Paying for Elsie through work
Elsie isn’t designed to be a nice-to-have. It’s a tangible investment in your work, offering access to practical training, relevant opportunities and warm introductions that can grow into lasting professional relationships, all of which can lead to a more established and sustainable career within female and sexual health. Think of it like a conference ticket or a Canva subscription.
That’s why, depending on how you work and where you’re based, you may be able to treat your membership like other business tools and professional-development costs, either putting it through your own business or asking your employer to cover it.
For freelance or self-employed people
If you use Elsie to support the work you already do or secure future work, your membership may qualify as a business expense under the rules in your country.
What you’re paying for is professional infrastructure around your work. You get:
- Live workshops and an on-demand training library.
- Practical tools for everything from pricing to pitching.
- 20 to 50 hand-curated opportunities each week, giving you back some of the time you’d otherwise spend sifting.
- A public directory listing that helps potential clients and collaborators find you, alongside introductions, check-ins and co-working to keep you moving towards the goals you’ve set for your business.
You can download your last 10 invoices directly from Mighty Networks. Click your profile picture, select Plans and Access, choose the relevant paid plan and look under Invoices. From there, click View Invoice to download a copy for your records.
If you purchased your plan before April 2026, you’ll need us to generate an invoice through Stripe instead. Email hello@veryelsie.com and we’ll sort it for you.
It may also help to keep a short record of how you’re using your membership. That could include workshops you’ve attended, opportunities you’ve applied for or people you’ve found through Elsie. Ask your accountant what records they recommend keeping.
Tax rules vary between countries and individual circumstances, so check with an accountant or your local tax authority before claiming your membership.
If you’re employed
Your employer may be willing to cover Elsie through its learning and development, professional development or training budget. Employers already set aside money for courses, conferences and professional development, and Elsie is the same kind of investment.
Elsie helps you build your skills and become better connected to the sector you already work in. That network can be useful to your organisation too: members have used it to find everyone from translators and freelancers to volunteers and board members. Your organisation can also share specialist opportunities with the Elsie network at no additional cost.
Your employer can pay using a company card, while the membership remains attached to your name and email address. Once the payment has gone through, you can download the receipt from your Mighty Networks account and send it to whoever needs it internally. If your employer needs any additional information before approving the payment, email hello@veryelsie.com.
Want to ask your employer?
Here’s an email you can customise to fit your tone and relationship with who you’re emailing!
Subject: Professional development request: Elsie membership
Hi [name],
I’d like to ask whether the organisation could cover an annual Elsie membership through my professional development budget.
Elsie is a professional community for people working across female and sexual health. Membership would give me access to expert-led workshops, an on-demand training library, practical resources and a network of founders, clinicians, researchers, consultants and other specialists across the sector.
I’d use it to develop my skills in [relevant area], learn from workshops covering [relevant topics] and build relationships with people and organisations doing work related to ours.
The network could benefit the wider organisation too. Elsie members have used it to find translators, localisation specialists, volunteers, freelancers, board members and potential partners. We’d also be able to share relevant opportunities with the network at no additional cost when we need specialist support.
You can see everything included here: https://veryelsie.com/
Would the organisation be able to cover this through my learning and development budget?
I’m happy to share anything else you need.
Thanks,
[name]
If your employer says no
It doesn’t necessarily have to be the end of the conversation. Learning and development might be the obvious budget, but it’s worth asking whether the money could come from somewhere else or when the next budget will be set.
You could also suggest splitting the cost or ask them to cover one quarter before committing to the year. If you’d rather pay for it yourself in the meantime, quarterly membership is available for £70.
Need something specific?
If your employer or accountant needs an invoice, receipt, supplier details or a written breakdown of what the membership includes, email hello@veryelsie.com and we’ll help.
This guide provides general information rather than tax, financial or legal advice. Whether you can record Elsie as a business expense depends on your location, circumstances and how you use the membership. Please check with an accountant or your local tax authority.
