Region Membership Officer Report Jan/Feb 2023
Rather than looking back on the past year, it was thought more useful to look forward to 2023, specifically to enable Regional Membership Officers to know the way that clubs operate in terms of membership.
Individual clubs have their own ways of recruiting and retaining members and it is helpful for RMOs to have insights into what is working well. So, in the coming months , we would endeavor to try and visit clubs in the region with a view to finding out:-
- How clubs recruit new members
- Once recruited, how clubs retain new and existing members.
- How clubs establish mentoring and buddy systems with existing members to support new members.
- How clubs follow up new members eg through a questionnaire, to find out what went well for them.
This information would be shared around the clubs to promote best practice and we would also propose a break out session at a future Regional Meeting.
The proposal to create a virtual club in the region is still live and we are looking at ways to reach out to potential members. Regional Development Officer Yvonne Johns has suggested some pointers.
Regional President Susan Haywood is organizing a lunch for new members, including those who were invited last year but were unable to attend.
The annual Membership Month in May, promoted by SIGBI, has met with varying degrees of success over the years. Some clubs have expended a great deal of time and effort with minimal results. SIGBI have a range of materials to support recruitment which can be used at region and club level. It would be useful to know if clubs would appreciate support at regional level or prefer to operate independently.
Penny Clarke and Jenny Wilson
Joint Regional Membership Officers
SI Cheshire, North Wales and Wirral