The session opened with heartfelt remarks from Sandra Taylor, SIGBI Director of Membership—affectionately known as Sandy. She expressed deep gratitude to all Soroptimist members for their unwavering commitment, compassion, and dedication. Quoting her powerful reflection:

“When women unite with purpose, there are no limits to what they can achieve.”

Sandy celebrated the vibrant dialogue and engagement from recent membership online meetings, emphasising how collective efforts—whether through club initiatives, federation programs, or individual advocacy—have advanced the mission of improving the lives of women and girls, including members themselves.

A standout moment from the workshop “Membership Sharing Experiences” was the memorable construction exercise. Teams were given a paper bag containing spaghetti, string, tape, and a marshmallow, and tasked with building the tallest tower. While many were unfamiliar with the challenge, the activity revealed invaluable lessons in:

•  Teamwork
•  Communication
• Fellowship
• Mutual support

These lessons beautifully echoed Sandy’s closing message, which encapsulates the ethos of Soroptimism:

“When women come together with purpose, understanding and hope, we create ripples that reach every shore. Let us continue to lead with courage, serve with compassion and inspire with unity—for the best is yet to come.”

Lyndsay Greene, SIGBI’s Director of Programme, delivered an inspiring message of gratitude and encouragement to Soroptimist members, applauding their tireless efforts in advocating for women and girls. She emphasised that every action—big or small—creates ripples of change:

“Even if it is a small something or a huge something, everything matters. Just like the pebble in the water, we can cause a tsunami if we need to. I have seen proof of that today.”

She extended heartfelt thanks to her committee, APDs, cluster representatives, the afternoon programme team, and Advocacy Champions. Members were encouraged to become Champions themselves or join working groups to amplify their impact.

SIGBI has been invited to collaborate with the North East Bus Company on an exciting initiative to train drivers in safeguarding women and girls during bus travel. Members were asked to contribute personal stories or suggestions to help shape the training content. These contributions will remain confidential and would be shared with bus companies nationwide, raising SIGBI’s profile and influence.

Lyndsay highlighted the incredible work done by clubs but noted that many volunteer hours and fundraising efforts go unreported. She urged every member to submit at least one project annually to the Hub, stressing that accurate reporting strengthens SIGBI’s collective voice and impact. She also promised to provide helpful hints for programme reporting in the coming year.

Deborah Kingsley, SIGBI Director, PR, Marketing and Communications, took the stage with a passionate focus on raising awareness of Soroptimism and emphasising the vital role of Communications Officers. She shared that last year, she quietly aspired to highlight the significance of this role and the tireless work of Communications Officers.

“We live in an increasingly digital world. We have shorter attention spans and I really do think that our digital footprint and our presence in the world can’t be left to chance,” Deborah stated. This underscores the urgency of strategic communications in today’s fast-paced, online environment.

She explained that awareness must be raised on two levels:

• Club level – showcasing local projects and initiatives.
• National and international level – presenting SIGBI’s unified identity to the world.

Deborah praised Communications Officers for their relentless efforts, calling their work “a magnificent job” and acknowledging that it’s often a thankless task. “You are feeding that beast continually,” she said, referring to the constant need for content and engagement. She stressed that success comes only through consistency and persistence.

She emphasised that sharing club projects and achievements not only boosts SIGBI’s profile but also encourages new membership. “People are listening,” she assured, “even if it takes time for them to join.”

Deborah reaffirmed her commitment to supporting Communications Officers. She highlighted the Hub’s resource section as the “centre of the universe” for Communications Officers work. A side map at the bottom can be printed and displayed prominently. It includes a 12-month plan with regularly updated social media posts, graphics, and campaign briefs.

She spoke on the National/International Campaigns example

• Railway Project: A major initiative with promising outcomes expected. Anticipated to be a success story once results are published.
• Gender Impact Assessments (GIA). She said that this will be a standout opportunity for PR and marketing. She further advised that Soroptimists are uniquely positioned as no other organization is actively promoting this simple yet powerful tool. Soroptimists also encourages governments to assess whether resources are equitably distributed between men and women. She stated that GIA offers Soroptimists a national platform to lead on gender equity.

Deborah advised that clubs will receive resources, including an advocacy toolkit, to help members engage with local councils. Clubs are encouraged to report and share examples of inappropriate or inequitable decisions in their communities.

She spoke about SIGBI’s Social Media Strategy and said that they use LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram to target different demographics.

Deborah encouraged members to build stronger relationships with stakeholders to gain support for Soroptimist initiatives.

She announced the Revamp of the SIGBI Website. She stated that a brief is ready to go out for tender, she will create a conduit between the website committee and clubs. She suggested that Members who are interested in championing the website revamp should reach out to her. She also mentioned that recommendations for web agents are also welcome.