The new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into force on 25th May 2018, but do you know how it will affect you and your members?

Here’s five things you should know:

#1 The UK’s decision to leave the EU will NOT affect the date of commencement or your need to adhere to the regulation

If you operate in the EU, regardless of whether you are based in or outside the area, you will need to comply. If you are a UK-only organisation and have no EU contact data, the advice is still to comply. If you’re subject to the Data Protection Act (DPA) 1998 then you will be subject to GDPR.

#2 As with the DPA, GDPR applies to personal data BUT this now includes online identifiers

Any online identifiers like cookies are now included so you need to provide the ability for contacts to opt into such activity and record the provision of consent. If you use Google Analytics then this includes you.

#3 You need to be able to prove on what basis you are ‘lawfully processing’ data

Consent is one option, and will be the most common method used. But there are two other options to consider… Do you need to process the data for the necessary performance of a contract? This is another option. Is it in the Data Controller’s legitimate interest? Beware of this one – the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has already warned this will be hard to prove. Find out more »

#4 Consent can be provided in a number of ways

The most common way will be ticking an opt-in box but it could be a Yes/No option; a preference dashboard; double opt-in; or volunteering information for a specific purpose. It is NOT pre-checked boxes or opting out. By the way, the ICO recommends refreshing consent every two years.

#5 You need to record the provision of consent against the contact record

Most probably in your CRM. Details need to include who consented (name, online username, session ID etc.); when consent was given; what the policy was at the time; and how consent was given.

It’s not long before GDPR comes into force – now’s the time to get your head around it all and develop an action plan. You can get a lot of information on GDPR from the ICO website (such as the 12 Steps to Take Right Now), from Microsoft (check out their GDPR Trust Centre website) and we are here to help and advise. Call us on 0845 544 2043.

In the olden days – and possibly even today CRM suppliers tended to assume that NFPs were simple organisations. They are not. They require just as much time to understand and unpack the ways in which people work, and the system they employ, as more complex businesses. But in their naivety many under-estimated the time and budget required. Which resulted in budget over-runs, suspicion, and friction on both sides.

Hart Square often gets involved in ‘salvage’ situations. Picking up projects that have already gone a bit wrong. “Although this is a mature market place, projects still go wrong. Even in 2017”, says Allen Reid, their director of client projects. And referring to their research report, CRM Projects: Why do they succeed or fail, delineated the main reasons for failure. They include: poor definition of business requirements / process designs; lack of clear goals and objectives; poor or missing functionality; and lack of adoption because of lack of time or focus on implementation.

But, the fact only thirty-nine percent of poll respondents blamed the IT system they used for their disappointment, seems to show that success depends more on what preparation was done internally than the bits and bytes of the technology.

So, when a large group of delegates from diverse NFP organisations gathered last week to share their experiences of implementing CRM solutions, it came as no surprise that they ranged from examining the business case, through implementation, to a very few nursing post-project regrets. CRM and website integration featured in over fifty percent of their projects!

Felinesoft

Felinesoft are a fifteen year old business employing a forty-plus strong team based in Bristol. They focus on user centred design and long term partnerships. Their long client list includes businesses from the charity and membership sectors, as well as the worlds of education, creative, travel, automotive, and finance.

Neasa Foley, from Felinesoft, recommended identifying an empowered individual who will own and manage the project roadmap – the product owner – as opposed to a project manager. Their  strength should lie in their dedication to the role; their ability to make decisions at the right level without having to request sign-off; and their access to senior management and those setting strategy. They must have access to all stakeholders, but be non-partisan. So not necessarily sitting in any department.

BACP

Chris Holmes, from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, reflected on his experience. Both as a client of Felinesoft and Hart Square, and as an organisation about to ‘go live’ with a new project that had been many months in its development.

His last CRM project went live in 1998, and his calculation was that less than 10% of the current workforce were actually using the system. The others had become adept at developing work-arounds or used one or more of the seventeen websites developed over time by different departments. The process had seen them discard 100,000 old website pages!

Hart Square had presented him with organisations that he had never heard of but, having selected Felinesoft, they had viewed the project as a business process experience, not as an IT project. Jointly they had recognised that their competitors were not in-fact other associations, but small organisations with agile systems.    

Running the project through the organisation’s Risk Register had brought the senior management team together. Never thinking of his dealings with Felinesoft as a contract / contractor relationship, embracing the criticism of the organisation, and vowing never to be a block to progress had stood all parties in good staid.  His principle success criteria being that everyone will use the system from day one!

Michael Hoare

©2017 M J Hoare

Look and Learn was a British weekly educational magazine for children published by Fleetway Publications Ltd from 1962 until 1982. It contained educational text articles that covered a wide variety of topics from volcanoes to the Loch Ness Monster (1). But the secret of its twenty-year success was to present that information in a gripping graphic format that cemented facts in children’s enquiring minds.

‘Seeing comes before words. The child looks and recognises before it speaks,’ wrote John Berger (2). Neuroscience has subsequently established the power of visualisation in human cognition. Images are indelibly etched in the long-term memory and, where text and pictures send conflicting messages, images most often win (3).

Children learn to walk and talk through a process of trial and error. Some artists and musicians are described as self-taught. People solve problems and make scientific discoveries without being directed by a teacher. So, a mixture of experimentation, inspiration, and determination then. But, people also construct new knowledge by building on their current knowledge. Building on what they already know: learners search for meaning by establishing patterns.

So imagery is powerful. If it is also teamed with practical examples that people can relate to their own experience the combined impact can be enormous. As membership professionals we don’t have the time or money for costly and time-consuming failed experiments, or multiple attempts at problem solving. We have to get to the root of a problem swiftly. Learning as we go!

What better then, than an opportunity to learn with the masters. Yes, the experts, but also the everyday practitioners. The ones that have been there, seen that, and got the tee-shirt. People just like you. That’s why the TechSmart NFP format is such an effective learning experience!

Michael Hoare

©2017 M J Hoare

Sources

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Look_and_Learn
• Berger, J. (1972) Ways of Seeing. Penguin
• Rodriguez, L. and Dimitrova, D. (2011).The Levels of Visual Framing. Journal of Visual Literacy.

Biba to increase fees by 2.5% for 2018

The British Insurance Brokers’ Association (Biba) is to increase the fees it charges to members by 2.5% in 2018, according to Insurance Age. More…

Learning by Questions Joins BESA Launchpad

Learning by Questions, the new teaching and learning programme conceived by EdTech pioneer Tony Cann CBE has this become the latest company to join the Launchpad arm of the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA). More…

Nominations for ACS Deals of the Year Awards Open

The Deals of the Year Awards champion the outstanding work of treasurers and their contribution to their organisation’s success. This year they extend the reach of the awards to nominations from the Middle East and Africa. More…

PFEW: Morale-Sapping Cuts Leave Detective Policing ‘Overwhelmed’

The latest Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) poll – with its 7,803 respondents providing the largest sample since the research began – has cited fatigue and stress among detectives increasing at an alarming rate. More…

NGA Publication: Welcome to a Multi Academy Trust

The first edition of a National Governance Association (NGA) guide for newly appointed trustees is now available to purchase online. More…

NAJ Appoints Simon Forrester

The National Association of Jewellers, which was formed in 2015 by the merger of the British Jewellers’ Association (BJA) and National Association of Goldsmiths (N.A.G), and represents businesses operating in the jewellery industry, has appointed Simon Forrester as its new chief executive. He replaces Michael Rawlinson, who left the NAJ role after less than two years.

Simon won the Trade Association Chief Executive of the Year award in 2016 and most recently ran the British Pest Control Association the trade body for public health pest control. He has over 22 years’ experience in strategic-level association management.

Beginning his career in the NHS, Simon moved to a senior management role in a professional body in the mid-1990s. He has subsequently worked for institutions and associations in the healthcare, business tourism and construction sectors.

Simon has a BSC in Environmental Science, and an MBA from Birmingham City University, specialising in association development and innovation in not-for-profits. He has been a Board member at the Institute of Association Management since 2013 and will assume his new role in January 2018.

Reflecting on his appointment, Forrester said:

“I am honoured and excited to be appointed CEO of the NAJ and have the opportunity to work with the very experienced National Committee, dedicated staff and committed industry members of the organisation. I look forward to working closely with all members to create and deliver integrated services that meet their needs. My key priorities are to learn more about our membership, engage them with compelling benefits, work with the whole industry to advance the cause of our sector, and develop our team to address the challenges we face in the years ahead.”

A new Chief Executive Officer is sought for The Association of Art & Antiques Dealers, to lead this prestigious and world-class organisation through the next exciting phase of its development.

With lobbying being a very important part of the Trade Association’s purpose, the Chief Executive will act as both a figurehead and a spokesperson for the trade and will be required to regularly respond to UK government as well as EC consultations. The Chief Executive will also be actively involved in every aspect of the running of the company and will work closely with our Chairman, Lord de Mauley, as well as our past Chairmen and now Presidents, Lord Chadlington and Lord Howe.

ProTech

Member & Customer Engagement / Operational Efficiency through a Single, Integrated Solution

Debbie Dore, Chief Commercial Officer, the Association for Project Management, shares their case study in deploying ProTech’s integrated web and CRM solution to: improve engagement with members and customers; deliver relevant information based on preferences; membership applications and event bookings; streamline back office processes; and improve reporting capability.

Smartimpact

Using Intelligent Systems for Measuring Member Engagement

Part of creating an effective digital environment for your members is understanding what your members really value in your organisation. Ahmed Eltohamy, Managing and Technical Director, Smartimpact, asks, “Are your members truly engaged with your organisation; what member benefits do they find most valuable; how do you measure your member engagement, and how can you increase their engagement and improve retention?”

NetXtra

The Secret to Happy and Successful Partnerships

Scott Cole, Head of Business Development & Partnerships, with give marriage advice for happy and successful partnerships with real world examples from clients, past and present! Combining what they’ve found to be the perfect recipe for long term relationships, incorporating ingredients such as; communication, commitment, understanding, facilitation, and keeping it fresh!

APT Solutions

Turning Data into Your Most Valuable Asset

APT’s customers are leading Trade Unions, Institutions, Associations, Societies, Charities, Health-plan Providers, Sporting and Public Bodies. From offices in Telford UK and Sydney Australia, they write and support their core membership/CRM and CMS software systems and provide a range of professional administration and support services including data entry, printing, mailing, questionnaire processing, document imaging and membership card printing.

Dotmailer

A Case Study

dotmailer is a marketing automation platform with email at its core. Since 1999, they’ve been empowering global marketers with the tools and services that make it easy to get outstanding results. They will share a case study.

Trillium

From 1923 to 2023 – How Removing Digital Boundaries Reinvented our Membership.

Geoff Balmont, CIO, Boundless, and Alan Perestrello, Trillium Co-Founder and Director, presents Boundless – the Civil Service Motoring Association. A case study covering a digital transformation journey covering CRM and Websites to ensure the organisation remains relevant for the next generation of members.

Michael Hoare

©2017 M J Hoare

The British Dental Association has said government must step in to save NHS dentistry from skyrocketing indemnity costs, following the announcement that the Department of Health will set up a GP-only indemnity scheme to ease pressures on the medical workforce.

 Dentists have seen costs of compliance increase by 1086% in the last decade, while earnings have fallen by nearly 35% in real terms.

 The pledge by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to the RCGP conference featured alongside offers of ‘Golden Hellos’ to improve GP access in rural areas.

 BDA Chair Mick Armstrong said:

 “Caught in a pincer between facing flat lining incomes and skyrocketing costs NHS dentists must be given access to this new scheme.

 “We have a broken indemnity market and government is right to step in, but closing the door to dentists will only make this problem worse. We already face steep costs, and undercutting existing providers by taking away a big slice of their customer base may well impact on prices for those that remain.

 “This plan is still on the drawing board, but it is imperative that no health professional, whether private or NHS, should suffer as a consequence of this intervention or as a result of continued market failure.

 “Patients across the whole NHS are paying the price for access problems, mounting costs and underinvestment. The government needs to offer common solutions to common problems, otherwise it sends a terrible message to dedicated NHS dentists, and will only deepen the crisis facing the service.”

Source: BDA

Dept. of Health Announcement