Diabetes UK Is Launching Its New Supporting Membership Scheme Today

Main Category: Diabetes
Article Date: 14 May 2009 - 1:00 PDT

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We want our Supporting Members to feel part of an active community of passionate and committed supporters who can make an invaluable contribution to the life and future of people with diabetes.

How the scheme works

With this new scheme, Supporting Members can choose:

- the amount they donate to the charity (though donation levels are suggested)
- the level of their participation
- the amount of information they receive.

Current members will be contacted to explain how the changes affect them and how to access the new benefits.

Recognising that one size doesn't fit all

Satisfying the needs of discerning supporters

"Supporters are more discerning in how and what they support these days, and a one-size-fits-all approach doesn't work any more," said Mike Hilder, Membership Marketing Manager at Diabetes UK.

Striving to improve lives of all people affected by diabetes

"We are moving ourselves from a membership organisation providing benefits for a set fee, to a charity with committed supporters striving to make life better for all people affected by diabetes - by making sure everyone living with diabetes can get the care, the support and the future they deserve.

Encouraging passionate supporters

"Ultimately we want our members to feel they are passionate supporters rather than recipients of a magazine - and Supporting Membership should enable us to engage with them more effectively."

New benefits

Online

Extra benefits include a new Supporting Members-only area of the Diabetes UK website where Supporting Members can take part in debates and discussions, read research reports and blogs, and share ideas.

Supporting Members will also be able to personalise their own homepage with the content they like to look at regularly, including a local events page, and they can submit personal stories, pictures and video blogs in the 'Your experiences' section.

In print

Tailored information will also be available from the many magazines produced by Diabetes UK, such as Balance, which will still appear bi-monthly but with specialist supplements, and an annual edition geared to diabetes type.

More flexible payment options

Supporting Members will also be offered more flexible payment options - donating monthly by direct debit for instance, spreading their donations over the year.

Source
Diabetes UK

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