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Step 3 – Maintaining & Growing Your Group

Ongoing Group Development

Once the group is up and running, attention must be given to keeping the group on track. By this time people will be assisting with various tasks involved with maintaining the group. Most groups start by providing mutual support, but members may now decide they want to change their aims and objectives, add a new service or change direction. This can be an unsettling time, so it is important to so consult your members and assess their support before making any changes.

Evaluation

Evaluation is an ongoing process that contributes to maintaining a good understanding of a group and its development. It allows members to detect problems and act on them before they have an impact. By evaluating the first several meetings, you will get an idea of how well the group is taking shape and whether any adjustments need to be made to enable it to work more effectively.
A checklist might include:

• Is the group meeting its aims and objectives?
• Is the group meeting the needs of individual members?
• Are people able to have their say and be heard?
• Are the activities appropriate?
• Is there a healthy flow of members or an unhealthy turnover?
• Is the overall feeling positive?
• Are members supporting each other?
• Where did members find out about the group?
• How wide is the group’s support base?
• How many organisations are referring people to the group?
• Does the group wish to incorporate?
• Does the group need to review task delegation, ground rules and contact rotation?

Membership

If attendance becomes low, look for possible reasons. Do you need to further promote the group? Have you forgotten a key organisation that might offer referrals? Ensure the group is meeting the needs of the members. Possibly implement a simple questionnaire.

It is important to let members know their attendance is valued. Phone those who have attended previously and let them know they were missed and that you hope to see them again. If you are concerned that the reason for non-attendance is due to the group process, a phone call can provide useful feedback. Encourage these people to come to the next meeting to raise their concerns and perhaps create some ‘agreed to’ healthy changes. It is common for groups to have periods when membership attendance drops off, especially around school holidays.

Lastly, recognise that people’s needs do change and their reasons for joining the group may have dissolved, or are not being met. It is also important to realise that one group cannot meet every individual’s needs and that it may not be a negative reflection on the group when this occurs. The group can only do what is humanly possible within its limitations.

Research

Keep abreast of the latest research that relates to your group. Google Alerts are an excellent way to receive information. Research findings can be used in press releases, to support lobbying and funding applications, and to campaign for change.

Promote Your Group

It is important to spread the word about your group to as many people as possible. This helps to create awareness about the issue, gather new members, gain support and perhaps rally the community into action. Your promotion will benefit from careful planning. Ways to promote your group:

• Create a unique angle or ‘hook’ to help in selling your story. Think carefully about how much of your personal life and that of the group you want to share, as the media will often want a photograph to add the human interest element.
• Start creating a Media Contact Book by building up a profile of newspapers and local radio stations, including key contacts, deadlines etc.
• Once you have the ‘hook’ and the details of your story worked out, ring and speak to the editor. Aim for an interview and follow up with an email or fax outlining the particulars of the group.
• Consider using talk back radio, websites and emails, as well as guest speakers and expos to spread the word about your group.
• List in Directories (become a member for free and list in the on-line ConnectGroups Directory). You will get noticed by professionals and service providers who can then refer members to your group.

A Patron

A patron is a well-known community figure who provides their name in support of a group or issue. A patron can be used to open events, to advocate on behalf of the group, or simply as a name to add to your promotion material. In some cases patrons provide financial assistance to the groups they represent.

Administration

The best way to keep members updated and involved in the group is to establish an administration system and share responsibilities.

• Maintain a secure, confidential database containing each member's address and contact number
• Keep a notebook for recording meeting information, i.e., minutes
• Keep financial records
• Keep attendance sheets for meetings
• Keep a correspondence book for letters sent and received
• Maintain an information file containing up-to-date information on the group or related issues, as well as media clippings
• Keep a Policy Book on ‘How to do Things’

Planning Days

Hold a Planning Day to keep a group on track and focused on the group's aims and objectives. This is an excellent opportunity to discuss new directions and to establish priorities. Planning days also give group members the opportunity to provide input and to be a part of the decision-making process.

Finances

An important aspect of maintaining a self help group is managing financial matters. This includes managing membership fees, room hire costs, donations, etc. It also involves fundraising and seeking out grants.

Incorporation

The decision to incorporate is a group decision. Incorporation provides a group with a legal identity and relieves members from liability for authorised acts of the group. It provides access to certain benefits, such as tax exemption and tax deductible status, and gives the group eligibility to apply for the majority of grants available.

To become incorporated a group must establish a committee and draw up a constitution. The constitution sets the rules and regulations for the conduct of the group’s activities and the relationship between members. It is an involved process that requires time and attention to detail. Further information on incorporation and a model constitution can be obtained from the Department of Consumer and Employment Protection (DOCEP) at http://www.connectgroups.org.au/edit/support-groups/start-support/start-support-step-3/edit/start-support/start-support-step-3/www.docep.wa.gov.au

Funding

A group may benefit from a grant or ongoing funding to maintain its services. The process of applying for, administering and acquitting a grant can be involved and complicated. You may need to seek assistance from someone who has had experience in these areas. Funding can help the group move out into the community and increase awareness of its activities.

There are a variety of ways to obtain funds:

Letting Go

A natural part of a group’s life cycle is its termination. If group members are in agreement then the group will need to take appropriate steps to disband. Important points to consider when dissolving a group include:

• Informing all group members
• Informing appropriate support agencies and funding bodies
• If the group is incorporated then it must follow the dissolution procedures as set out in the group's constitution. The Department of Consumer and Employment Protection (DOCEP) can offer advice on this matter. Contact www.docep.wa.gov.au
• Archiving your group’s information for future groups

Group Promotion

The Media

Maintain media coverage by introducing new angles and continuing effective relationships with the media contacts you have established. Submit a follow-up story to update the group’s progress. Encourage established group members to use word of mouth to spread the word. Consider distributing a Newsletter or E-Newsletter. Use free advertising options, such as community announcements and information bulletin boards to promote special planned events. Remember to continue updating your Media Contact Book.

Networking

Every time you speak to someone about your group, you are forming a new network. Always speak well of your group and describe it clearly. It is important to consistently network throughout the group’s life to ensure its ongoing development and maintenance. Networking builds the profile of your group, allows for the sharing of valuable contacts and information, gains support and referral, establishes effective working relationships and helps to build a sense of community. Some methods of networking include:

• Holding an Open Day
• Attending networking events and other Support Group meetings
• Participating in expos or fairs
• Inviting people to group meetings and events
• Making telephone and email contacts
• Visiting other agencies to identify shared issues and ask for referrals
  

Networking contacts include community organisations, service providers, funding bodies, politicians, government bodies, interested businesses, other support groups and professionals.

Support Groups can benefit professionals by keeping them informed of the issues relevant to the group, providing a resource for members seeking additional support, and referring group members to professionals who are supportive of the group and its philosophies.

In turn, professionals can refer members to your group, connect your group with appropriate community resources, attend a meeting as a guest speaker, keep the group updated on the latest information relating to the issue or include group information in their practices or in professional publications.

Newsletters

Producing a regular Newsletter or E-Newsletter is a great way to keep people informed and up-to-date on group news and events. It can be used to share members’ stories, provide the latest information and research about your group’s issues, keep isolated members in the loop, and announce upcoming meetings and events. Keep it entertaining and do not include too many formal articles or financial reports.

Your Newsletter can be distributed by mail, by hand, via email or on your website. Depending on the nature of your group, distribute to local council members, schools, medical professionals or other like minded groups.

You may also wish to promote your group through the Newsletters of other organisations or groups. To find out what Newsletters are available to promote the group’s issue, contact organisations that specialize in your area of concern and see if they will publish information about your group or event. This is an effective way to target professionals and enlist their support.

Website

Using a website to promote your group means that your information will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A website can provide information and research about your group, an E-Newsletter, a Calendar of Events, a Chat Room, and will also help attract new members. It is also an effective method of communicating to isolated or disabled members who cannot attend meetings. It is important to regularly update your information as this will reflect the dynamic energy of your group.

Many search engines provide free, basic websites (visit www.geocities.com , www.tripod.com or www.talkcity.com . You can also take a short course at a local educational institution, or contact one of the Internet Service Providers which offer commercial website design courses. Consider contacting an Information Technology student who may assist you for a small fee in order to gain experience. For a professionally developed site, you will need to contact a Website Developer and depending on the complexity of your site, costs will vary significantly.

Alternatively, contact other organisations or groups that are familiar with your group issue and see if they would be willing to publicise your details on their website or provide links from their website to your own.

Developing an Online Support Group

The internet overcomes barriers of distance, time and disability, and finding people online is sometimes easier than finding people in your community that share the same issue or interest.

First, do a little research to ensure that nothing else exists online that addresses your particular issue. Try typing keywords into search engines such as Google and Yahoo to see what you can find. Find a favourite from the websites below and then follow the instructions to find a group to join. You may need to register with the websites by creating a username, password and providing an email address.

Top three are:
http://groups.yahoo.com
http://groups.msn.com
http://groups.aol.com

Other useful sites:
http://www.smartgroups.com/
http://web.icq.com/groups
http://www.suite101.com/
http://www.topica.com

If you cannot find an online support group that meets your needs, you may want to consider creating your own online group. Look at other online groups to see how they are set up and how they are run.

Formats for online groups include:

• Email Mailing Lists – This is more private and discussions take place via emails sent amongst the group members.
• Newsgroups – This is an internet public discussion forum or bulletin board that is open to the whole world.
• Chat Rooms – This is different from a mailing list or newsgroup, because it is live.
  

You should have the following basics for your online group:

• Newsgroup, Chat Room or Email Mailing List
• Owner/Manager Contact Information
• Area for rules, resources and associations
• Additional space or areas for group specific information

The accessibility of your group is very important in the group’s effectiveness and success. You must be very careful online with sharing details about your group and group members. How much information you share will depend on the topic of the group. If you are dealing with sensitive issues, you would not share much information about your members. If the issue is a common issue, sharing would be more acceptable.

Do not make any personal information viewable by the public or non-members. Deciding what information is viewable will let potential members know how you will handle sensitive information and will let visitors know it is a serious group. Most importantly, get a free web based email address and do not give out personal emails.

For a group to be effective, the group should have at least the following information available for viewing:

• Date the group was started
• Joining information (ie. Open to all, or restricted and must be a approved, or by invitation only, etc.)
• Number of members
• Schedule of meetings or chats (are they open to non-members?)
• Mission Statement (information about what the group offers to members and potential members)
• Group associations with others

You must have some basic rules of etiquette or a set of rules to enable participation. The rules are limits that are placed on the group as a whole so that it can do its job, offering the support, understanding and information that the members joined to find. It is a good idea to include consequences of rules that are broken. Some rules to consider include:

• No unacceptable language – offensive, hate, derogatory
• Will you allow advertising? – yes or no
• No off topic messages
• Email or membership status
• Activity levels of membership – are lurkers accepted?
• Political and religious views – yes or no?
• Complaints – how are they handled

Include a welcome message informing potential members about your new group and let them know what your group will offer (friendship, support, information etc) and the purpose for creating the group. Remember to update regularly so that your information remains current.

Once you have created your group, you can usually have it listed in a Directory. Yahoo! Groups, MSN Groups and AOL Groups all have this feature. You can then submit your details to a search engine.

Open three browser windows and go to your group’s home page in one, and two search engines in the others. You will then need to create a description of your group that will inform searches of what it is and also draw them to your group. You must then concentrate on the keywords. These are the words that people enter when using a search engine. Think about the words you would use if you were searching for your group. Many people misspell words, so add misspelled words as well.

You may also wish to create a website. Go to www.thefreesite.com for an update on free websites and Chat Rooms. You can also visit www.angelfire.com to start a free website, but remember, you will have to deal with excessive advertising to receive this free online service. You can contact other websites related to your issue and ask if they will post your information or their site, or alternatively if they will link to your site.

Online groups can provide individuals worldwide with support, understanding and information, as well as improve their overall quality of life.

Sources:
http://www.suite101.com/
www.mentalhelp.net/selfhelp
http://www.psychcentral.com/

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Step 1 – Starting Your Support Group

Step 2 – Finding Group Members & Getting Going

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