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| Hazel A. Bowen
Observatory, South Africa
Age: 60-69 |
Nominated as:
Nominated by: |
Convener
South African Association of Women Graduates |
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| Professional
Field and/or present occupation |
Adult Education |
| Skills and experience in membership recruitment and development that
qualify you for this position: |
I have been a member of the IFUW Membership Committee
for 6 years, first as an ordinary member and then for the
past 3 years as Convener.
Within my own NFA I have been active in membership recruitment
and development for many years. As part of the IFUW Membership
Committee I have developed a sounder understanding of the
challenges regarding membership as well as the possible
ways to overcome such challenges.
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| Other skills and experience (volunteer and professional) from the last 10 years which qualify you for this position |
I have held the position of President of my local
branch on a number of occasions and have been National President
for two different terms (3/4 years). This has always included
being actively involved in membership development, such
as activities undertaken, networking with other women and
organisations, and strengthening the profile of our association.
I have also been on the editorial board of our national
Journal publication which seeks to inform members and provide
a platform for their own contributions and also to attract
non-members into joining the association.
My work on the National Fellowship Secretariat also brings
me into contact with students and provides another opportunity
to recruit future members.
Professionally I run my own training centre so have considerable
experience in management. I work with people of different
language groups and cultural background so am always conscious
of the communication challenges. |
| Goals for this position and the contribution you believe you can personally make if elected or appointed |
The development of membership is the most important
challenge for IFUW and NFAs. As numbers increase, financial
constraints will lessen and more activities can be undertaken,
therefore improving the substance of our organisation as
well as increasing our profile.
I am very committed to achieving the above and always give
time and effort to whatever I undertake.
My Goals would be :
- Stronger and more sustained contact with NFAs and the
Independent Members.
- Developing the idea of twinning between NFAs - not necessarily
financial assistance but mentoring, guidance and fellowship.
- Exploring ways to strengthen our marketing of our organisation
and enhancing its profile.
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| What do you see as the main obstacles to membership recruitment and
retention and what can the Membership Committee do to help overcome these? |
These obstacles include :
- an ageing membership with not sufficient younger members
coming in as members and, indeed, as leaders
- the busy lifestyles and professional lives of members
and potential members
- financial constraints - life is expensive. This also means
that volunteerism is costly as many women need to be paid
for any significant time they commit to an activity.
The Membership Committee has and should continue to work
with NFAs to develop and share Best Practices in recruitment
and development. It also needs to build up stronger contact
with NFAs and especially those in countries where communication
has been a challenge (language, technology etc). We need
to provide as much assistance as we can including templates
of identified useful information being made available on
the IFUW website. |
| What do you see as the target audiences for recruitment drives for IFUW at the
national and local level and how can IFUW best diversify its membership? |
This is a broad question - with a broad answer!
Of course, it is essential that we bring in more young members who will be active and hopefully take on leadership roles. However, retaining existing members who have experience of our aims and workings is also vital.
There are many women now studying at tertiary level throughout the world. Our biggest challenge is how to let them know about us. We have to increase our profile - and this should be done both to the individual and to institutions of higher education, of government and in the corporate world. |
| What do you see as the role of the convener? |
I would say that, in general, the role of a convener is to provide leadership and to co-ordinate the activities of the committee members so that the agreed goals are achieved.
From my experience of the past three years I have found the above to be accurate. A further aspect is to ensure that all committee members feel connected as well as to be sensitive to problems which might arise through language differences.
Establishing mutual goals, setting time frames and co-ordinating the activities are essential, especially as much of the committee work is done via e-mail or on-line. |
| Education: |
University of Cape Town, B SOC SC (HONS) 1986
plus Higher Diploma in Education |
| Mother
tongue: |
English |
| Ability
to speak English: |
Excellent |
| Ability
to understand spoken English: |
Excellent |
| Ability
to read English: |
Excellent |
| Ability
to write English: |
Excellent |
| Other
languages: |
-- |
| Computer
skills: |
Considerable experience sending e-mail and using the
Internet |
| Internet
Access: |
Regular access to e-mail at home or the office |
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