Building Active Member Involvement - PowerPoint Presentation

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Building Active Member Involvement

Welcome to this Contact a Family Webinar

If there is a technical hitch, please do bear with us

Those of you joining by pc, laptop, tablet or smart phone should now be able to see this introduction slideSlide3

Timing & Questions

As there are so many attendees, it is not practical for verbal questions to be taken, therefore you will all remain ‘muted’ throughout

If at any point you have questions, please use the question icon on your GoToWebinar tool bar on your screen

This will allow you to type your question in to the text box and submit this to the Webinar administratorI will select as many relevant questions to answer as time allows, if similar questions are received I will condense these where possibleSlide4

Q&A Session

Further relevant questions, not covered in the time allowed, will be answered and posted on the Contact a Family website along with the recording of this Webinar, details of which will be circulated next week

At the end of the Webinar a short questionnaire will launch, please take the time to complete this as this will assist with future online training events Slide5

Building Active Member Involvement

Sue Mennear, Participation Adviser, Contact a Family; and,

Leonie

Pollinger, South Gloucestershire Parents & CarersSlide6

In this WebinarYour membership baseCommunicationAttracting Active MembersWhat motivates people to join groups

Behaviour of group members

What puts people off

Nurturing TalentGovernance and practicalities of running a forum that can impact on Active MembersIdentifying roles to get the work doneRecognising and preventing burn-outQuestions your forum committee may need to think aboutCase studies and a focus on the way South Gloucestershire prioritise recruitmentTools and handouts to help you develop a plan to build active membersSlide7

Effective Communication with your wider membershipHaving a large number of members helps you;Effectively represent your parent community

Provide evidence of the issues affecting families

Be recognised as an organisation that is representative of families of disabled children and young people

draw on a wider pool to build active members Get the message out to more families, professionals and organisationsSpread the loadCapitalise on the amazing skills and experience of parents and carersBuild on parents confidence, skills and knowledge – empower them to live the lives they want and be involved in the work of the forum at a level and pace that suits themSlide8

Questions to ask your committeeHave you enough members to be credible as a collective voice? Do you need to reach more parent carers?Is your membership representative of your community? Do

you need to target particular

groups

or parents of children with certain disabilities/ service requirements?Which groups do you need to target? Younger parents, parents with disabilities and learning disabilities, Parents from different Minority Ethnic Groups, parents from specific parts of your area, specific disabilities or conditions, mainstream/special schools?How can you use your members to get the message out more widely?Slide9

Effective Communication with your Wider MembershipAIDA

-

Your communications need to….

attract people’s Attentiongenerate their Intereststimulate a Desire prompt them to take Action!!Repeat! Repeat! Repeat!Feed backKeep their loyaltySlide10

Attracting active members The Know, Like, Trust principle

Do people

Know

You? Before you can even think about getting people actively involved in your group, they first need to know you exist. You need to be on their radar. If you don’t have a community – you need to build it. Do they Like You? If everyone likes you your message is probably too weak. it is not important that everyone likes you just important that those who are your community really like you! Do they like what you’re doing? Do they Trust you? Try to be consistent with everything you do and be yourselves, people should immediately get a sense of what you’re all about and what you want them to do. Make sure you have policies and procedures in place to deal with any complaints, conflict that may arise so you can deal with it if it arises. Make sure you feed back to them so they know they have made a difference and you are making a difference. Does your forum operate openly, honestly and with integrity? Think about your leadership style – how do other people perceive you?Slide11

Questions to ask your committee; Do people understand your vision and aims? Do you have clear messages?Are you being clear about ways people can get involved? D

o

you have a positive

profile? Can you keep it that way? If problems arose do people understand what they need to do?Are you achieving and doing what you say you do?Slide12

What motivates parent carers to get involved ?

Learning

new

skills /Using existing skillsGaining “work” experienceFeeling usefulHaving fun Getting out of house, Meeting peopleMaking friendsWant to change the status quo, improve thingsAddressing an issue /Making a differenceSlide13

Different Folks….. Different Drivers! Influence/power – want to be able to have

influence

, change the status quo, have more influence in a group of people

People – want to support and nurture others –be with people with similar interests, ideals, attitude –the human need for being part of something/ social interactionAchievement – share the same goals, want to make a difference, join in on activities, personal sense of achievementQuestions to ask:Do you find out what motivates people and check in with them regularly to develop their skills and keep them interested? Do you have roles/opportunities to suit all three areas?Slide14

Nurturing TalentSlide15

Different roles in GroupsSlide16
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Forum Roles

Chair/Co-Chair

Secretary

Minute SecretaryMembership SecretaryTreasurer/Expenses co-ordinatorEvents OrganiserWebsite/Social media monitorCommunications co-ordinator/PR/PromotionsNewsletter EditorInformation OfficerVolunteer Co-ordinatorParent Reps Co-ordinatorParent RepresentativeResearch Co-ordinatorRecruitment officerHealth LeadEducation LeadSocial Care leadTransport leadAdministratorDatabase Co-ordinatorOutreach facilitatorParent Liaison

Policy OfficerSlide18

Running a Forum - Participatory Decision MakingThe way leaders run groups and meetings makes a huge differenceHow you encourage or inhibit communication by group members.Non-verbal

signals that leaders send while others are speaking have a bearing on participation.

The meeting place itself and the arrangement of the room also impact participation.

Structuring participation so that no single individual dominates the group. Slide19

Leaders can also…determine in advance which decisions need to be made and how the group can structure its activity to make sure everyone is involved in making the decisions, stay on top of the discussion and keep the discussion on track,

draw

those not participating into the discussion,

recognise that when points start to be repeated, it is time to move on to the next topic,divide the larger group into smaller groups to facilitate discussion. provide each group with a flip-chart and magic marker so that they can record the major ideas that are brought forward. (This helps prevent repetition of ideas, lets members know that their ideas have been heard and shows the group what they have accomplished,) encourage participation of all See handouts for ideasSlide20

Meetings - Things that discourage active membersThe organisation's meetings are long and boringMembers do little other than to listen to leaders talkLeaders make all the decisions and don’t listen to other people’s views

A small group of people has all the power

There are

no projects that members can be involved inMembers are rarely thanked or praised for the work they doLeaders are exhausted and burnt out Leaders take on roles that haven’t been delegated by the management group leaving others frustrated and unimportant NB Unless delegated specific roles by the committee the only role of the chair is to facilitate meetingsConflict that is not managed effectivelySlide21

Governance - Blockers to Active ParticipationGroup has poor governance - infighting and vocal criticsForum is run by just a few peopleLeaders make all the decisions Leaders put in huge amount of voluntary hours

Leaders do most of the work and are exhausted/burnt out

Organisation is expanding rapidly with little time for reflection or planning

People cant see how they can get involved /People are not asked what they could offerPeople aren’t getting anything OUT of the groupThere is no succession planSlide22

Policies and proceduresSafeguardingSocial Media Policy Code of ConductParent Reps Feedback policy

Health and Safety

Volunteer Policy

Finance PolicyRemuneration and Expenses policyRecruitment PolicyRole DescriptionsGoverning Documents – elections/length of tenure for key officers http://www.cafamily.org.uk/what-we-do/parent-carer-participation/setting-up-and-running-a-forum/Slide23

Unhelpful behavioursChair/ Founder is at heart of all decision makers, decisions are made quickly with little input from othersBoards role is to support the chair/ founder rather than lead the organisation, rubber stamp things

Board

is recruited mainly by chair/founder – may be recruited due to personal loyalty

Board aren’t aware of mission or able to answer questions without checking firstCasual observer hears “I” “ my” from the chair/founder – my staff, my trustees, team, visionLittle forward planning, reactive, frequent fire fightingFear around what will happen if chair/ founder steps back/ is ill/ needs to take a breakSlide24

Leaders: Preventing burnoutRemember there is no end to the ways you can overcommit yourself!Separate

yourself from your

group.

This can be hard for founders who, by default, fight tooth and nail for their group. It is important this is not your entire identity. Learn to delegate. Effective delegators don't just decentralise control -- they reduce their own chance of burnout by managing their workload.. You might be surprised how much better of a leader you become when you're not bogged down by the details. Build a village. Create plenty of support as you move forward with your group . If you have founded a group make sure it can become independent of you and your input.Have fun. If you're not enjoying your role ask yourself why. Remember to create room for you and others for rest and relaxation and to celebrate your achievements rather than always moving on to the next thing.Slide25

Preventing Burnout amongst volunteersQuestions to ask your committee

Is your infrastructure in place?

Are

you making sure volunteers are in roles that suit them and that reward themDo the employees or volunteer leaders have the skills to supervise the volunteers? Do you they receive adequate support?Do they understand their roles and know who to go to for additional information? Do you have solid volunteer engagement practices in place?Do volunteers feel appreciated and see how their work is contributing to the mission of the group?Slide26

Engaging a worker to take on some roles in the organisation around outreach or membership developmentRent an officeStructure meetings so everyone can participateSeparate out the work of the committee in organising participation to the issues and experiences of parent representatives and open up opportunities to be part of the parent reps team beyond the committee

Write simple role descriptions for each role so people can see what the commitment will be

Break work

down (e.g. two from steering group and others from wide membership) Increasing capacitySlide27

Forum Structure – develop new roles to involve more people – list the areas of work involved in running a forum – create new roles from that Use AGMs, EGMs, advertise rolesSet up sub groups to focus on specific areas of work – led by a steering group member who brings in 2 or 3 people from the wider membership

CIC – director roles

Reward and remuneration of active

membersPlan and prioritiseSlide28

Nurturing talentBeing clear of the roles and how they fit in, do an induction

programme – clear information about the organisation and expectations,

opportunities

to build skills and personal development,invest in training and development of active membersOffer buddying and mentoring to new and existing active membersOffer different roles, short term roles, roles other than committee and rep roles e.g. ambassadors, forum contacts in schools, outreach Have away days to plan and get to know people as individuals, spend time understanding their strengths and motivationsDo skills audits of your committee to see what new people you need to recruit Do activities audit to see what roles others can take onConsider facilitators to help you explore new avenues and opportunitiesSlide29

Do you…Structure your meetings so that they are exciting and everyone gets a chance to participate (see handouts for tips) Organise social events for members such as picnics, parties and outings

Thank

people, highlighting difference made, praising, asking again.

Make people feel part of team- social events, regular feedbackRegularly check how people are doing to identify, people who want to expand their skills, those who are under-motivated and those who plan to leaveQuestions for your committee?Slide30

South Glos

Parents and Carers ForumSlide31
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Reaching

Families

Participate in meetings

Parent

carer

led

training

support

Capture

Parent Views Slide33

Network of Support

A coffee morning once a month

Poole Court Yate

We are also the umbrella organisation and support two parent led groups Slide34
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Visit Us At Our……

Recruitment StationSlide36

How We Support You ……Induction

Training

One to One support ( guidance, supervision, problem solving, self-development and support )

Choice- you can say ‘No! ‘, change role or take on new onesAppreciation and awardsValue & respect Slide37

GeneralAmbassadorAdminParent Support

Groups

Steering

GroupMarketingITFundraisingFlexible HoursTerm Time OnlyNew friendsConfidence New SkillsSelf EsteemSatisfactionTeam SpiritExamples of Volunteer RolesExamples of Positive ExperiencesSlide38

Our Parent Reps

Parent Reps sit on various meetings

working

in partnership across Health , Education and Social Care. Slide39
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Introduce SGPC AmbassadorsSlide41

Volunteer Quote

My involvement with SGPC has given me the confidence to do things I was too afraid to do previously.

It has taken me out of the house and into the world of business which will give me more options when looking for employment.

It has put me amongst people when previously I was very isolated. Slide42

LinkingWe are currently working towards linking with other Parent/Voluntary Groups and Schools to build a stronger voice and a network of support throughout South GlosSlide43

By joining together through our network of support , we create parent empowerment, and together WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE !

“Being surrounded by so many positive thinking people who have a “can do attitude” has empowered me to think that maybe I can do things too!”

Parent QuoteSlide44

Key elements Strong Leadership Prioritise Recruitment!Good governance /Democratic participatory decision making

Positive, clear, communication

with potential active members

With those who come forwardwith active membersNurture talent and develop your active membersSlide45

Making a Communications PlanAnalysisObjectives Audiences

Messages

Tools and activities

ResourcesTimescalesEvaluation and amendmentSlide46

Analysis

Objectives

AudienceAudienceAudienceKey Messages   Tools and Activities

Resources

Timescales

Evaluation and Amendment

 Slide47

Planning support for active members

Induction and Support

TO DO

Making Progress/ ongoingFully metNot needed for nowSlide48

What works? Resources on our websiteHammersmith and Fulham – engaging parents of children with health needsOldham – Defining roles to increase capacityBedfordshire –

Restructuring

and role of

engagement workerSunderland – engaging volunteers in wider recruitmentGloucestershire – Targeting seldom heard communitiesCornwall - Building a Committee Cornwall /Lancashire – Reaching parents across a large rural county (Facebook)Slough – Reaching Parents from Ethnic minority groups South Gloucestershire – Improving Branding and Image Bedfordshire – restructuring and role of engagement workerHandouts and Links to other organisations – skills audits, running an AGM, recruiting volunteers, retaining volunteershttp://www.cafamily.org.uk/what-we-do/parent-carer-participation/resources-%28general%29/Slide49

“A forum

all parent carers

want

to be part of”Slide50

Questions?Leonie

Pollinger

,

South Gloucestershire Parents & CarersSue Mennear, Participation Advisor, Contact a Family Slide51

Thank You

Thank you for attending with us today

A short questionnaire will launch at the end of this webinar

Please take the time to complete this it will help us plan future online training events including other topics you would like to see

The recording of this Webinar, presentation and questions will be on the parent participation Resources page of Contact a Family’s website next week – an email confirming this will be sent to you once this is available