Reps putting members first

An energetic team of reps have turned around the once dormant branch at Midlands Co-op Society and recruited more than 835 new members over the last nine months.

“The branch had become a bit stale,” said Maryann Matthews who was appointed secretary a year ago. “Attendance at the meetings was low and there was little activity. So Donna Lindsay, Su Moore and myself decided it was time to get our branch up and running.

“We knew the potential for new members and reps within the society was massive. We knew if we planned and organised our recruitment strategy properly we could make some real inroads. We also wanted to encourage more members to get involved with branch activities.

“We took advantage of the stand down facility where you have a set period of time to concentrate solely on recruiting and organising. And we used the campaigns and spotlight days to highlight the areas the union gets involved in.

“We had some amazing results. I recruited more than 600 new members during two periods of stand down and Donna added 184 more. And collectively all of our branch members are recruiting on a regular basis and reporting back to the branch each month.

“It’s fair to say that the branch has been totally transformed over the last 18 months with everybody working together and taking great pride in their efforts and the progress we’re making.”

Maryann’s efforts did not go unnoticed in the division and she won the Midlands nomination for the individual recruitment award for the 2007 national organisaing awards.

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