Dear Colleague
ACTION TAKEN ON CSPA RECRUITMENT STRATEGY AND EC MOTION TO 2023 AGM
1. Motion A18/22 at the 2022 AGM called on the Executive Council to make recruitment of new members a number one priority and publish and implement an imaginative programme of work to attract new members. The motion, which was carried, stated:
“This AGM notes with concern the seemingly inexorable decline in CSPA membership year-on-year. From a high point of nearly 70,000 members, our membership has dipped to just over 48,000. From the beginning of 2021 until April 2022 alone, the net loss was almost 4,000 members. The continuation of such losses poses an existential threat to CSPA, at a time when the need for effective campaigning organisations such as ours has never been greater.
This AGM does not under-estimate the difficulties faced by CSPA in attracting new members, let alone retaining existing ones. The unsupportive attitude of our former employers, the changing nature of the civil service, the market conditions affecting our principal membership benefit, the atomisation of society and the general decline in volunteering, our ageing membership, the loss of active Groups in many areas, and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic all pose serious challenges.
The last time there was a really searching look at our organisation was the Forward Options Working Party (FOWP) in 2014. Our membership then stood at over 55,000. The FOWP presciently said: “If not reversed, the continuing membership reductions will erode our position as the recognised organisation representing retired Civil Servants.” Sadly, the reductions in membership have continued and have not been reversed.
This AGM calls upon the Executive Council to make membership recruitment and retention its No 1 Priority and to:
- urgently devise, publish and implement an imaginative programme of work, with the required resources, in concert with Branches, Groups and members, so that the benefits and services offered by CSPA membership can reach the widest possible audience throughout 2023
- revisit the FOWP conclusion that there would be a lot to gain from having a single organisation for retired civil servants.
(Moved by West Mercia Group)
2. As highlighted in the debate on Motion A18 at the October AGM, the recruitment of new members continues to be a significant challenge and the Number 1 priority for CSPA. The long-term impact of the Covid pandemic over the previous two year, with the restrictions on face to face meetings, affecting local Group activities and national recruitment opportunities; and the withdrawal in March 2022 of the popular AXA Travel Insurance offering which had attracted many new members to join before the pandemic; and the ending of direct mail-shots about CSPA from the pension administrator My CSP from 2018, had all impacted on our ability to recruit new members.
3. Clearly the recruitment and organisational challenges are much wider and more. fundamental than the withdrawal of mail-outs from the pension administrator, or the travel market conditions that caused the loss of a popular membership benefit. There are other factors which are seeing a decline in participation of many other related voluntary membership organisations since the pandemic, including the National Federation of Occupational Pensioners (NFOP) representing retired Royal Mail and BT pensioners. The challenge is that the recruitment of new members is nowhere near the rate at which we are losing members year on year.
4. A total of 244 new members were recruited during 2022 (compared to 1,700 new members in 2019 before the pandemic). But we lost a total of 2,338 members over the year, including 1,417 deceased members. The total membership at the end of 2022 was 47,499, but the trend continues to be downward and is now around 43,478 taking account of current data-cleansing of our membership records to reflect our membership numbers more accurately.
5. The continuing decline in total membership has been a trend for many years, since the peak of 68,978 memberswas reached in 1999/2000; (as documented in the Final Report of the `Future Options Working Party` in October 2014), the decline has accelerated rapidly in the past few years,
particularly since the ending of direct mail shots from the Pension Administrator MyCSP from 2018; the effects of the pandemic; and the withdrawal of the attractive `fit to travel` travel insurance offering in 2022.
6. The challenges of recruiting new members were considered in great depth by the Project Group 1 in their report to the Programme Board in April 2021. It is worth re-quoting their conclusions on “moving CSPA into an on-line organisation while keeping our digitally excluded members served”:
We therefore challenge the EC to think “outside the box” for the long-term future of the CSPA. What worked in the past, will not necessarily work in the future and the CSPA must adapt accordingly. We suggest building upon our Recommendation 4 (Raise Awareness of the CSPA by internet search and the CSPA web site), and progressively converting the CSPA into an “on-line” organisation, whilst keeping our shrinking number of digitally excluded members served. The fact that CSPA needs to embrace digital operations more has been highlighted by the impact of the Covid- pandemic upon the CSPA operations. Whilst many office-based businesses have been able to operate almost seamlessly as far as the customer is concerned, the business of the alliance has been seriously affected, as it is too reliant upon traditional means of communication. Although we must continue to remain true to our word and serve our digitally excluded members, we must place far greater emphasis upon digital now.
Our Recommendations relate to a switch from use of the printed word to recruit and communicate with members, to use of electronic means through web sites, e-mail, mobile phones, department intranets, and social media platforms to attract younger members. We reinforce our opinion that use of the internet and social media are probably the best way to get round GDPR in the absence of Cabinet Office conceding access. However, the CSPA digitally unconnected membership must not be left behind”
Actions taken on `New CSPA` priorities
7. Considerable progress has been made in addressing the priorities identified through the `New CSPA` project work, in the following areas:
- Communications and social media – CSPA`s communications with members and potential members has improved significantly.. Our social media has been transformed over the past year with the new CSPA Branding and clarity of campaign messages using eye-catching graphics and clear quotes; This is an important part of raising the profile and awareness of CSPA and what we do.
- New website -The new CSPA website www.cspa,.co.uk was successfully launched in early December with much clearer and simplified navigation and strong news content on relevant issues to members, and visits to the site have been continuing to rise; This also allows the opportunity to include a link to the website in social media stories to attract wider interest in CSPA`s campaigning activities;
- On-line Recruitment -The ability to join on-line through the website was launched in late October 2022 and has been a significant boost to our recruitment efforts with the ease of joining and the ability to include a link to the joining page in our social media and other communication platforms;
- New CRM database system. Launched in early December and laying the foundations for effective member engagement with CSPA, with more to do in the next few months with the operability of the new system to meet our membership data requirements and fully utilise the functionality of the new system.
Actions taken to raise our profile and attract new members
8. The Executive Council in December 2022 endorsed a CSPA Recruitment Strategy paper which built on the earlier recommendations of the New CSPA project group. The key themes underpinning the Recruitment Strategy were summarised as:
- Be clear on who CSPA are and what we do – our `Brand offering`;
- Raise our profile in the Civil Service and media so that people hear about CSPA;
- Showcase the support we provide for individual members;
- Build strong links and partnerships with the Civil Service and related organisations;
- Focus on fewer external campaigns to prioritise CSPA`s role in protecting Civil Service pensions and the wider well-being of Civil Service pensioners;
- Promote Membership Benefits that are seen as helpful and relevant to our members
9. The Recruitment Strategy, builds on the fundamental priorities identified by the `New CSPA` Project work and reflecting the EC`s priorities for fundamental changes including:
- Attracting younger Civil Service members, who have recently retired, or considering retirement; or have a deferred Civil Service pension (following the AGM decision to amend Rule 3a defining membership criteria to include those with deferred Civil Service pension benefits);
- Improve our communications using different platforms, including social media;
- Refresh our website and the way we present CSPA externally;
- Increasing our diversity;
- Update our systems to enable people to join on-line rather than download a form and post it in for processing; and
- Be clear about who we are as an organisation and what we exist to do, with a clearer identity and refreshed Branding of CSPA
10. We have made concerted efforts over the past year to raise CSPA`s profile and influence through:
- Appearances to give evidence at Select Committees and All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPG`s) , especially around survivor pensions for life and women’s pensions.
- Producing popular online CSPA Webinar events in conjunction with the Cabinet Office to look at current Civil Service pension issues, especially the McCloud Remedy 2015 pension options;
- Submitting input to Government Consultations on issues of relevance to our members
- Supporting the campaigns of other like-minded pensioner and health-care related campaigning organisations
- Working with the Cabinet Office to seek feedback from members on proposed Civil Service Pension policy.
- Attending Cabinet Office Employer Forums with the Human Resources leads responsible for pension administration and retirement planning across Civil Service departments.
- Procuring a short promotional video about CSPA to highlight CSPA’s work on the Civil Service Pension portal.
CSPA Brand Offering
11. In April 2022 the EC endorsed a core CSPA Brand message that now underpins everything we do, as follows: Protecting what you`ve earned, underpinned with the message:
You`ve worked hard your whole career, now it`s our job to act on your behalf, protect your Civil Service pension, and help you get the most out of retirement. We`re proud to be here for you, making sure your voices are heard and collaborating with like-minded organisations, to bring you a range of exclusive membership benefits, together with information, guidance, and support when you need it.
12. This messaging is also underpinned by our shared values in everything we say and the way we say it, reflecting our core branding message, to convey that we aim to be: Trustworthy; Reliable; Influential; Supportive; Collaborative; Diverse; Dynamic; and Determined.
13. All this work on our CSPA branding and values gives clarity to who CSPA are, and what we do, and is being used will be used in our digital media and will be reflected in new recruitment literature and digital media in the coming months.
Raising awareness of CSPA in the Civil Service
14. Fundamentally the key requirement to attract younger Civil Service pensioner members, and those considering retirement, as well as those with deferred Civil Service pensions, is that they are aware of CSPA and what we do. This means concerted effort to raise our profile and `Brand Awareness` amongst the Civil Service community. We have been significantly raising our social media profile in the past few years but we also need to establish strong working relationships within each of the main Government Departments to help us publicise our existence and what we offer to members.
15. In May 2023 CSPA were again invited by the Cabinet Office pensions team to exhibit at the Regional Employer Forums in London, which proved useful in raising our profile with Departmental HR and Pension managers responsible for arranging pre-retirement courses in their own Departments.
16. CSPA has also worked with the Cabinet Office and MyCSP in delivering two successful Webinars on the McCloud 2015 Pension Remedy, in 2022 which reached over 900 Civil Servants interested in retirement issues.
17. Two further joint Webinars on the McCloud 2015 Pension Remedy were held on 25 April and 3 May 2023 which were being jointly promoted by CSPA and the Cabinet Office with widespread interest evident from the numbers registering for the Webinars.
18. In November 2022, CSPA participated in a Cabinet Office Webinar on `Preparing for Retirement`, during Pension Awareness Week, at which a new CSPA promotional video was shown to all 14,000 Civil Service participants, highlighting CSPA`s purpose and achievements. The promotional video is still on the Trusted Partners website of the official Civil Service Pension Scheme website: www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk
19. The General Secretary and Deputy General Secretary also gave a presentation about CSPA to the “Over 50`s Network” in the Department for Transport HQ in London in November 2022. The Network is a voluntary Group of around 200 members and was a good opportunity to showcase CSPA to up to 200 working civil servants over aged 50.
20. In May 2023 CSPA exhibited at the Annual FDA union conference in London, which gives access to around 300 FDA delegates from across the spectrum of Civil Service Departments and a very useful networking opportunity to get Departmental contacts for CSPA promotional activities.
Showcasing the support we provide for individual members
21.. Highlighting the practical support we can offer members with any Civil Service pension problem with our direct access to the Cabinet Office pensions team and the pension administrator MyCSP is a positive example of what CSPA can offer for the modest subscription we charge of only £3 a month.
22. The Autumn 2022 issue of The Pensioner gave a practical example of how we had helped a member who had received a demand to repay over £27,400 from their pension due to an overpayment that was not identified until almost 9 years after her retirement. With CSPA support, in a Second Stage Internal Disputes Resolution appeal to the Cabinet Office, the whole outstanding amount was written-off. There are many other examples of the help and support we have been able to provide to members that we need to showcase to potential members.
23. More recently, the CSPA Northern Ireland Branch, and CSPA Pension Case Manager, reached agreement in principle with the NI Department for Finance seeking agreement to write-off the recovery in a total of 60 pension overpayment cases that had been identified in a recent internal review. This has been a worrying issue for those 60 Civil Service pensioners who are facing recovery action – in one case an overpayment of £95,000! None of this would happen if CSPA did not exist and we need to highlight the support and practical help that CSPA can provide to members on pension issues.
Focus on CSPA`s role in protecting Civil Service pensioners
24. Over many years CSPA has been involved in a wide range of campaigns affecting pensioners, and we have worked closely with the NPC to support those campaigns; and more recently with our NARPO and NFOP partners in Later Life Ambitions. If we are to appeal to Civil Servants approaching retirement and concerned about their pension, we need to ensure that our primary CSPA focus is on Civil Service pension-related issues and related issues about the State Pension and pensioner benefits. We can channel our campaigning efforts on other wider pensioner issues such as the NHS; Social Care; and transport issues through the NPC and LLA and through our partnerships with Age UK, Independent Age, and related organisations so that our primary focus is “Protecting What You`ve Earned”.
Promote Membership Benefits that are seen as useful and relevant to our members
25. There is no doubt that membership recruitment prior to the Covid pandemic was primarily due to the AXA travel insurance product offered that did not require medical screening and was very popular with 8,000 annual policies sold at its peak in 2019. However, that trend was reversed into membership losses through resignations in early 2022 due to dissatisfaction with the new `Lighthouse` offering from Towergate. This led to CSPA urgently finding an alternative provider and better travel insurance offering through the Civil Service Insurance Society (CSIS) which launched in late October 2022 and has attracted wide membership interest, especially as travel options opened up again during 2022, and as the previous travel insurance policies expired at the end of March.
26. The arrangement with CSIS has already generated additional income to CSPA through quarterly commission of more than £10,000 in the first six months, based on a proportion of the total premiums of the travel insurance policies sold. This is equivalent to the annual subscriptions of over 250 members.
27. We also have a range of Membership Benefits through Parliament Hill, which are updated on a regular basis. However other membership organisations also offer similar benefits so we need to ensure we have offers that are seen by our members to genuinely add value to being a CSPA member, and that we actively promote benefits that are seen to be useful and relevant such as the free initial legal advice, and some discount offerings that genuinely save members money. The DGS is initiating a Review of Membership Benefits to seek a wider range of discounts and other benefits through Parliament Hill, (to whom we are contracted until June 2025), and identify potential new Member Benefits that could help in the recruitment and retention of members.
Conclusion
28. Clearly CSPA continues to face a significant recruitment challenge against a background of annual losses of around 2,500 members and an ageing membership base. The overriding priority is to attract younger Civil Service pensioners and those considering retirement, as well as appealing to those who have left employment in the Civil Service but have a deferred Civil Service pension. As highlighted by the Project Group 1 conclusions quoted in paragraph 6 above, this will require a focus on digital communications through email; website, and social media to raise awareness of CSPA rather than rely on the traditional forms of communications.
29. CSPA`s appeal as an organisation to “protect what you`ve earned” must be widely publicised within the Civil Service community and highlighted at every opportunity. The focus of our recruitment strategy is to utilise the significant financial and staff investments that have now been made in our communications; our new website; the new on-line membership application system; and new CRM database; as well as our established links with the Cabinet Office as a `trusted partner` to:
- Highlight our Brand offering at every opportunity;
- Raise awareness of CSPA in the wider Civil Service community;
- Showcase the support we provide for individual members;
- Focus our campaigning on Civil Service pension issues and the State Pension and related issues;
- Promote Member Benefits that are attractive and relevant to our members.
30. The recruitment of new members must be at the heart of everything we do as an organisation in delivering our core objectives: “to maintain and improve the purchasing power of all pensions from Civil Service and related schemes; to initiate and participate in action which will benefit pensioners; to promote the economic well-being of pensioners”.
31. The new website and CRM database will enable us to monitor and track progress in recruitment new members after specific recruitment and promotional events and opportunities in the coming months.
32. There are no instant solutions to the recruitment challenge we face. It requires integration of different initiatives to raise our profile and Brand Awareness, using digital media at every opportunity, and utilising the recent enhancements to our systems to improve the offering to members.
33. Overall, we need to ensure that within the Civil Service community, CSPA is seen as the voice for all retired Civil Servants; and those close to retirement; as well as former civil servants with a deferred pension, with the clear message CSPA is there “protecting what you`ve earned”.
34. Visibility of CSPA and what we do are at the heart of the actions needed to assist our recruitment efforts, with specific new initiatives outlined in this paper to highlight and promote CSPA across the Civil Service and develop wider opportunities to promote CSPA and what we do to protect and improve the interests of the members we represent.
Executive Council Motion to 2023 AGM
“This AGM notes the work done in response to Motion A18/22 to develop and implement a Recruitment Strategy to attract new members to CSPA as set out in Group Circular GC940 including:
- Better clarity of CSPA`s role and purpose through improved branding to “protect what you`ve earned”.
- Delivery of a new refreshed website;
- Ability to join on-line through the CSPA website;
- Improved social media profile of CSPA activities;
- New CRM database for improved engagement with CSPA members.
This AGM endorses the overall recruitment strategy of:
- Highlighting CSPA`s brand offering at every opportunity;
- Raise awareness of CSPA in the wider Civil Service organisations and community,
- Resume involvement at on-line and in-person pre-retirement courses;
- Publicise the individual support we provide for individual members;
- Focus campaigning on Civil Service pension issues; the State Pension; and related relevant issues affecting the well-being of older people;
- Promote member benefits that are attractive and relevant to our members
The Executive Council, along with local Groups and Branches, must continue to prioritise membership recruitment at every opportunity and ensure a sustainable basis for CSPA for the benefit and well-being of all our members.”
The above motion in the name of the Executive Council has now been submitted to the Standing Orders Committee for consideration at the AGM on 11-12 October 2023.
If you have any questions or require any further information about the matters covered by this Group Circular, please don’t hesitate to contact me by email at david.luxton@cspa.co.uk