Our EMCC community – what’s in it for you?

Our EMCC community – what’s in it for you?

man working on laptop

Rachael Hanley-Browne, President of EMCC UK, wants to know what our members look for in EMCC UK, and how we can best provide professional support, via this website and social media, through to local networks, special interest groups, webinar programmes, and more.

2021 has been a year of both personal and professional challenge for us all. It has been a societal shift, and at times like these we consider what really matters to us and which relationships or connections we value.

Why do you value EMCC? Is it for professional development opportunities, your local network or special interest group, accreditation and recognition of your achievements, the voluntary opportunities available, or the business support we offer? Or is it as a collective voice for our profession, to retain professional and ethical standards and to drive the coaching and mentoring agenda forward by supporting research and addressing societal challenges? All, or none of these, or something else? We would like to find out!

We recognise that our UK membership community is diverse and encompasses sole traders, small businesses, in-house coaches and mentors, training providers and business schools. We know you may want different types of support, connections, and development opportunities from us. So how can we meet your diverse needs under one organisational umbrella? Our team is voluntary, and we have limited resources, so what do we need to excel at to future-proof and grow EMCC UK for all our members? What core aspects of our member value proposition matter to you?

Your role

During the early part of 2021 we began engaging with you to discover why you are a member and what you value, and to understand where you would like us to focus our attention in the future. We have been engaging with you through a short survey (tailored to each member group), through your local networks and special interest groups, via social media, and directly through calls and roundtables. We want to garner input from all areas of our membership and to be representative of your diverse interests as we move into the future.

Your opinion matters to us, and what we ask from you is to respond to us so that we hear your voice. How would you like us to engage with you? For example: how often do you look at our website? Do you read our newsletter or emails? Are you actively engaged with our LinkedIn group and Twitter feed? What works for you and why?

Our response

Having heard from you, and listened, we will be completing a wholesale review of how we undertake our marketing and communications activity from 2021 onwards. In 2021, we will be running events to feedback on our findings to each of our membership communities, including independents and small businesses, in-house practitioners, and organisational members. The projects we have on the horizon are:

Our member value proposition – We want to do a few key activities well. What is core to your sustained membership of EMCC UK? How has this changed, considering the events this year, or your future professional needs? If you run a network or special interest group, how can we assist you to drive engagement and membership?

Website review – What is key information for you, our members? How can we make our online presence more user friendly and engaging? What core functionality is needed? Is there anything missing that would be useful?

Social media – Where should we be focusing our efforts? How do we best engage and promote all that we offer to you? How can we get a more lively and active dialogue going on the latest challenges and opportunities for our profession? How can we open the conversation to engage a more diverse representation of coaches and mentors?

Join in

As part of this review of membership engagement, we will be looking for volunteers to support us on several small projects. If you are interested in joining our marketing and communication team and enjoy engagement projects, then do get in touch, I would love to hear from you.

Alternatively, if you have comments or suggestions about future membership engagement and our offer, then I would also welcome your input and ideas.

You can reach me by email or via LinkedIn, or I’m happy to chat over Zoom for a virtual coffee!