Mike Nichols of Gainbridge® Outlines the Strategic Partnerships of a Values-Based Organization… 

Mike Nichols’ career has been at the intersection of business, sports, and philanthropy—an inspiring but not typical combination. As Chief of Sponsorship and Activation at Group 1001, an Indiana-based financial and insurance collective that includes brands like Gainbridge®, Delaware Life, and Clear Spring, he “brings to life” the group’s values with partnerships that focus on building community through education and sports.

Those values include “Growth for All” and “Growth for Good” by empowering people and communities through sports, education, and access to financial products and services.

“Parity Week by Gainbridge^®: Investing in the Future of Women’s Sports” is one example of collaboration between for-profit and nonprofit organizations, including Gainbridge, Parity, and the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF). The teaming up of these three organizations is creating a movement to benefit girls and women through sports and education. A highlight of Parity Week is the awarding of grants to create a long-term positive impact for so many girls and women.

At the November 2024 event, $150,000 in grants were awarded to 21 deserving organizations and athletes that support girls and women through sports and/or education. This year, a twenty-second grant of $22,000 was awarded to Gainbridge® ambassador Caitlin Clark for the Caitlin Clark Foundation, which aims to improve the lives of youth through three pillars- education, nutrition, and sports. (Born on January 22, Caitlin Clark wears the number 22 for the Indiana Fever.) 

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“I have also learned through my colleagues at Parity and the Women’s Sports Foundation that the longer girls play sports, the more likely they are to hold formal leadership roles in their careers. The lessons of teamwork, learning from mistakes, and handling pressure are essential to success.”

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BILLIE JEAN KING & 50 YEARS OF WSF^® 

Gainbridge also announced a multi-year partnership with the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF), founded 50 years ago by Billie Jean King. One of the first organizations to recognize the powerful connection between sports access, equity, and society, WSF has invested over $100 million to help girls and women play, compete, and lead– in sports and beyond.

As part of the partnership, Gainbridge and WSF awarded a $50,000 grant in Billie Jean King’s honor to the Junior Tennis Foundation, the charitable arm of USTA Eastern, to help repair tennis courts and establish community tennis programming at Eisenhower Park in Long Island, New York.

Aligning with Gainbridge ambassador and equality champion Billie Jean King and the Women’s Sports Foundation is a way to make a positive and long-term impact on women and girls in sports and education.

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In our conversation, we discuss the following:

• Those familiar with Indiana Basketball know the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Please provide us with some background about Gainbridge and Group 1001.

• You state that Group 1001 is a values-led organization, so what do sports, education, and community mean to your brand?

• You’ve had an extraordinary year. Run through some highlights– from Caitlin Clark as Brand Ambassador to supporting the Fiftieth Anniversary of the inception of the Women’s Sports Foundation by Billie Jean King, to Parity Week and providing grants.

• How does this kind of commitment help your company grow? 

• Let me ask you about “purpose.” Notions of brand purpose and corporate purpose are changing in a skeptical social media world… Is this still important?

• Clearly, you bridge the worlds of for-profit and nonprofit. What is your advice to other businesses or brands regarding how they can make such a “marriage” work? And would you say that this kind of alliance represents a new business model?

• You’re in a competitive field in terms of the insurance category and even online investing platforms… is the support of women’s sports and grant-giving one factor that differentiates you and builds trust with customers? Would that work for any company?

• Why is supporting women’s sports and sustaining communities so important now?

• What next for you and Group 1001?

This year’s Parity Week grant recipients include organizations and athletes from 13 states and Washington, D.C., representing the far-reaching impact these grants will make.

The grant recipients are:

1. Beyond the Field Youth Camp with Parity athlete Cierra Jordan (Naples, FL)
2. Black Girl Hockey Club (Rutherford, NJ)
3. Boys & Girls Club of Indianapolis (Indianapolis, IN)
4. Full Send Aerial Academy with Parity athlete Cheta Emba (Glen Allen, VA)
5. Generation W (Jacksonville/Orlando, FL)
6. Girls Golf of America (Greensboro, NC)
7. Girls on the Run New Orleans (New Orleans, LA)
8. Got Her Back Charity with Parity athlete Odessa Jenkins (Rowlett, TX)
9. ICEF Public Schools (Los Angeles, CA)
10. Leveling the Playing Field (Washington, DC)
11. Native Youth Foundation (Valley Center, CA)
12. New Heights Youth, Inc. (Brooklyn, NY)
13. PISTE Academy with Parity athlete Nzingha Prescod (Brooklyn, NY)
14. Serve the Future with Parity athlete Leslie Banks (Phoenix, AZ)
15. That Harper Kid Foundation with Parity athlete Linnae Harper (Chicago, IL)
16. The Ellis Effect with Parity athlete Kendall Ellis (Pembroke Pines, FL)
17. The Shift Up Now Foundation with Parity athlete Pippa Mann (Indianapolis, IN)
18. Venture Outdoors (Pittsburgh, PA)
19. Women and Kids Empowerment (WAKE) with Parity athlete Batouly Camara (West Haven, CT)
20. Your Foot, My Foot Foundation with Parity athlete Maya Neal (Naperville, IL)

Each grant recipient receives $5,000 in honor of Gainbridge^® ambassador and sports icon Billie Jean King, who started WSF^® 50 years ago with a $5,000 check. WSF^® is one of the first organizations to recognize the powerful connection between sports access, girls’ growth, and society.

Mike Nichols is in his third full year as the Chief of Sponsorship Strategy and Activation at Group 1001, the parent company of Gainbridge. In his role, Nichols oversees a sports and philanthropy portfolio that includes the relationships with Pacers Sports & Entertainment (Indiana Pacers, Fever & Gainbridge Fieldhouse), the Billie Jean King Cup “World Cup of Women’s Tennis, “The Annika by Gainbridge” on the LPGA Tour, auto racing partnerships with Andretti Global (IndyCar), Spire Motorsports and Rev Racing (NASCAR), as well as premier naming rights positions with the Indy 500 and the Miami F1 Grand Prix. Nichols completed the negotiation and signed Caitlin Clark to a multi-year brand ambassador deal while she was still in college, immediately impacting the Gainbridge brand. He developed the company’s “Parity Week” campaign that celebrated its second iteration in November, as well as the award-winning “1001 Hours of Impact” employee volunteer initiative taking place for the third time this summer.

Before joining Group 1001, Nichols worked for the LPGA Tour for 16 years in a variety of roles, initially leading the Tournament Business Affairs department and overseeing the annual Tour schedule, to eventually serving as the chief executive for the LPGA Tour’s Official Qualifying Tour, to which Nichols onboarded Epson as the new title sponsor immediately before joining Group 1001. While with the LPGA, he also served on the Board of Directors of the Ladies European Tour.

About Gainbridge^®

Founded in 2018, Gainbridge^® is an insurtech subsidiary of Group 1001 that empowers consumers to take control of their financial future with solutions that are accessible to everyone, no matter their budget or financial knowledge. Its platform provides access to financial products that are simple, intuitive, and backed by smart technology with no complexity or hidden fees. Gainbridge^® is headquartered in Zionsville, Indiana. For more information, visit www.gainbridge.io. 

About Group 1001

Group 1001 is a collective that empowers companies to create positive growth. Our insurance and annuities are easy to understand and accessible to all. Our online investing platform gives individuals control over their savings. Our technology and innovation help companies succeed. And our strategic partnerships bring people together through education and sports.

As of June 30, 2024, Group 1001 had more than 1,400 employees and combined assets under management of $65.2 billion, serving more than 950,000 customers. It comprises the following brands: Delaware Life, Gainbridge^®, Clear Spring Health, Clear Spring Property and Casualty Group, Clear Spring Life and Annuity Company, and RVI Group, among others.