Hidden Assets Reviewed.

The Representation and Communication
questionnaires are now being returned.

Have you filled in yours and sent it back yet?

The information coming in from the Representation & Communication Questionnaires enclosed in the last edition of Consumer News is invaluable.

One of the purposes of this questionnaire is to find out who, among our Individual and Group Members, sit on committees and bodies of importance and influence. Some are NfCG appointees (but still, please, put them on the form) but many, we expect, will be Group appointments or people elected or appointed to bodies in ways unrelated to NfCG or affiliated groups.

The replies so far received show that Individual or Group members are well placed in many bodies of importance and influence.

Another objective is to find out how many will be able to receive communications by fax and, more importantly, by e-mail. A surprising number of those who have replied have computers or access to them and many have e-mail addresses. What is even more interesting is that most who do not have an e-mail facility did not say ‘no’ to the question but ‘not yet’ or soon.

We asked readers to give some idea of their skills and expertise. The replies have revealed a great spread of knowledge. One can imagine how useful it will be to know that someone is, for instance, experienced in Parliamentary procedures and willing to share that expertise should the occasion arise. Other replies indicated knowledge as diverse as sewage treatment and nursing.

Marie Jennings, our Chairman, has said a number of times that there is a vast depth of knowledge and experience within NfCG but we have not really known how to tap it. Replies to date show that she is absolutely right. It is a hidden and unused asset which is slowly being uncovered.

We still have to work out how best to use it, but the questions about means of communication now start to make more sense. Our various networks will have to be integrated into the wider picture which, it seems to me, hinges on a concept of quick and easy communication. It is a big challenge for a voluntary organisation like NfCG but also a big opportunity.

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