Results of the Brisbane 4WD survey Key points summarised by Rob Shergold

1. Results of the Brisbane 4WD survey Key points summarised by Rob Shergold Summary Thanks to those 26 people who participated. Only 4 of the committee entered a form so I think we have a good sample to work with which represents the club. The majority of responses are in the positive for every question. Overall I think the club is quite healthy but there are improvements which we the committee and club can make. The committee members have been asked to review the feedback for their areas for any proposed action to be taken. Watch for future updates. This has been a very useful exercise, I hope we can run a second survey in the future and see if the graphs move into more positive territory.

2. Q1: You feel a valued member of the Brisbane 4WD Club Key point: Need to draw new members into the club more effectively, mostly meet peoples needs

3. Q2 You feel well informed of the club’s activities Key points: Communication through Magazine, Facebook, General meeting, other members and induction training.

4. Q3 The 4WD club trips are challenging me and I enjoy them? Key Points: Various difficulty, affordability, family participation, need to encourage new club members to go on trips e.g. One day trip

5. Q4 The social trips have a good mixture of activities including good camping expeditions Key Points: People only do social, commitments stop participation.

6. Q5 The club has a strong stance on safety and is proactive Key Points: Relative to others very high stance, it is improving, purchase some safety gear for remote use, using 4WD association courses a positive. “Over the top??”

7. Q6 the club’s shop provides you with quality products and stocks what you want to purchase Key points: Complete kit availability. ordering shirts sooner rather than later, Molly has good contacts for items

8. Q7 The training and technical advice at the club meets my needs and is of a high standard Key points: Instructors are patient, more practical less theory, excellent to could be better standard

9. Q8 Our club has helped the community on a number of levels Key Points: People weren’t aware of everything the club does , pleasantly surprised by the level of community service.

10. Q9 The committee is taking a leading role and supporting the club and its members? Key Points : People aren’t sure what the committee is doing but things seem OK.

11. Q10 The club’s monthly meeting is well organised and a good social event? Key points: Curb the waffle, guidelines for verbals would be useful, unable to attend, being to late not worth coming too, meeting is too long.

12. Further comments from members The process for new members needs some work as the club is a bit cliquey so a new member can feel isolated and not really welcomed. For those f us who jump in, this is quickly overcome, but others may never really get involved and leave the club after a short period. great club wish the induction process was a bit more straight forward for newcomers thanks People volunteering their time make this club what is is, and apart from a few minor hiccups, it is a great family and friendly club, and those who put their hands up for positions have my respect and thanks. I think the club should run more day trips and maybe some night runs. we should have help the up and coming drivers of our club,p platers learners may be P&Ls driving trip to build up confidence. The committee are doing a good job. The only thing I will say, if you look after the majority together you will fix the minority.

13. I know there have been rumblings in the past and some people have quit but clubs change over time. Things aren't going to stay how they were the day you joined the club. Adapt or die is how life works. This is a great club but recent events have highlighted that some people may have felt that the club belonged to them and they tried to dictate what happened and by who. The club should take step to discourage individuals having a sense of ownership, this may include changing the constitution to restrict any single member sitting on the committee for more than 3 consecutive years. The key reason for the club is to run trips for its members. Nothing in this survey focuses On trips , only management sh*t Need lady at inductions to be involved in driving side. I am sure one member dropped out from the induction as it was all men. Ladies training / Skills day. The club is great and enjoy all the activities that I attend. At this stage of life I am more interested in fitness so am into bush walking. Member for 22 years – We have great like minded people who enjoy $WD and Camping. Keep up the great work. As new members to the club. Its been hard to break into the well formed “clicks”

14. For us it would be helpful to have the opportunity for some shorter trips ( just one day or Saturday to Sunday) because we often work on the weekends and we hope that the club understands that work is more important for us at the moment. In general the club could advertise itself more (what about flyers at 4x4 retailer ) to get in contact with a broader spectrum of people.

15. I feel it's very important that for our club to survive in the current environment, we need to be progressive in the way we communicate with members, non-members and do our promotional activities. We need to grasp the use of electronic media and social networking. We have members that are stretched all across the great south east, and to encourage new members, we need to show we are diverse and easily accessible. I would also like to see a clear policy around complaints and complaints management. Taking complaints to the committee is a serious step, with the potential for members to be removed from the club. Due to the seriousness of this step, the process and the requirements for making a complaint need to be clear and defined. In extension to the above, recent infighting has developed to a stage that it is spoken about on most trips or at meetings. I am concerned that we may start to lose the happy positive nature of the club, we may exclude people from feeling comfortable (both the accuser and the accused), we risk inadvertently discouraging new members from joining, participating and volunteering for board positions. In light of the recent events, I feel that we may need to investigate methods of mediation, to help resolve issues quickly and quietly so that the club as a whole can continue moving forward. I really appreciate the opportunity to have some feedback on the club. Surveys like this should be offered annually, as it is a way for everyone to have a say, including those that may not be able to make many meetings or trips, those that are quieter or nervous to make comment, and those that are not on the committee or involved in decision making discussions. And finally, I would like to express a heartfelt thanks to the people who have volunteered their time, either as committee members or to run trips. It's a volunteer organisation, and I appreciate that it's very hard to please everyone, you get mud flung from all sides, but there are many people who respect you for taking on the extra work and responsibility. I'm well aware that without people stepping up like the committee members do, we wouldn‘t have a club, and for that I am very appreciative.