Inclusion scenario – economic exclusion

Shot from behind a casual footballer as he looks at his fellow players in action at night.

The following scenario is designed to help your organisation become more inclusive to those living in low-income, underserved communities.

The term 'underserved communities' refers to those that experience a lack of access to essential resources, services or opportunities.

By working through the scenario below, you can gain a better understanding of how to respond to and meet the needs of these communities to ensure there are welcoming and inclusive environments in which everyone can benefit from being physically active.

The scenario has been constructed to reflect situations that you might encounter; any names of organisations used are fictional to aid your understanding.

The sport or activities referenced throughout this scenario are also provided for context and aren’t intended to reflect the approach taken or promoted by any national governing bodies of sport.

We recognise that the needs, challenges and barriers to being active will affect those from low-income, underserved communities differently.

It’s also important to consider that individuals can have additional needs or experience further challenges or barriers if they’ve one or more protected characteristic (a term often referred to as intersectionality).

The scenario below is designed to provide some key takeaways and considerations that can help your organisation become more inclusive; remember to talk to your people, volunteers and members to identify what’s best for them.

This three-part scenario features Battle Amateur Boxing Club (BABC), a club located within a community where most residents are on low incomes or come from low-income families.

Local residents face daily challenges with the cost of living and often have minimal, if any, disposal income to spend on leisure activities.

At the start of each year, members of BABC renew their annual membership, which provides access to the gym and weekly training and fitness sessions. After the most recent membership renewals, the club notice that some of their long-standing members haven’t renewed their membership.

A male boxer wearing a headguard punches pads being held by his sparring partner in a ring.

As you work through this scenario, consider how you would respond, then click on the dropdown to understand the impact of your response. Responses are not monitored; be honest in your approach to get the most out of this learning experience.

At the club’s monthly committee meeting, concerns are raised about the drop in membership numbers and that some long-standing members haven’t rejoined.

Discussions are held as to why this has happened, with a few committee members suggesting they could contact those that haven’t rejoined to find out why.

Others don’t think this is a good use of time, suggesting that the club should focus on attracting new members.

Response 1

It’s agreed that no action should be taken to understand why some members have left, as this is just part of the annual membership churn. All efforts are focused on attracting new members to ensure the club is financially sustainable.
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Outcome

While it’s important for BABC to attract new members, it’s also important to understand why previous members have left.

This insight could prove valuable in identifying challenges, barriers or issues that impact upon a member’s experience or ability to join the club.

Unless changes are made to meet the needs of the local community, BABC may see a further reduction in members or a struggle to attract new members, particularly from low-income, underserved communities.
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Response 2

The club’s committee decide it would be helpful to speak with members who’ve rejoined the club to try and find out more. They ask if they have any insight or are aware of any reasons why others didn’t renew their membership.
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Outcome

Speaking with members who’ve rejoined may provide some insight but won’t tell the full story.

Everyone’s challenges and barriers to participation can be different, so relying solely on existing members may limit wider awareness and the necessary support in finding solutions for low-income, underserved communities.

It’s important that any challenges and issues are identified by those who are impacted and any solutions are designed with those they’ll support.
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Response 3

The club’s committee agree to consult with those who have left the club to understand their reasons for leaving.

Committee members carry out informal consultations to identify these reasons, establish any support needs and ask if anything can be done to help them rejoin. They also use this opportunity to gather insight to help shape any solutions.
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Outcome

This is a great approach! Consulting with those who’ve left, and the wider community, will help the club understand the reasons why, the challenges faced and allow them to develop possible solutions that may help people to rejoin, even if this is not immediately.

This will also demonstrate that the club care about and value them and are actively looking to provide solutions to their challenges.

Once this insight has been collected, the club will be in a better position to identify and implement changes to help make BABC more accessible to those from low-income, underserved communities.
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After completing their consultations, the club’s committee identified that the cost of annual membership and other associated costs of attending (including travel and kit) were the main barriers to participation.

The committee recognised that many of those who had left, had to choose between living costs (such as housing, heating and food) and participating at BABC.

Response 1

After gathering this insight, despite wanting to support their local community, the committee decided not to take any action and instead prioritised generating as much income as possible, while keeping the costs down for existing members.
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Outcome

By not taking any action, the club are ignoring the needs of members who are no longer able to afford the costs of participating.

This could negatively impact upon local levels of activity and physical, mental and social wellbeing. It can also create a feeling among low-income, underserved communities that BABC is not accessible to them.
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Response 2

The club decide to support the members who highlighted costs as the reason for not rejoining by allowing them to pay per session, rather than the cost of a full annual membership up front.
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Outcome

This response may help to address some of the barriers associated with cost but is unlikely to fully address the issue.

While well intended, the costs of paying per session may still be too much for those in low-income, underserved communities.

The club will also need to consider how this offer is communicated to other members who’ve paid the full annual membership. If not managed carefully, this may lead to individuals being singled out or perceived to be receiving special treatment.
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Response 3

The club start to offer once-a-week, free-to-attend sessions for everyone that require no specialist equipment (gloves, headguards or gumshields) and encourage attendees to lift-share or actively travel to the club to reduce the costs of attending.
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Outcome

Response 3 is an inclusive approach as it gives everyone the opportunity to attend by removing or reducing the cost of attending.

While this may be a positive short-term solution, BABC will need to consider how they can sustain this offer in the longer term and continue to provide accessible opportunities for all.
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After seeing how successful and well received the free weekly session was by both members and those unable to afford annual membership fees, the club's committee looked to implement some longer-term actions to support their existing membership base and local community.

They aim to remove the issue of cost for those who need support while ensuring they remain financially sustainable.

Response 1

The committee focus on how to make the annual membership fee more affordable.

They decide the best way to do this is to apply for funding, seek sponsorship or develop partnerships with local business or other community partners who can support them in creating a hardship fund, which members can apply for to cover or contribute towards the cost of annual membership.
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Outcome

A hardship fund is a great idea and can help to support those who are unable to afford the annual membership fee.

When setting up a hardship fund, consideration needs to be given to who can apply and how funds are distributed.

However, relying on external funding or sponsorship to create this fund may prove difficult. This is likely to be time-consuming, with no guarantee that funds will be received, and it’s unlikely to be sustainable in the long term.

Hardship funds should therefore provide part but not all of the solution.
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Response 2

The committee agree to take a wider look at their finances, to determine if there are any alternative membership options that can be offered.

They consider enabling all members to pay their membership fee by monthly direct debit, provide subsidised membership for those on low incomes or from low-income families and offering a pay-as-you-go option.

They also look at internal fundraising options (such as annual fundraising events and crowdfunding campaigns) to develop a hardship fund.
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Outcome

Offering a flexible payment structure is an inclusive way of enabling members to pay smaller amounts more regularly or only paying when they can afford to attend session.

This will, however, impact the overall financial position and cashflow of the club and make it difficult to forecast income.

Careful consideration is needed to ensure the club can remain financially viable by budgeting for various different scenarios, while reducing the cost barrier of attending sessions.

To further break down the cost barrier, flexible membership options can be offered alongside a hardship fund.
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Response 3

In addition to looking at different membership options and hardship funds, the club’s committee look at what else they can do to reduce the cost of attending sessions.

They consider taking their activities into local community spaces and creating a kit bank where participants, friends and family members can donate reusable kit and equipment.

The club also consider different ways to track who they’re reaching and the impact this is having on different community groups, to help them identify if further solutions will be required.
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Outcome

This approach addresses many of the barriers highlighted, not just the cost of membership.

Providing financial support for membership alongside other initiatives will help ensure the club's offer is as accessible as possible to low-income, underserved communities.

Taking their activities to local spaces, close to where people live, helps reduce the time and costs associated with travelling.

Kit and equipment banks will ensure more people can participate without spending more money on the required equipment.

This approach demonstrates to the club's members and wider community that their needs and circumstances are being considered, and solutions are being provided.

Being able to measure the impact or progress these solutions are making, will provide useful insight to help shape their future decisions.
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Supporting low-income, underserved communities can be a challenge for many club, groups and organisations that are also struggling to pay bills, retain venues and fundraise enough to keep their doors open.

This scenario may support wider conversations around financial planning, emergency finances and general budget management.

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Inclusion scenario – economic exclusion

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Inclusion scenario – economic exclusion

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