How women are boosting their careers through paid networking groups

One of the toughest pills to swallow about the current job market is just how valuable a network is.
While it’s hard to quantify how many job openings go unposted, we all know people who have landed plum positions through recommendation, word of mouth or a friend-of-a-friend. In an era where remote work is so common, making professional connections in person can be especially valuable, says Bree McEwan, assistant professor of communication and culture at University of Toronto, Mississauga.
“When we meet someone in person, it gives us more information about them and a better sense of who they are than [through] a LinkedIn connection,” Dr. McEwan says. “It’s a way of forming stronger weak-tie, casual relationships that can provide more information about a specific topic or industry.”
In fact, a 2022 study of 20 million people found that “weak ties,” or loose acquaintances, were even more helpful than close friends or family when it comes to landing new jobs.
In the past few years, there has been an influx of in-person networking groups, often marketed to women workers who are very online. Groups such as Monday Girl, Saffron and Toast sell premium services like mentoring, group activities (gym classes, trips, conferences) and advice from those who’ve “made it.”
Why women? Noticing an uptick in groups like these back in 2018, the Harvard Business Review conducted a study to answer this question, focusing on 2600 women that attended that year’s Conference for Women across the U.S. and the impact of their experience the following year. The results were staggering: The likelihood of attendees receiving a promotion doubled, and their likelihood of more than a 10 per cent pay increase tripled.
Meanwhile, 78 per cent of attendees reported feeling “more optimistic about the future” than they had before the conference, and 71 per cent of attendees said that they “feel more connected to others.” As HBR noted, “The data shows connecting has real power that can have significant ramifications in terms of well-being, work performance, and overall career satisfaction.”
At a time when remote work makes it harder to network with co-workers and marginalized groups continue to face barriers to advancement, there does appear to be a logic to these premium women’s groups. As Dr. McEwan notes, “These are spaces that have often been closed off to, say, Black entrepreneurs or women data scientists. If orchestrated differently, these new spaces can provide a way for folks to pool resources that are open to a broader mix of individuals.”
Still, are these groups worth the price of admission?
“A key drawback is the cost,” says Dr. McEwan, who notes one of her students was eager to join a premium networking group but was disappointed upon learning there were no financial supports. “[And] they are commodifying relationships,” she adds. “On one hand, that’s a little weird, to think about making money off of networks like this, but if you’re providing a valuable service, it can be worth it.”
Dr. McEwan says the most effective networking groups have members who are at different stages in their careers, from assistants to executives, to provide a diversity of resources. And while she thinks networking groups can provide a valuable service, students or younger people new to their industry might want to consider free or more affordable options such as on-campus or Facebook groups.
When it comes to the subject of women’s networking groups in Canada, it’s rare not to hear mention of the Toronto-founded Monday Girl, whose tagline reads, “The boys club wasn’t built for us.”
“We created this platform because traditional networking events weren’t really designed with young, diverse, professional women in mind,” says Monday Girl co-founder Istiana Bestari. “We really wanted to build a space where women can find genuine career advice, connect with their dream job, [interact with] worthy mentors from companies like Sephora and Google, and build meaningful connections with curated events that we ourselves are excited to attend.”
Co-founder Rachel Wong adds that, through their respective careers, they’d noticed men would connect over golfing or beers after work with their buddies, giving networking a sleazy, transactional quality and systematically disadvantaging women in gaining access to mentorship and job opportunities. Female co-workers who tried to take part would be left feeling embarrassed or like “imposters.”
“We all want to believe that equal talent should mean equal access to opportunities, but the reality is where you grew up and where you went to school can give you an advantage in accessing opportunities,” says Ms. Bestari.
A Monday Girl membership costs USD $21/month, which includes access to a newsletter, a video and resource library, networking mixers, panels, personalized mentorship with a rotating roster of over 100 senior women leaders and an annual conference. It’s a model that seems to resonate: Monday Girl has over 4000 paid members and has hosted over 400 events.
Ashna Mankotia, a Toronto-based content creator, started Saffron, a global networking group for women, in the summer of 2023 with the goal building “authentic relationships.” Since its launch, Saffron has acquired over 200 paid members who are based everywhere, from Toronto to New York to London.
“I know community is such a buzzword these days, but community is how I describe it,” she says. “A lot of times, how we build our closest relationships is through school or a religious organization, and it’s because we belong to something; we have a shared purpose. You didn’t make best friends in math class because math class was indicative of friendship; it was because you sat next to each other for years and something deeper developed.”
Saffron’s services include work-related opportunities, like workshops on salary negotiation or how to talk to executives, but members can also travel together or meet up for local picnics and wine-tastings.
Ms. Mankotia believes the price – $169 USD per year for Toronto and the GTA – is worth it, because if you’re paying that fee, you have a real intention to get involved. And there is a twist: After three years of being a paid member and proving your commitment, your membership is free. As she puts it, she’s “pivoted from thinking about it through a business lens to a life-long lens.”
Whatever the network, it seems that today, the goal is authenticity – whether you’re looking for mentorship, friendship or job opportunities. Ms. Mankotia notes that by paying a premium, you’re more likely to meet people who don’t want their dollars go to waste.
As Ms. Wong puts it, “Your network is your net worth. We can’t deny that.”