Page 5 - WCF Newsletter November 2016

Newsletter - Autumn 2016
Engaging afresh with past course members
With our new Master installed, it is time to develop the key themes and activities for his year.
One high priority is creating a stronger link between the Company and the ever-growing number of people who have completed our educational courses – our Alumni.
Our educational courses have been in existence for well over 50 years. Many of the alumni of courses past now hold a range of senior and in uential positions within the agricultural, food and rural industries.
The camaraderie generated within year groups and the general goodwill towards the Company cannot be over estimated.
While some alumni have quickly joined the Company, many for perfectly
good reasons, have not. Hence, the Court and the Master are determined to nd ways to maintain links with
the broader alumni community.
Both the Education Committee and the Fellowship and Communications Committee have been tasked to nd sustainable connections to help the Company grow and develop, especially our educational and charitable reach.
The process began last year when a database of alumni, carefully tended for many years by Past Master
Jeremy Courtney was used to send an electronic survey to all 800 of those for whom we held an email address.
The response of over 200 was unusually high for an unsolicited enquiry. That was really encouraging. What those responses told us was that no matter which course the respondent had attended, or the year they had been involved, their perception of the value of the course was incredibly high. Re ected a
net promoter score (broadly the percentage of people who would
recommend) in excess of 70%.
And another interesting feature of the responses was the number of alumni still in touch with their year group colleagues years, even decades, after attending.
But one worrying aspect of the survey was the relatively small number of alumni who go on to connect in a more formal way with
the Company itself. There were a host of explanations for this, from not knowing they could, to not really understanding what it is we do, or why they should consider joining.
The survey told us
lots more besides,
including a willingness of more than half of the respondents to get involved in a possible initiative to help less self- su cient participants attend one of our courses – but it is the combination of these two key aspects that is driving our actions for 2016.
An immediate decision was taken to make sure that every alumni receives, electronically at least, a regular copy of this newsletter – so I hope a number of you are reading these very words.
And, encouraged by the results of the initial alumni survey, the Fellowship and Communications Committee has been charged with arranging a more in-depth study to help us understand how we can best serve the alumni community and what kind of contact they want to have with us. To do this
we plan to conduct focus groups with alumni to explore possibilities and with them to start to design an alumni relationship that delivers for the ex- students and the Company.
If you are reading this and you are an alumnus of any of our courses, and you would like to take part in one of these groups, please contact Liveryman Christopher Day who is taking on the task of coordinating recruitment for the group discussion which are planned for between now and the end of the year.
More news on developments in this area in the next issue of the newsletter in April 2017.
Christopher Day –
email daymanton@googlemail.com, telephone 07712 766 345
Are you still in contact with or meet up with fellow alumni from your course?
Yes very occasionally
Yes once or twice a year
Yes quite often
No
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Yes very occasionally Yes once or twice a year Yes quite often
No
As a previous bene ciary of a WCF supported programme would you be interested in hearing more detals of an initiative, currently being developed whereby alumni of WCF courses help nancially less self su cient delegates to participate in future courses?
yes please I am interested
No thank you I am not.....
Answer Choices
Total 217
Responses
19.82%
55.76%
17.05%
7.37%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
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