RSL Queensland Annual Report 2020

57 RSL Queensland Annual Report | 2020 SUPPORTING OUR MEMBERS Our members are the heart and soul of RSL Queensland. They volunteer hundreds of hours of their time to help fellow veterans in need, provide opportunities for social connection, and commemorate important anniversaries. We would not be able to look after veterans in local communities or deliver our services so broadly without them. As of December, there were over 34,000 members attached to 235 Sub Branches across the state. We know that we need to grow our membership to ensure the future of RSL Queensland and preserve our heritage for the next 100 years. This year, as part of our Strategic Plan, we established the Membership & Network portfolio to revitalise the support we provide members and Sub Branches, and safeguard their role in the organisation. The Membership & Network team is dedicated to supporting our Sub Branches as they navigate unique challenges, including membership growth, financial sustainability, marketing and technology support, and advocacy training. The team is resourced to work alongside our Sub Branch volunteers to help them grow and thrive, now and into the future. With the objective of rebuilding trust and relationships with Sub Branches and providing a better level of support, a significant Sub Branch Discovery Project commenced in 2020. The Membership & Network team visited Sub Branches throughout the state to listen to members and understand their challenges and needs and work together to identify ways forward. By mid-December, the team had visited 120 Sub Branches and spoken to over 400 members, with more visits to come in the first half of 2021. The Discovery Project aimed to ask Sub Branches significant questions around their biggest challenges, what’s important to them, what they want to achieve, and, importantly, how State Branch can help and best enable them. Annual Highlights Supporting Our Members RSL Queensland members* *as of 31 December 2020 Service members 31,848 Citizens' Auxiliary members 750 Women's Auxiliary members 537 Non-League members 1,055 Our members are the heart and soul of RSL Queensland / Continued on next page