Please contact us if you are interested in joining.
There are five types of membership available:
Full membership: Shared Learning Group on Involvement only
Full membership is open to medium or large charities (we define these as organisations which employ more than 15 staff and have an annual income of £1 million or more) with an interest in health or social care. The nominated member (or their representative) is invited to 6 meetings per year, which are held in central London and last for about 4 hours. There is usually an option to join meetigns virtually. At meetings, members can raise issues of concern / interest to them. They also discuss topics which have previously been identified by members as a priority. Full members are able to access a password protected area of our website. This contains documents that members wish to share only with other members. They also have access to contact details of other Shared Learning Group members so that they can rasie queries or seek advice. They have access to training events organised by the Shared Learning Group. They can use our impact assessment framework and our e-learning template to train staff about involvement. They are also asked to sign up to our terms of reference.
The cost of full membership is currently £500 per year – this covers membership of the Shared Learning Group on Involvement only.
Full membership: Shared Learning Group on Involvement and Charities Research Involvement Group
Organisations can also apply to join the Shared Learning Group on Involvement and our sister group, the Charities Research Involvement Group. In addition to the above benefits, members are invited to attend four meetings of the Charities Research Involvement Group per year, and any training we organsise. They can use the template we have developed to train researchers about involvement. They also have access to contact details of other CRIG members.
The cost of membership of both Groups is £600 per year.
Associate membership
Associate membership is available to small organisations at national, regional or local level that have an interest in service user / carer involvement. Associate members are invited to come to at least one Shared Learning Group meeting of their choice every year. Associate members are able to access a password protected area of our website. This contains documents that members wish to share only with other members. They also have access to online discussion threads and contact details of other Shared Learning Group members. They have access to training events organised by the Shared Learning Group, and are eligible to join our Charities Research Involvement Group. They are also asked to sign up to our terms of reference.
The cost of associate membership is currently £150 per year. Associate membership is only open to small charities (i.e. organisations which employ fewer than 15 staff and have an annual income of less than £1 million).
Charities Research Involvement Group membership only
Charities can also apply to join our Charities Research Involvement Group only, if their particular interest is involvement in research. CRIG members are invited to attend four meetings of the Group per year. They have access to the password protected area of our website. They can use the template we have developed to train researchers about involvement. They also have access to contact details of other CRIG members and to any trainign events we organise.
Membership of the Charities Research Involvement Group only costs £280 per year.
Reduced price membership for user led organisations and those working at a grass roots level
We want to increase the diversity of our membership, so we are currently offering membership for £50 per year for user led organisations and organisations that are working at a community/grassroots level.
To qualify for this reduced price membership, organisations need to:
- Have an annual income of less than £1,000,000
- Work entirely at a grass roots/community level, and/or be service user led
- Employ someone who has a role to meaningfully involve people with lived experience in the work of the organisation. This might be their full time job, or it might be part of another role, e.g. volunteer coordinator or policy officer
Members receive the same benefits as those who pay for joint membership of the Shared Learning Group on Involvement and the Charities Research Involvement Group.
Fees are paid annually – invoices are usually issued in April. New members are charged pro rata, depending on when they join.