclusivity
The decision to join GAIN was driven by a shared passion for neurodiversity, the desire for collaboration, and the alignment of values
No other organisations are seen as directly comparable to GAIN in terms of focus and industry relevance
Membership in GAIN is highly recommended for organisations seeking expert support, valuable resources, and a commitment to fostering an inclusive environment for neurodiverse individuals.
Members are open to reasonable increases in membership fees, provided that the value and benefits are clearly communicated and maintained.
Members generally perceive GAIN's pricing as good value
Budgets are tight and costs under scrutiny. It is extremely important to members that we demonstrate value and help them make the most of the benefits GAIN membership offers
As we consider pricing adjustments we will aim to balance sustainability with fairness, ensuring our collaboration remains strong and mutually beneficial continuing to drive neuroinclusion forward. Balancing organisational costs with fairness is essential for maintaining both financial health and your trust. By aligning pricing with the value provided and clearly communicating the reasons behind adjustments, we can foster a sense of fairness and shared understanding. not only maintain the sustainability of GAIN, but also our joint initiative.
We’ll update you on our income and prices when we have arrived at final decisions, building on your views.
Looking Ahead
We are at a pivotal moment in GAIN’s journey. With the collective support of our members, we have the opportunity to drive meaningful change, ensuring that neuroinclusion is not just a conversation but a transformative movement within the industry. To achieve this, it requires us to accelerate funding and grow our team, as we continue working together as a community to create a match and unlock the untapped talent of neurodivergent individuals.
We look forward to working alongside you to achieve this shared vision and thank you for your ongoing commitment to GAIN’s mission.
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