Page 16 - Governance Annual Report 20/21

16 Annual Report 2021
Membership Committee Report
Since the country entered its first lockdown in response to the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020 the Association has supported members of the Association, serving regular and reservist QAs and veterans working at the front line of the Covid response.
A £1000 grant, with top-up if required, was made available to all Branches to enable them to support their members. This support varied across the country with hampers, flowers, gifts of notelets and stamps, phone calls, regular Zoom meetings with presentations; virtual coffee mornings, dinner nights and a joint Burns Night Dinner run between two branches being gratefully received and enjoyed.
We also supported all serving and reservist QAs with funds being provided to all Units with a QARANC establishment.
We have seen an increase in membership numbers and feel encouraged by the interest that the campaign across social media platforms advertising our new website, producing welcome packs for new members and highlighting the benefits that being a member of the QARANC association is generating.
Here is a snapshot of some of the things the membership committee has been working on:
1. A review of the costs of membership resulted in decisions to:
a. retain the costs of Regular
membership at 100% of one
day’s pay.
b. keep the membership costs
for Reservists at £36.
c. review membership costs for retired members pending the outcome of a
membership survey.
d. review the cost of Retired/ Reserve membership on a 3
yearly basis.
2. A plan to increase membership
amongst Reservists included communication with Colonel Reserves, a briefing note for Reserve units, encouragement from CNO(A) and individual briefings to Units.
Problems and Actions Taken:
1. We have had to put plans for a post-pandemic all-ranks social function on hold until clarity regarding the demands on QAs working at the frontline and supporting those at the frontline of the Covid response are known.
2. Regular QARANC personnel in major Units have their copies of The Gazette dispatched en masse; this results in many Gazettes being uncollected and members unaware that their membership is still active. Work with the Association office team and the Media
2.
ambition of increasing active engagement with existing members of branches and the HQ Roll as well as increasing the representativeness of our overall membership. This will mean that membership is more meaningful and attractive for new members from groups which have previously been under-represented.
Working with the Association office and taking into account the outcome of the Membership Survey undertaken towards the end of this reporting period, the committee will:
a. Plan, depending on pandemic guidance, an all- ranks function;
b. Explore opportunities to hold the annual QARANC Association lunch at regional venues.
3. We will maximise the opportunities available via social media platforms to encourage new members and communicate with existing members.
Explore opportunities for synergy with the Media and Communications committee. There are opportunists for collaboration and mutual support that need to be realised.
and Communications committee will take place in the next reporting year to try and resolve this issue.
“A £1000 grant, with top-up if required, was made available to all Branches to enable them to support their members”
3. The lack of ‘push communication’ to Association members
on the HQ Roll and in
Regular and Reserve
Units will be addressed
by the introduction of
an Association newsletter. This will become possible when the new QARANC Association website goes live in July 2021.
4.
Plans for 2021 - 2022:
1. We need a membership strategy to support our overall