LTB973/10 Membership Online

[TrueBlueTerrier]

No.973/10

Ref NO/Organising

Date: 5 November 2010







To: The Branch Secretary





Dear Colleague



Membership On-Line



As you will be aware, all Branches now have access to the HQ membership system to amend member's details and to download a copy of the most useful information pertaining to their Branch.



A workshop has been held in each region, open to all Branches, which has demonstrated how to do the following:



view the list of members in their Branch
edit individual members' details
send emails to selected members
export the data so that it can be sorted by employer/workplace/function
produce labels
produce addressed envelopes
produce individually addressed letters for insertion into window envelopes
send individually addressed emails in bulk


Branches are urged to make the maximum use of the system. All Branch Secretaries automatically have access, using the log in details which were sent out with the Voice in January 2010. Should any Branch Secretary have lost their log in details, they can be automatically recovered by clicking on the "forgotten password" link on the webpage - this does require HQ to have a personal email address for you registered already. If you are unable to retreive your password in this way, please email Matt Edwards medwards@cwu.org and he will send it to you. Please note this is for Branch Secretaries only. Should the Branch require additional users of the system, on receipt of an email from the Branch Secretary, we will allow access for Designated On Line system (OLS) users. Emails should again be sent by the Branch Secretary to Matt Edwards to request Designated OLS Users.



It would be appreciated if Branches could henceforth make all changes themselves rather than contact membership Records for address changes, or to request labels etc. One point to bear in mind however, is that although you are able to change Home Addresses, you cannot change either the Beneficiary of the Death Benefit, or their address. This means that when changing a members address, if the death benefit address or person needs changing, you still need to send in an email to membership records membership@cwu.org advising them that you have changed the members address, but that the death benefit nominee/address needs amending. This is annoying, but unfortunately given the limits of the present system unavoidable. We are hoping to have enhancements in place in the new year which will simplify the process and enable you to view/amend more information, as well as to be more selective as to which records load, rather than having to wait for the entire Branch. Further details will be supplied as the enhancements develop.



A number of Branches have raised with us the speed of the system, particularly the frustration of the time to load the Branch Data, then once an amendment has been made, the time taken to reload it again. We are hopeful that the improved IT infastucture being installed in HQ at the moment will speed up the Internet connection to the OLS for Branches, this should happen within weeks. In addition, we have developed a fix to avoid having to reload the data after every amendment. Attached is an electronic version of "Membership On-Line - a Users Guide" which on page 8 gives details. Essentially, when you wish to amend a member's details, instead of clicking on the "edit" button next to the members name, use the right hand button of your mouse to click on the "edit" button instead. This brings up a pop up box, where you should select "open link in new window". The member's details will then appear in a new window, where you can edit them. Having made the changes, save changes, then close the window, do not click on "go back". You will then immediately see the original list of your members on screen ready for the next amendment.



Some Branches experienced difficulty in downloading a CSV file of their membership. We believe the problem is limited to those Branches with more than 3000 members, and in these cases we have divided the Branch into alphabetical sections so that the download is limited to approximately 1500 members at a time. Again, this is not ideal, but it enables all Branches to make use of the system until we are able to develop a more refined in house solution. Should your Branch experience any difficulty with downloading csv files, please contact Matt Edwards for advice.





The On Line Access is a useful tool which should help you recruit and organise more effectively by allowing you to undertake comparisons of staff in post figures with membership figures in specific companies/offices etc more quickly and effectively. We would encourage Branches to check membership against Staff in post by Office to identify recruitment opportunities on a regular basis. Even for the largest buildings, it should take no more than an hour to compare the membership list with SIP.



If Branches use the OLS to amend members details, it will also go some way to assisting all of us in our endeavours to ensure the accuracy of the records in the Union and will also enable your Branch to organise and campaign more effectively.





I am keen for all Branches attain a level of understanding so that we are able to utilise the system to its full potential. To this end, if you do have any queries regarding the On Line system do not hesitate to contact me and either Matt Edwards or myself will endeavour to assist you in this regard. We now have the facility to remotely access your computer (with your assistance of course) to demonstate any and every aspect of the system, and how to use the csv file for labels etc. If you feel that this would be beneficial to your Branch, especially where you have got stuck in some aspect of the process, please contact membership on 020 8971 7447 and ask to be put through to Antony Silvestri who will assist you.



Yours sincerely



John East

National Organising Secretary