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Every year, we ask our members a simple but important question: how are we doing, and where should we go next? This July, we sent out our 2026 Member Survey and the response was, (frankly) brilliant. 62 of our roughly 150 members who joined in the past year shared their experience: a 41% response rate, well above what most organisations see from a member survey. Thank you, to everyone who took part.
What you told us paints a clear picture. Brave Starts is doing what it set out to do and you've given us a thoughtful, honest roadmap for how to do it even better. This year, our responses were analysed by one of our members: - Kelley Price took a volunteer day from her day job to help us out. Her report is linked at the bottom of this article.
Why people join
We asked what first brought members through the door, and let people select every reason that applied. Three stood out clearly above the rest:
- To explore work and career opportunities — the single biggest driver, by some distance, selected by 47 members
- To meet new people and grow their network — 28 members
- To find something more meaningful and purposeful — 20 members
Beyond the top three, a good number of members also joined to take time out and reflect on their needs (18), because it was good value (13), because it was recommended to them (9), or because they'd been made redundant and needed to find work quickly (7).
None of this will surprise anyone who's been part of this community for a while. People arrive at Brave Starts at a genuine turning point, often navigating redundancy, questioning what's next, or simply feeling that work should mean more at this stage of life. What's striking is how consistently these motivations show up together. They're rarely separate needs. They're the same need, seen from different angles.
What you value
When we asked what members value most about Brave Starts, it wasn't a specific workshop or tool that came up again and again — it was the sense of community, connection and hope.
Many of you described the relief of meeting others at a similar stage in life: people who understand the particular mix of uncertainty and possibility that comes with reinventing a career later on. You told us about gaining confidence, recognising your own value again, and finding the clarity to explore new directions, often for the first time in years. Workshops, expert speakers and one-to-one support were praised repeatedly for the practical insight and renewed motivation they provide, and several of you said, plainly, that reinvention feels possible at any stage of life because of this community.
That's the whole point of Brave Starts. It's good to see it landing and the numbers back it up: 96.77% of respondents (60 out of 62) said they'd recommend Brave Starts to others.
You were also clear that the existing workshop programme is working well. The overwhelming message was "don't fix what isn't broken." So we're not planning a reinvention. We're planning a refinement.
We also asked whether members had a success story to share, and nearly one in five of you (18%) said yes. More on that below.
What you'd like to see more of
Alongside the positives, you gave us honest, constructive ideas for what could make the experience even better:
- More ways to connect in person — face-to-face events and peer support groups came up often, alongside a desire for more workshops outside office hours for those still in work
- Deeper support navigating today's job market — particularly guidance aimed at experienced professionals: transferable skills, CV writing, interview preparation, and how to engage with recruiters
- A better online experience — improved networking features, discussion forums, and general website functionality
- More real stories — hearing from other members who've successfully changed course
- More tailored support for different groups and career stages
We heard you, and we're acting on it.
What's changing as a result
A few things we're already working on off the back of this survey:
Review workshop content: Marcus Lamont is now our Coaching Lead. Most of you will already know how wonderful he is and workshop content can only improve with the focus and attention he can bring to the mix.
More opportunities to connect. This was feedback we had last year and since then we've added a face to face up meet up most months. (See our upcoming Sept 7th event) We're looking at how to create more regular face-to-face events and peer support groups, alongside evening and weekend sessions for members balancing this with work. There is however a real issue with our numbers. We don't have enough critical mass to organise meetings outside of London. Jon Davies has hosted two Manchester meet ups which had very low rates of attendance simply because we have low membership numbers (more on that below)!
Making better use of this community's expertise. One thing this survey reminded us of: Brave Starts members bring an extraordinary range of skills and experience. We will develop clearer volunteering opportunities and share these towards the end of September.
Reviewing membership options. As we roll out our new membership platform, we're also looking at whether a tiered structure could better serve members with different needs something several of you raised, and something already on our radar. Our new CRM will be something we look to launch by January/February 2027.
More member stories: We hav ea new volunteer - the wonderful Andrew Jones who is a complete ray of sunshine for anyone who has met him. Paul Goulden and Kirstie Sneyd so far - and more over the next few weeks no doubt. These stories will come online and we'll aim to share one a month. We have 11 more to go!
The report link:
Thank you to everyone who responded. Tnis isn't a solo project. It happens in community. That's what we're here to keep building, together.
To read the survey report click here.
A huge thank you to Kelley Price for making this happen.
