A member comms and engagement plan for a trade union
How we worked with members, reps and staff to create a membership comms and engagement plan for train drivers' union, ASLEF.
ASLEF wanted a review of member comms and routes to engagement, to make sure the union was using the most appropriate channels and activities to recruit, welcome and retain members, and encourage them to get active.
Agenda was also asked to look across current and potential on and offline activities to improve systems, and to standardise branding, messaging and language.
What was our challenge?
Having looked at rep profiles, we realised (like many unions and membership organisations) that ASLEF’s rep community were older, and the roles were not spread well enough across female members. Our challenge therefore was to consider how to improve comms activity to start engaging members from the moment they join, with the aim of recruiting reps earlier in their careers.
How did we approach the problem?
As with any comms project, we anchored our work in researching and responding to members’ preferences on how and when they wanted to be communicated with, and why they would consider becoming a rep.
To ensure senior leader buy-in, we set up a steering group with members of the ASLEF Executive Committee, so that emerging issues and recommendations could be discussed and agreed to keep the project moving. We also set up a project group with the union’s policy and comms and administration colleagues, to keep the work on time and task – including recommending ‘quick win’ changes to current practices.
Reviewing where we are now
We researched and recommended changes to the joining and onboarding processes by becoming a member ourselves, and through reviewing existing comms content and analytics. Early on, we spotted opportunities to present content in a more consistent and easy-to-understand way; repurpose existing content across other channels; and find places where members could be asked to get active.
Taking the time to listen
We interviewed staff and elected members about when and how members are encouraged to engage with the union, so we could identify what's working well, what could be better and the opportunities for sharing ideas across the union.
We used the feedback to develop a survey for members, which gave us insight into the channels and activities that members prefer and the reasons why they do or don't become reps.
We next ran workshops for staff and reps to explore how they engage members from recruitment onwards, thinking about channels they use and asks to move members closer to the union.
What was the output?
We secured Executive Committee support for a series of comms and engagement recommendations, which repositioned ASLEF's comms approach, processes and culture, including:
A move from transactional to relational engagement with members - less of the union does things to and for you; more of the union is by and with you – so members understand that their voice and involvement is vital.
A commitment to share and learn what’s working across the union, especially amongst regional teams.
A review of and/or move to platforms which younger and female members prefer.
A plan to always make an ask for members to get involved, regardless of which team or individual is communicating with the member.
A reinvigoration of checklists and templates, which standardise brand and messaging for consistency and ease of use.
"At ASLEF we were looking for ways to improve our current comms practices and for new ideas that built member engagement with the union. We commissioned Agenda, as an external expert, to undertake a full review of our direct membership comms including both digital and printed, as well as our recruitment and onboarding processes.
The Agenda team were outstanding in their project management, we held weekly meetings to track progress and also more in-depth scheduled milestones. They analysed literally everything in discovery, giving us ideas for quick wins as we progressed. They also oversaw a member survey and facilitated workshops with our reps to ensure that member views and experiences were reflected in the recommendations.
We ended this project with Agenda delivering an extensive set of recommendations, which once enacted will give ASLEF more robust communication strategies and introduce a pathway for members into activism and engagement."
Lee James, Head of Policy and Communications at ASLEF
