Network Facilitator’s Guide
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Contents What is the FREE Project? ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4 What are the FREE Networks? ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 5 What is a Network Facilitator? ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6 What does the role involve? ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 6 What skills are needed? ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 What are the benefits? ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 8 Before the Meeting ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Sharing responsibility ................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Choosing a Venue ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 9 Financial Considerations ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 10 Meeting Format ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 11 Setting a Date ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 12 Promotion of Event .................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Suggestions for promoting the network .................................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Checklist ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 24 The Meeting................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 25 How to Encourage Good Networking ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 25 Different tools for facilitation .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 25 Speakers ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 36 After the Event .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 37 2
The Important Bits ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 40 Personal Data Protection ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 40 Network Bank Accounts ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 40 Succession of Leading ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 41 Insurance.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 41 Disclaimer................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 41
FREE Toolkit Doodle………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………… Eventbrite………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………… Facebook Groups………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………… Twitter……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. LinkedIn………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Google Forms………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
FREE Guide
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…to
Open Space ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 27 Neuro-Linguistic Programming……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 29 World Café Methodology…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...….………………………….…………………… 33
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What is the FREE Project? The main objective of the FREE project is to help women from rural areas to become successful entrepreneurs with a focus on small business development. The project is simultaneously taking place in rural areas in Bulgaria, Croatia, Iceland, Lithuania and the UK. The main target group is female rural entrepreneurs with a concrete business idea or currently running a new start-up. An increasing number of women in rural areas are interested in starting their own business but struggle to access finance, training and opportunities to network. The FREE Project seeks to overcome these obstacles by providing support and practical instruments to empower and encourage female rural entrepreneurs to reach their full potential. The main aims of the FREE project are to strengthen the skills and competences of the target group, to help them grow their network and to encourage creativity and start-ups.
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What are the FREE Networks? As part of the FREE project, networks have been established in at least two rural areas in each of the partner countries. These were designed as a space for female rural entrepreneurs to physically meet to provide peer support and mentoring to each other as well as an opportunity to network. The Networks are supported by the project consortium and encouraged to thrive after the end of the project. Each of the networks is led by a Network Facilitator, someone who is a rural business woman or entrepreneur herself with a desire to set up a network in their local community to network with and support other female rural entrepreneurs. The Network Facilitator’s are responsible for promoting the network and arranging meetings regularly within their local area. The Networks were based on the idea of ‘Community Driven Learning and Development’ and this formed part of the Network Facilitators’ training. The concept of ‘Community Driven Learning and Development’ is that authority is given directly to the community group (in this case the network), to develop, organise and make decisions on their learning. The underlying assumption is that ‘the communities themselves are the best judges of how their livelihoods can be improved, and if provided with the right resources and information, they can organise themselves to provide for their needs’.
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What is a Network Facilitator? What does the role involve? The expectations, and what you should expect from us, are set out in the Declaration of Commitment which you will have signed with your support organisation.
In simple terms: Set up an informal business network Keep records (sign in sheet and photographs), and work with your support organisation to produce a short report. Aim for a minimum of 5 women to attend your meetings (as many as you can). The first meeting shall include asking the women about themselves and what they are looking for. The 6th meeting shall include evaluation and discussion of how to continue. The Network Leader should ask for help if she is struggling. The Network Leader will be welcoming and friendly to all women who wish to join the network and where people have special needs, then the Network Leader should do her best to accommodate these needs so that all are welcomed.
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What skills are needed? Be self-employed – You are in the best position to understand the needs and challenges of other self-employed rural women. Time – Network Facilitators generally spend around 7 hours per month on the networks including attending the network meetings. Good organisational skills – You will be juggling the running of the network as well as running your business. Are you able to make time for this extra work and still be able to run the network and your business to a high standard? Ability to facilitate groups – Every meeting will need facilitating. The meeting needs to be kept to time and managed to ensure that the group makes the best opportunity of meeting up. Ability to work with mixed groups – Rural women can join the network whether they are just thinking about a business idea or have well established businesses, and these can be all kinds of business. This means you will need to devise a meeting programme or meeting formats that can benefit a mixed group. Confidence with email, web, and basic word processing – There is no avoiding the fact that technology is here. We believe in using technology to our best advantage to save time, enable us to reach more people and keep costs down.
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Enjoy meeting people – An enjoyment and interest in people is of course vital. When you start a new network, you will need to attract lots of new people to it, to keep the network vibrant and help it flourish. Good communicator – Communication is the life blood of any successful network. Self-motivated – Although FREE is here to offer the framework, support, advice and ideas to Network Facilitators, that is all we can do. It is up to you to take the network forward and make it happen. Resourceful – All local networks need to be sustainable and self-funding. This can be challenging so having a good network of contacts, being able to think out of the box, or knowing someone who can, would be an advantage.
What are the benefits? There are many benefits to being a Network Facilitator, being a good facilitator will depend on much you put into your Network. Here are some of the benefits you can expect: It’s fun! Promote your business Help your community Meet interesting people Help your local rural economy
Develop your confidence Enhance your profile in the community Help other women in business Develop your leadership skills Opportunities to use your skills & experience
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Before the Meeting Sharing responsibility We recommend sharing responsibility with other members of group, who are prepared to act as Deputies. It is important to give members ownership of the group, get them involved and make people feel valued. Ask members what they want from the group. Ask for volunteers to carry out tasks identified within the group
Share ownership and use skills of all members Encourage participation by all members so everyone feels valued
Choosing a Venue Venues should support a local rural business wherever possible, have a warm and friendly atmosphere, be easy to find and easy to park. If the meeting is to be held in the evening, ensure that parking is nearby and well lit. Some groups will use the same venue each month, others move each meeting. Every area is different, and a lot will depend on the availability and cost.
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Venues can change to match the group’s needs. For example, a new group may choose to start to meet in a pub or restaurant. As the group grows and an opportunity arises to invite speakers to meetings, they may change venue to meet in a larger room away from noise and distractions. FREE aims to be inclusive and involve business women of all needs. Please consider different access requirements when choosing a venue (e.g. hearing loop, wheelchair access etc.). Be prepared to be flexible if attendees have special requirements.
Financial Considerations It is very important that the Networks are sustainable – so that that they will survive and continue giving business support regardless of any external intervention. Therefore, meeting costs (venue, refreshments, speakers), must be covered by the members attending the meeting. Attendees should pay an attendance fee which covers all costs, unless you can find a local sponsor to pay these costs.
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Meeting Format As a facilitator we recommend a 2-hour meeting held once a month. It is important to have a clear start and end to the meeting, members will continue to network but it is useful for people to know the official end of the meeting, so members can leave punctually without feeling they are appearing rude. Most meetings contain the following: Welcome, introductions, feedback from last meeting Activity (Speaker, World Café, Open Space etc.) Discussion Networking Evaluations Prepare the agenda in advance and make sure you allocate time to each activity, so you can ensure the meeting runs to time. Each meeting should have a different speaker and cover a variety of themes.
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Setting a Date Ideally the meeting programme should be member-driven. The easiest way to make decisions is to ask your group. We recommend that meeting programmes are planned at least 1-2 months in advance. We understand this is not always easy, but it helps if members and prospective members can see what is coming up. Planning ahead also gives the Network Facilitator some breathing space between organising events.
FREE Toolkit The FREE Project has developed toolkits to help you make the most of social media and online technology. All the websites listed in this guide are free and have been included to make your job as a Network Facilitator that little bit easier! When setting up an event we recommend you use DOODLE (pg. 13) to help you find date that all participants are available for, and Eventbrite (pg. 14) to promote your event and keep track of who is attending.
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FREE Toolkit https://doodle.com/ Doodle is an online scheduling tool that can be used quickly and easily to find a date and time to meet with multiple people. 1. Schedule an Event Fill in form with the title, location and description. This will be visible to all participants. The location links to Google Maps automatically, so all participants will be able to find the venue easily. 2. Propose Dates/Times Choose days and times you are considering for the event. You can choose multiple dates at various times. 3. Finish! Finally let participants know who you are with your name and email address. Keep checking the poll to see when participants are available and let participants know of the chosen date as soon as possible.
For more information about using Doodle Poll use the link below: https://help.doodle.com/customer/portal/articles/761313-what-is-doodle-and-how-does-it-work-an-introduction 13
FREE Toolkit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/ Eventbrite is an online event platform that can be used by people who want to plan, promote and sell tickets to their events. 1. Set up Event Give your event a title, date, time, and location. Like Doodle, the location will link automatically to Google. 2. Details You can give the event a picture. In the ‘event description’ you can share any relevant details including parking fees and what participants will need to bring with them. 3. Tickets Create your tickets! We recommend offering free tickets for your event, donations towards costs can be collected at event. 4. Public/Private In the ‘Additional Setting’s part, we recommend keeping your events private, give members the link to the event. For more information about using Eventbrite use the link below https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/support/articles/en_GB/Multi_Group_How_To/how-to-create-an-event?lg=en_GB 14
Promotion of Event Promoting your network and network meetings is extremely important, you need to put across the benefits of the network and attract new rural female entrepreneurs. You are the best advert for attracting people to your network as a rural female entrepreneur yourself, so start off by using your personal connections and inviting them to our network, you can then focus on promoting the network using social media tools.
Suggestions for promoting the network Everyone’s Responsibility Most new members will hear about your network through word of mouth. The Local Network needs to work as a team to promote the group and bring in new members. Maintaining a healthy successful network is everyone’s responsibility. Encourage members to tell everyone about the network and to bring friends and contacts to the meetings. Everyone should be networking on behalf of the group. Be sure to lead by example and praise those who are contributing towards the success of the Network, soon everyone will get the message.
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Leaflet Campaign Place FREE leaflets and/or postcards in post offices, pubs, restaurants, cafes, libraries, farm shops and members businesses – anywhere you can think of locally where women, business owners, or rural people will find them. Work with Other Networks and Local Organisations Work closely with other networks in your region. Get in touch with your neighbouring network groups; publicise each other’s meetings, do a joint meeting or set up a mailing list to share news and information. Local Press Take advantage of free ‘What’s on’ sections in your local press. Get to know who your local editors are, you are a great local contact for interesting business stories! Use member’s businesses as case studies in press releases about network meetings. PR & Media Inside every small business is a story bursting to get out. Start with that positive attitude and you will get thinking creatively about possible media coverage for the organisation, and most probably your own business. A clever use of public relations will help people to understand what your network offers, will gradually build the group’s reputation and grow membership in the area. 16
FREE Toolkit We recommend using Facebook (pg. 18-19) and Twitter (pg. 20-21) to promote your Network and have created Toolkits for the use of Facebook Groups, Twitter and LinkedIn (pg. 22-23). If you feel comfortable with social media, you could also explore other social media tools including Instagram or designing a website or blog.
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GROUPS
FREE Toolkit
https://www.facebook.com/ This Toolkit concerns the use of Facebook Groups, where Facebook users can join in a group and communicate easily together. It is also a good platform to invite people to events and share information and resources between members to your network. 1. Set up a Group Setting up a Facebook Group is easy, click the choose ‘Create group’.
arrow and
2. Pick a Name e.g. Network for Female Entrepreneurs in the Peak District 3. Invite members Start off with friends you already have who are interested and active Facebook users. You can always add more later.
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GROUPS 4. Select the Privacy Level We recommend choosing a ‘Closed Group’, this means that anybody can ask to join the group and will see it, which will help you find more people but it’s still exclusive and only members can see what is posted in the group for its members. 5. Personalise your Group Add a Cover Photo – chose one that highlights the purpose of the group Add a Description – something small and catchy, that will make other people want to join the group Add some tags – these are keywords that will help you group appear in search, e.g. ‘entrepreneurship’, ‘women in business’ Add locations – tie it to the rural community where you live and work
For more information about using Facebook use the link below: https://www.wikihow.com/Use-Facebook 19
FREE Toolkit
FREE Toolkit https://twitter.com/ Twitter is often called a micro-blogging site, users ‘tweet’ small messages that are publicly available to everyone. Twitter is not only a good way to reach out to potential participants but also is a brilliant tool for networking, as you can reach out and connect with anyone who uses Twitter. Set up a Twitter page for your Group. 1. Choose a Name You can use your name when it asks for a name, and this can be changed at any time. Your @name is the most important as your unique identifier on Twitter, try to make it the similar as you can to your Facebook group, for easy identification and remember it can only contain 15 characters.
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FREE Toolkit
2. Personalise your Page Add a Profile Photo – choose one that visually represents your network and fits well in small space. It is recommended to use 400x400 pixels. Add a Bio – 160 characters to let people know what your network is about, include useful information, your location and network meeting dates and a link to your Facebook group. Add a Header Image –you can use pictures of your network meetings, where you live, or try graphics with text. Swap this periodically to keep things fresh. It is recommended to use 1500x500 pixels. Now you can tweet about your events (include Eventbrite link) and can follow other local organisations and groups that may be of interest to participants in your group and help you recruit more people to your network.
For more information about using Twitter use the link below: https://business.twitter.com/en/basics.html 21
FREE Toolkit https://www.linkedin.com
LinkedIn had 467 million users as of 2016, and unlike Facebook, and Twitter, is specifically aimed towards a professional market consisting of both individuals and businesses. It is a good place to promote your network add a resource to find potential recruits for you network. If you haven’t already, you will need to set up a personal LinkedIn account before creating a ‘Company Page’ that will be used for promoting the Network. To learn how to set up a personal profile on LinkedIn, use the following link: https://www.thebalance.com/how-to-create-a-great-linkedin-profile-1794573
3. Click the
icon, and then ‘Create a Company Page’
4. Enter the Network Name – this will be your Network’s Company URL and will look like this: linkedin.com/company/[YOUR NETWORK NAME]. You cannot change this after so make sure everything is spelt correctly, the URL must include one non-numeric character for example ‘-‘.
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FREE Toolkit
5. Add a Company/Network Description – This should be similar to your Twitter bio and include what your network is about, useful information, your location and network meeting dates and a link to your Facebook group and Twitter page. 6. Use your Company Page to: - Promote your network to potential recruits/businesses - Display testimonials/recommendations from participants - Post updates – on your meetings, past and future events - Join groups related to your network and interests - Send messages and invitations to those in you network
For more information about using LinkedIn use the link below: https://www.thebalance.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-linkedin-1794739 23
Checklist
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Book venue Make a Doodle Poll Arrange speaker/discussion meeting theme Update Facebook, Eventbrite with details Send reminder email/Facebook message to members, 1 week before event Make sure you have all information needed to make decisions at meeting Attendance List Being part of the FREE project, we need you to keep an attendance list so: - we know meetings are happening regularly and that all is well - we can check that new people are coming along - we can keep an eye on your network, in case you need any support - we can fulfil the needs of the funding programme (Erasmus+, EU)
Insurance
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The Meeting How to Encourage Good Networking Facilitate the networking, split into groups, get people to mix Name badges or sticky labels Encourage everyone to contribute to the meeting and take part Stress the main point of attending meetings is to build trusting relationships. Encourage members to bring along products, leaflets and business cards Facilitate group discussion on particular subjects (e.g. marketing with no money)
Different tools for facilitation As a facilitator planning the structure and content of the sessions is essential. There is a range of ways to structure and guide the sessions that we will provide. As a facilitator you must be passionate and believe in the importance of entrepreneurship yourself. The next section provides a range of different methods that could help you as a facilitator to deliver your sessions.
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The FREE project has developed guides to different tools you can use when facilitating a meeting. They include a short overview of the tool, and then how you can use it in practice in your meetings. We have also included links at the bottom of each guide to find out more information about the range of tools.
In this guide you will find FREE Guides to: Open Space Methodology (pg. 27-28) Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) (pg. 29-32) World Cafe Methodology (pg. 33-35)
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FREE Guide
…to Open Space
Open Space or Open Space Technology (OST) is an innovative way to conduct conferences and meetings, the aim is universal participation where all members become presenters. There are no scheduled speakers, no agenda and no hierarchy, everyone has the chance to participate on an equal footing. OST is based on the belief that participants will contribute effectively in solving problems, if the problem is clear and important to them, and if there is an ‘open space’ to organise themselves within the given framework. Open Space Technology operates on 4 principles and 1 law: 1. Whoever comes are the right people You don’t need lots of people; just the right people. 2. Whatever happens is the only thing that could have happened This principle is all about letting go of expectations 3. Whenever it starts is the right time Creativity does not happen according to a schedule 4. When it’s over, it’s over If it’s done within 10 minutes, move on. If it’s not over, keep going until you’re done. The Law of Two Feet Any person that finds him or himself in a situation where they are neither learning nor contributing should use their two feet and find a more productive discussion.
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FREE Guide
‌to Open Space
We recommend using the Open Space methodology or a modified version of it in one of the earlier meetings, you can use it to identify the needs of your network, and see what people want to get out of their time at the network. 1. Start off with an overview of what Open Space is 2. Put up flipcharts/bits of paper on the wall and prepare post-its, pens 3. Ask members to write down on the post-its (one statement per post-it) what they would like to talk about in the meeting 4. Group the post-its into groups creating topics; a topic for example could be subjects you would like to discuss during meetings or the best ways to brand your product. 5. Once you have your topics, discuss each of them using the post-its. Have a facilitator on each table who can report back to the rest of the group the results of the discussion.
For more information about using Open Space use the links below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_jhcvCYBbg http://www.evoc.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/media/2012/08/24Aug12_TSSG_OpenSpaceTechnology-AUserGuide.pdf
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FREE Guide
…to NLP
NLP is a programme, founded by Bandler and Grinder, which uses methods and models to guide and coach individuals towards specific goals. It can be used to develop and broaden the learners understanding of themselves and their business models. NLP as a facilitation tool can powerfully reconstruct ideas and beliefs. Meta- questions can be used to help each individual understand their own barriers and reach goals they have set. NLP is based on certain presuppositions: everybody is doing the best they can with the resources they have there are no un-resourceful people, only un-resourceful states the person with the most flexibility of behaviour has the greatest influence on others there is no failure, only feedback everyone is in charge of their mind and therefore their results the meaning of your communication is the response you get resistance in a person you are communicating with, is a sign of a lack of rapport. We recommend learning a little about NLP as it helps with facilitation. The FREE project has developed 3 exercises that help participants think about things differently and helps them solve problems together. Exercise 1: Generalisations and Options 1. Look at the following phrases on the left and jot down some of the statements you’ve made in the last week (to yourself as well as to others) that start with those words. Then go back over your list and for each statement ask yourself the questions on the right. ‘I always. . .’ ‘I should. . .’ ‘I ought to. . .’ ‘I must. . .’ ‘I never. . .’
29 if I didn’t…?’ 1. ‘What would happen 2. ‘When did I decide this?’ 3. ‘Is this statement true and helpful for me now?’
FREE Guide
…to NLP
Exercise 1: Generalisations and Options 3. Look at the following phrases on the left and jot down some of the statements you’ve made in the last week (to yourself as well as to others) that start with those words. Then go back over your list and for each statement ask yourself the questions on the right. ‘I always. . .’ ‘I should. . .’ ‘I ought to. . .’ ‘I must. . .’ ‘I never. . .’ ‘I have to. . .’
4. ‘What would happen if I didn’t…?’ 5. ‘When did I decide this?’ 6. ‘Is this statement true and helpful for me now?’
4. Review your list in the light of the questions you asked. Create a revised list for yourself that replaces the words ‘always’, ‘must’, ‘should’, ‘never’, ‘ought to’, and ‘have to’ with the words ‘I choose to…’. By completing this exercise you’re examining some of the types of generalisations that you make (which NLP calls modal operators – as in ‘should’, ‘ought to’, and ‘have to’ – and universal quantifiers – as in ‘always’ and ‘never’. Then, you ask the Meta Model questions (on the right) to explore options for yourself. By revising the statements in step 2, you put yourself back in control of your own decisions and behaviour.
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FREE Guide
…to NLP
Exercise 2: Rapport and Building Relationships rapport: a close and harmonious relationship in which the people or groups concerned understand each other’s feelings or ideas and communicate well 1. Think for a moment about someone with whom you have rapport. What signals do you send out to that person and receive back that allows you to know that you’re on the same wavelength? How do you create and maintain your rapport? 2. Think for a moment about someone with whom you don’t have rapport, but would like to. What signals do you send out to that person and receive back that allows you to know that you’re not on the same wavelength? What gets in the way of creating and maintaining rapport with that person? 3. Think about your experience of the first person. What can you do differently in your behaviour with the second person to help you build a stronger relationship?
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FREE Guide
…to NLP
Exercise 3: Problem Solving Using ‘Meta-Questions’ Often members of your network might come with problems they are having with their professional life, the network is a good place to discuss these challenges as you are all rural female entrepreneurs that are likely to encounter the similar difficulties. Rather than jumping to give advice it can be helpful and more powerful to use specific questioning to help the member with the difficulty come to a solution by herself. Consider some examples below: Surface Structure “She’s always yelling at me, she doesn’t like me”
Deep Structure
Outcome
How does her yelling mean she doesn’t like you?
Gives a counter example
Have you ever yelled at someone you like? “I have to work hard”
‘He makes me mad’
What would happen if you didn’t? You have to work hard or…? How does what he’s doing cause you to choose to feel mad? How specifically does he make you mad?
For more information about using NLP use the links below: https://www.globalnlptraining.com/blog/10-nlp-techniques-groups/ http://www.thecoachingroom.com.au/blog/the-nlp-presuppositions 32
Recovers the effects Recovers the choice
FREE Guide
…to WCM
World Café Methodology (WCM), developed by Brown and Issacs, is a structured conversational process aiming to facilitate open discussion and intimate conversation and access the ‘collective intelligence’ of the room. A café ambience is created to help facilitate conversation and participants move one from table to another and discuss different questions.
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FREE Guide
…to WCM
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FREE Guide
…to WCM
You can use the World Café for a variety of discussions for example you could use questions such as: What are the challenge you have experienced with regards to digital marketing? What are your best tips and stories to improve confidence? Can you brand yourself? Tips and tools for crowdfunding Roles of WCM Host: create a welcoming, informal Café environment welcome the participants inform the participants of the purpose of the gathering pose the questions, make sure they’re visible to everyone at each table Table Host: Remain at the table when others leave; welcome new participants from other tables for next round of conversation. Briefly share key insights from prior conversation to new participants at the table, so others can link and build using ideas from their respective tables. Encourage people at the table to jot down key connections, ideas, and deeper questions as they emerge. For more information about using World Café Methodology use the link below: http://www.theworldcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Cafe-To-Go-Revised.pdf 35
Speakers These can be chosen from within the group or be a local person. All talks should be business focussed and it is important when briefing a speaker that they understand that this is not an opportunity for them to sell their product or service (that should come naturally when a relationship has been established). Speakers may share a business skill, share useful information for businesses or tell their story.
The Power of Storytelling Storytelling is a particularly powerful way of engaging people and teaching people about different perspectives. People relate easily and emotionally to people telling their life stories and they remember them. Telling your story also makes you appear more approachable and audience-friendly. You could encourage your network members to tell their own stories. This will help them organise their ideas and develop their communication skills and will be a good chance for members to get to know each other more deeply. For more information about Storytelling use the link below: https://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2013/02/05/5-secrets-to-using-storytelling-for-brand-marketing-success/#4f475d297d81 36
After the Event After the event it is important to review and evaluate the network meeting, not only for you but so members can give their own input into the network meetings. It is also a vital component of the FREE project; the supporting organisation will need to be emailed a scanned attendance list after every meeting.
FREE Toolkit We recommend using Google Forms (pg. 38-39) to collect evaluations from members. They are easy to prepare and can be sent via email or a link to the form, which is then collected as part of the online software. You can download the answers into an excel file to easily compare results.
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FREE Toolkit https://www.google.co.uk/forms/about/ Google Forms are a good and easy way to create surveys, without the need for special software. You can get instant results and Google Forms allows you to summarise survey results at a glance with charts and graphs. They are saved on Google Drive and you can download results into an Excel file. Google Forms are a good way to get individual feedback from your Network members about how they felt the network meeting went, they are also a requirement of the FREE Project.
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FREE Toolkit 1. Click the link above and choose ‘Blank’ to start a new Form 2. Name your form in the top-left hand corner, for example ‘Network Meeting 1 Feedback’ 3. Add a description in ‘Form Description’ about the purpose of the evaluation and a nice welcoming note to thank members for taking the time to give feedback. 4. Add questions, as you can see on the right there are many variety of questions you can use, for example, the ‘paragraph’ which allows respondents to write a short written answer or multiple choice where respondents can choose from options, e.g. ‘yes’, ‘no’, ‘maybe’. You have the option of making each question a requirement, respondents will then not be able to submit the form without answering them
For more information about using Google Forms use the link below: https://gsuite.google.com/learning-center/products/forms/get-started/#!/ 39
The Important Bits Personal Data Protection All electronic data is covered by data protection legislation. You will be collecting and storing data about people (names, email, address ‌). Make sure that your group complies with data protection legislation in your country. Your support organisation should help you with this.
Network Bank Accounts During the project, your network should operate as non-profit making group. However, there may be situations where a network receives funds which could be regarded as being taxable or where you wish to show members how admission money has been spent. A simple spreadsheet or paper record should suffice. Agree this with your local support organisation. You may wish to operate a bank account for your Network. The type of bank account available to local groups will vary with each country. If you need a bank account, you need to find out the situation locally (visit your bank). We would recommend that you do not open an account as any interest accrued may be treated as profit and create a tax liability. You would also have to constitute your group (This is under UK law but may be similar in other countries). The alternative to opening a specific bank account for the Network is to run the Network Group through an existing business or personal account. If you do this, you must keep very accurate accounts in order that no tax liability is incurred. 40
Succession of Leading Consider the issue of succession from your first meeting as Network Leader. Let everyone know this is a temporary post. By ensuring the group has ownership and the running of the group is shared between several people, the network will continue to run smoothly when a new Network Leader takes over.
Insurance Check if you need insurance, your supporting organisation can help you with this.
Disclaimer Each Local Network group is responsible for its own activities, operations and liabilities and should not discriminate on any grounds against any other member of the group or public. Under no circumstances shall FREE or its partner organisations be liable to the group, for: any costs or expenses, any loss of business, contracts or goodwill, any loss of or damage persons or to personal items occurring at network meetings. The FREE partners do not offer or give any legal advice to any Network Group member as part of network group activity, neither do they make representations or warranties about accuracy, completeness or suitability for any purpose of the information that is provided. All liability howsoever arising for any such inaccuracies or errors is expressly excluded to the fullest extent permitted by law.
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We have come to the end of our guide. Remember you can always enlist the support of your supporting organisation. Now it’s time to take that leap and beginning the process of growing your network.
‘You don’t have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step’
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