Membership Presentation For UK
Regions – 2011-2012
Retention of Members
By Denise Staplehurst
Federation Director of Membership
Why are you a Soroptimist now?
• Enjoyment and friendship
• Good PA – to make a difference to women & girls
• Opportunity for service to others local, national and
international
• Working with friendship links – visits overseas
• Attendance at other clubs, region, conference, international
conventions
• Opportunity to develop/use skills
Why did you join?
• Make friends – new to area
• To be part of women’s organisation dealing with women’s
issues
• Passionate about issues – PA – want to make a difference
• International aspect – voice on UN
• Network for work – meet people different profession and
ages
• Time available – life changes, keeps you busy
Why are you still a member?
• Friendship and social opportunities
• Opportunity to help women and girls
• Taken on role – want to complete and support others in
their roles
• Ability to use or develop new skills, challenges
• Involved in project want to complete
• Enjoy idea of international opportunities
What makes a good club?
• Enthusiastic committed members
• Uses the skills available in the club
• Succession planning and mentorship
• An inclusive atmosphere
• Cooperative learning through programme action
• Keeps in touch with members who have missed a meeting
Actions you can take
• Discuss at club what is wrong – time of reflection – may
have already identified
• Pick most important – inform Region
• Decide on Action to change by next meeting
• Review at next Regional meeting – outcome
• On-going another action by next meeting
• DOING NOTHING IS NOT AN OPTION
Does this sound like your club?
• If not what should you do about it?
• How can Region support you?
• a. Region officers visit your club
• b. Club members visit another club to see good practice
• Federation support – website, visits, contacts
• Case studies – look at typical examples
Case studies – 5 key areas
• Running of club meetings, communication
• Behaviour of members at meetings
• Diversity in programme
• Venue
• Costs
• Idea: If you get your club in order, with good PA, you will
retain members and then new members will want to join
you.
Case study 1
• Club A have fortnightly meetings. On week 2 of the month
this is a business meeting. The meeting starts with the
reading of the minutes and matters arising. One pro-active
member speaks to most items and the club executive
dominate the meeting using acronyms and refer to Regional
and Federation Officers without post and title. Club
members sit in the same place and talk throughout much of
the meeting.
Case study 2
• Club B meet at the golf club, with limited parking. There is a
bar for drinks but members buy their own drink and sit in
the same places and fill up the tables sitting with their back
to the bar and the door. When members arrive they don’t
feel welcome.
Case study 2 continued
• At the meeting members are critical of others who have not
completed tasks or have an unsuccessful event or don’t do
things the ‘club way’ and question why they have taken on
the post. All committees meet once a month and report
back to the main meeting repeating content regularly.
Case study 3
• Club C has a very enthusiastic president who has set her
own programme without consultation with the exec and
club members. Speakers are focussed around her own
interests. Attendance has dwindled. Last year the
committees met at lunchtime and not all members could
attend so committees decided they would not hold meetings
this year
Case study 3 continued
• Arguments regularly break out at meetings due to
dominance of some members. Many negative comments by
the majority of the club about events, speakers and officers.
The Club has long breaks over summer and Christmas.
Case study 4
• Club D meet once a month at a run-down church hall in a
fringe area of the town and it takes some members over 45
minutes to drive to the venue. There is limited public
transport with no local train station. The meeting runs from
7-00 to 10-00 as they need to cover business and insist on
having a speaker at each meeting to keep club members
interested. Club communicate by email so all the
information sent out by the secretary and not filtered so
there is too much information
Case study 4 continued
• Some members are not on email so the secretary has the
additional task of posting info to some members. There is
no provision for food and there is limited tea and coffee
making facilities. Most members don’t commit to the full
meeting - some arrive late and others leave early.
Case study 5
• Club meet at expensive hotel once a month and must have
meal to get free venue and tea and coffee. Cost of annual
membership is £140 to be paid in a lump sum. Programme
includes annual Christmas lunch and President’s dinner fund
raising dinners etc with the expectation to attend other
clubs annual dinners.
Case study 5 continued
• Programme Action largely focussed on members having to
contribute financially e.g. providing goods for coffee
mornings, auctions and buying items back later. Monetary
contributions asked for World Water Day, Monthly raffle at
meetings for PA funds with small prizes donated by club
members.
Easy Stages Guides
• Case Study 1: Content of Club Meetings, Managing Club
Meetings, Role of Exec.
• Case Study 2: Mentoring New Members, Succession
Planning, Role of Exec.
• Case Study 3: as 1 and 2 plus, Writing a Development Plan,
Planning a Club Programme, Club Time of Reflection.
• Case Study 4: as 1 plus Development Plan.
• Case Study 5: Setting a Club Budget, Content of Club
Meetings, Role of Exec, Reflection.