Strengthening Fellows' global and local connections

My role as Director of Fellowship is to ensure we serve the whole of the fellowship, and that fellowship is at the heart of everything we do at the RSA. This is why we have introduced different avenues for our Fellows to give feedback on their experience, including surveys, group discussions and meetings with the staff team.

The leadership team at the RSA and I are particularly passionate about ensuring we serve our full community.

Did you know?

The RSA Fellowship spans the globe and two-thirds of UK Fellows reside outside London. This is why I am particularly passionate about RSA Connect – a Fellowship event series that creates opportunities for Fellows to talk directly with the RSA leadership team. In 2024, we visited and held open meetings in 22 cities across the UK with plans to expand internationally next year.

The feedback from the survey and these in-person meetings is quite clear. It’s evident that while we are making progress in addressing this feedback, we need to be more transparent about how we are actioning it. So, I’d like to begin by highlighting the top three recurring themes I’ve encountered this year and share what steps we’re taking to address them.

Global connections via Circle

The ask: RSA Fellows have continuously voiced their desire to connect directly with one another and find other Fellows who share their interests.

In response, the RSA developed Circle – a global, online community enabling Fellows to chat, connect and collaborate seamlessly.

Circle has become a hub for interaction, with 5,000 members worldwide. Available on desktop and mobile, Circle is breaking down geographical barriers and strengthening the global RSA community. Circle allows Fellows exclusively to:

1. Find, connect and collaborate with Fellows locally and internationally
2. Share with the Fellowship the incredible work you are doing
3. Learn from interest-based networks and micro-communities
4. Contribute insights and submit articles to be considered for the RSA Journal
5. Direct message and connect with other Fellows in a secure and safe way.

Continue the conversation on Circle.

Co-working spaces: better local engagement 

The ask: Local connections are just as important as global ones. Many Fellows told us they loved RSA House but expressed a desire for similar spaces in their local areas.

You asked, and we listened. We invested in co-working arrangements with local partners, providing dedicated spaces for Fellows to work, host events and gather informally. Plus, we’re planning to increase the amount of co-working spaces we offer in 2025.

We’re excited to offer co-working spaces for our Fellows and hope you’re making the most of these creative hubs! To help us ensure these spaces remain available and meet your needs, we’d love to know how often they’re being used. The next time you visit one of our sites, please take a moment to check in and scan the QR code onsite. Your input is invaluable in maintaining and enhancing these collaborative spaces for our community.

The RSA's ability to expand coworking spaces and maintain them depends on the strength of its community:

• By encouraging more people to become Fellows, existing members play a vital role in growing the Fellowship.
• A larger Fellowship base enables the RSA to partner with more coworking locations, provide additional resources, and continue investing in spaces where innovation thrives.

Tailored communications

The ask: We were told by Fellows that they receive too many emails that aren’t directly relevant to their interests or needs.

Our response? In October 2024, the RSA launched the first phase of personalised monthly communications tailored to Fellows’ interests. This approach ensures that Fellows receive information relevant to their passions and activities and highlights events led by our amazing micro-communities. By late spring, these communications will further refine opportunities based on local proximity, reducing information overload and promoting hyper-local engagement. No more seeing events a three-hour drive away!

The path ahead

Every quarter, we send out our Pulse survey timed to your joining date, ensuring we’re regularly gathering insights from Fellows to inform our actions. We highly recommend you complete this survey to help us build a comprehensive understanding of what matters most to our Fellows. This approach complements existing channels like RSA Connect, the annual survey, the Fellowship Council and the Youth Advisory Group. Through expanding co-working opportunities and enhancing communication we are working hard to ensure our Fellowship remains a dynamic force for innovation and societal progress for years to come.