27,000 Fellows; 260+ Catalyst applications; 80+ networks: We’re stepping up support for more

There are big changes underway in the Fellowship team.  Michael Ambjorn, Head of Fellowship, guest blogs to explain more...

At the RSA, we’ve been working with Fellowship networks for some years. Our aim has been to provide opportunities for the most active and innovative Fellows to support each other and to help the RSA meet its goals.

I am excited to announce a new phase in our efforts. With the Governance Advisory Group recommendations adopted at last year’s AGM being implemented and the Fellowship survey results in, we are now in a position to refocus our efforts. Specifically, Trustees would like to increase support for high-potential projects.

For this reason, the team will now split into two inter-dependent entities: one focused on the day-to-day work of RSA Fellowship Regions and Nations, working with Fellows where they are; one providing specialised support for Fellowship activity, including our Catalyst seed fund, online community management, communications support and so on.

To focus the mind – the Trustees have asked that by 2015, the RSA should have a well-established series of support mechanisms to ensure that the most active, engaged and innovative Fellows regard the RSA as a major resource for the achievement of their goals. This will mean actively developing those mechanisms in dialogue with Fellows and in response to the findings of the Fellowship survey. It will also mean increasingly focusing our resources on supporting practical, innovative work undertaken by our most active and engaged Fellows.

By restructuring the team we will be able to meet the following specific objectives over the coming years:

• develop clearer access points and information for those active and innovative Fellows wishing to engage with the RSA more closely for the first time;

• raise the number and quality of applications to the Catalyst fund;

• improve the in-kind support and advice offered to Catalyst winners through development of the Skills Bank and improved links with Projects;

• design and resource ‘enhanced support’ for those Fellowship activities that reach the point at which they can achieve significantly increased levels of impact and profile;

• provide greater opportunities for the most active and innovative Fellows to support each other and establish new networks through development of the Skills Bank, holding of more regional, national and international network events and encouraging greater use of on-line resources

We’ve been working closely with the Trustee board and the Fellowship Council leadership on this and we’re now ready to get underway.

Introducing the Regional Programme team – led by Vivs Long-Ferguson

This team will provide support for our Regional, National and Network leaders as well as the RSA Programme as a whole in line with strategy and against a clear set of impact-driven targets. Vivs brings a wealth of experience from the field to this role and is itching to get started – and going forward, the regionally focused Networks Managers will be known as Regional Programme Managers to better reflect what the role entails.

Introducing the Specialist Programme team – led by Jamie Cooke

Charged with supporting the Regional Programme team as well as the RSA Programme as a whole including a series of priority Fellowship projects, this team will be deploying specialist skills in a focused manner.

The RSA Fellowship Regional and Specialist Programme team (née Fellowship Networks) provides support to our most active and innovative Fellows

Later this summer we’ll be introducing a new role – that of Project Engagement Manager designed to meet the strategic imperative around Projects. Sam Thomas has been appointed to this role – yet it will be a transition over time as he is of course currently fully focused on supporting London Region.

To keep things simple, we’re also amending a few job titles in the specialist team to make them better reflect what people do.

This is an exciting next step – stay tuned to this blog to keep posted – and if you are a Fellow and interested in working with us (or know an action-oriented Fellow with rolled up sleeves who you think could make a real difference to the RSA), why not consider responding to today’s call for nominations.

Michael Ambjorn is Head of Fellowship – Follow him @michaelambjorn