Our Associate Member Scheme

Our Associate Members are usually individuals that acumen7 see as potential members in the future, but who are not in a position to join as full-time members. This includes younger professionals in the early stages of their careers.

There is no charge to the Associate Member, enabling them to participate in and benefit from acumen7 meetings, discussions, initiatives and mentoring.

Associate Membership is subject to specified criteria and conditions:

• For a limited time of 12 months. There would be a review of the membership at six months to ensure that it is delivering what is expected to both parties.
• On the explicit and agreed expectation that individuals benefiting from this will commit to joining as and when circumstances allow.
• Potential Associate members are introduced and ‘sponsored’ by current full members, who will make a written case for supporting the Associate member. Each introduction will be reviewed and endorsed (or rejected) by the Management Team member recruitment leads and Chair.
• A mentor will be assigned to each Associate member, both to maintain regular contact and to encourage involvement in the network. The mentor should not necessarily be the introducing member, but will be selected on the basis of common interests and experience.

At the end of the agreed period of the Associate membership, a review will be undertaken to consider and agree next steps, which could be:

• Joining the network as a fully paid-up member.
• Ending the relationship, but agreeing to stay in touch with a view to joining at a later date.
• Extending the Associate membership for a further specified period of time.
• Some other arrangement.

Members lend a hand to our Mentoring scheme

There is considerable scope for individual members to take on a mentoring role, both for larger organisations we are currently engaged with and for individual members who seek a mentor. Mentoring is a learning and development process which allows the mentee to discuss career development needs with a more experienced and senior mentor. The arrangement should benefit both: the mentee will hopefully learn and develop through discussing issues and reflective thinking, benefiting from the mentor’s knowledge, whilst the mentor will have a facilitating experience that increases their own personal and/or professional development. Individuals seeking a mentor or wishing to become one should contact the Chair for further discussion.

Membership cost and how to join

There is no cost of this membership.

Any acumen7 member who would like to nominate an individual who meets the Associate Member criteria should contact the Chair in the first instance.