Give to Gain
The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is Give to Gain. Their website describes it as emphasising ‘the power of reciprocity and support. When people, organizations, and communities give generously, opportunities and support for women increase.’
Giving comes in many forms - money, time, knowledge, resources and support. Each has its place and importance, but the acts of giving that are genuinely reciprocal often leave the most lasting impact for everyone involved.
Reciprocity by design: Routes’ mentoring programme
Routes’ mentoring programme, which has been at the core of our work since 2018, is built on the understanding that relationships and networks are essential in rebuilding a life and career. It was designed as a programme of mutual impact - both on refugee and asylum-seeking women who join us as mentees, and professional women across sectors who join us as mentors. Mentees are supported to reach their goals and grow in confidence, whilst their mentors are supported to develop impactful and compassionate leadership skills. Along the way, both gain insights into experiences that are often very different to those in their usual networks or communities, broadening perspectives and fostering mutual understanding. A perfect encapsulation of Give to Gain.
‘This mentoring experience shaped my leadership skills in ways I never expected. It helped me recognize how essential soft skills—such as empathy, inclusivity, non-directive communication, collaboration, and support—are to being an effective and inclusive leader [...] Through this experience, I learned not only that these qualities are fundamental to good leadership, but also how to intentionally incorporate them into real leadership opportunities. This shift in perspective has been incredibly meaningful.’ - Mentor, 2026
Too often mentoring is positioned as an act of generosity, rather than a mutually beneficial relationship. Framing it this way reinforces an unequal dynamic, placing the mentor in a position of authority and the mentee as the passive recipient of goodwill. At Routes, we try to shift the balance of power towards something more equitable by designing our programme explicitly around the growth of both mentor and mentee, and by clearly recognising the value mentors gain from participating. A fundamental part of our mentor training focuses on inclusive practice, encouraging mentors to examine the assumptions they may carry (many rooted in cognitive bias that may go unnoticed) and to recognise how these shape the way they interpret other people’s experiences. This reflection is essential for building equity and allyship. It allows mentors to focus on listening to what their mentee is actually saying, rather than responding to assumptions about who they think that person is. In doing so, mentors gain valuable new perspectives, skills and experiences, all while giving their time and knowledge.
"I developed a greater appreciation for the different journeys that people take to achieve their goals. It brought me a lot of joy to share a positive feeling, offer a listening ear, and work on practical exercises with my mentee so she could continue to make progress in her life's journey. She brought her whole self to each meeting, no matter the difficulties of the day. Something I wish to emulate as a leader." - Mentor, 2026
Giving money is essential
The idea behind Give to Gain raises an important point that giving isn’t just about money. While we wholeheartedly agree with this, it’s also important that we talk honestly about the ways in which non-profits are increasingly stretched for funding, and the impact this has on women and other communities that deserve more. Too many businesses want to support with time rather than money, without considering the broader investment needed to make those contributions truly valuable for the people they aim to support.
We hear this all too often; organisations wanting to contribute only through volunteering opportunities for their employees, or offering work coaching but not paid work experience. We’ve also had many conversations with businesses asking to ‘access’ the women in our community because they have a product or service that could potentially benefit them. While the intention is often genuine, what’s frequently absent from these conversations is full consideration of the real barriers our community members face - whether that’s unequal access to technology, lack of childcare support, or the impact of unpredictable policy changes. Without that thinking built in from the start, we risk becoming another exercise in visibility and will fall short of translating these opportunities into meaningful outcomes for the women that we work with.
While these opportunities can be valuable, they come with a hidden cost. Matching willing volunteers with meaningful opportunities to share their time and knowledge - and gain a valuable learning experience - requires significant organisational resource. This work is often expected to be absorbed by organisations like ours for free but instead, there needs to be more openness to discussing what a genuinely reciprocal partnership might look like. Without funding, it becomes hard to sustain our work or expand the reach and impact of our programmes. What we would like to see is a greater awareness of positionality when approaching these conversations, because without financial support, organisations like Routes - and the infrastructure that connects people with opportunities to give time and knowledge - will cease to exist. In 2024, over 900 small charities closed down in the UK, a sharp increase from previous years and a trend that we are seeing continue.
Strategic giving that delivers for everyone
We have wonderful experiences of collaborating with businesses in dynamic ways that serve both of our interests, and we’d love to connect with more businesses interested in setting up reciprocal partnerships. Real impact (or real gain) requires strategic giving: combining time, knowledge and resources with financial investment in the infrastructure that makes these contributions sustainable and outcome-driven. Through partnerships that include financial support, we can explore:
Inviting employees onto our mentoring programme. They’ll get 15 hours of training and the opportunity to hone their new skills while mentoring a woman from our community.
Setting up work placements for refugee women in your workplace. We prepare and match suitable candidates for your position and provide wraparound support through the placement.
We can deliver high quality training or consultation on inclusive leadership with your teams.
We can provide data that will help you deliver your ESG or impact goals.
We can connect you with trusted socially impactful ITAD (IT Asset Disposal) partners for donating much-needed tech equipment (e.g. laptops), who can manage secure redistribution and provide relevant impact reporting.
We’re open to other ideas if you are looking for something different but related to our scope of work.
‘I couldn't recommend the mentoring programme more. For anyone interested in leading in a way that challenges what we've come to know as our common experience - top down, hierarchical etc. Routes provide the most refreshing counter point. I've learnt so much about the ways in which we can empower others while being a leader and I think the working world would be a much better place if everyone took part in this experience.’ - Mentor, 2025
