Cycling UK and Local Groups - how do they interact from a member’s perspective?

[PH]

Contacting any new member of CTC is impossible now due to the Data Protection Act.

That isn't what it says in the MG Handbook.

[Philip Benstead]

Contacting any new member of CTC is impossible now due to the Data Protection Act.

That isn't what it says in the MG Handbook.

Please supply the link, I would suggest it would require a progress going via HQ

[PH]

Contacting any new member of CTC is impossible now due to the Data Protection Act.

That isn't what it says in the MG Handbook.

Please supply the link, I would suggest it would require a progress going via HQ

Log into your Cycling UK account and search it, then look at the roles of Registration Officer and Communications officer.

[Philip Benstead]

That isn't what it says in the MG Handbook.

Please supply the link, I would suggest it would require a progress going via HQ

Log into your Cycling UK account and search it, then look at the roles of Registration Officer and Communications officer.

I cant find the handbook

[PH]

Please supply the link, I would suggest it would require a progress going via HQ

Log into your Cycling UK account and search it, then look at the roles of Registration Officer and Communications officer.

I cant find the handbook

You'll have to take my word for it then.
Alternatively, you could look at the GDPR guidance for groups, which uses sending new members a welcome letter as an example of the things MG's can do.

[gaz]

Contacting any new member of CTC is impossible now due to the Data Protection Act.

GDPR guidance for groups, including procedures to follow to contact new and existing members.

[gaz]

I cant find the handbook

Handbook.

[Philip Benstead]

I cant find the handbook

Handbook.

THANKS, but that's it, I was expecting something more substantial.

[millimole]

It seems very strange to me that there hasn't at least been some attempt to advertise my local group to me but I guess that's part of the 'loose' arrangement!
Thanks again!

My MG used to mail every new CTC member an introductory letter and a copy of our local magazine. In about twenty years I can only recall one member riding with us as a result. That's despite it being a fairly active group with up to five rides a week,

Contacting any new member of CTC is impossible now due to the Data Protection Act.

This is the issue that caused my resignation from the committee of my local DA a lot of years ago.

The old guard of the committee could not understand why head office had started to refuse to send out lists of new members. At the time I had a lot of involvement in the implementation of the new(ish) rules around Data Protection in my day job.

It was very much a case of "we've always done it this way" against "the world has moved on".
My position wasn't helped by asking for the numbers of new riders to the groups that were attracted by this type of contact - I never did get answers, but the weekly rides seemed to have been dropping off in popularity - even all those years ago - for some time. I now don't think the local DA magazine (at the time) was a good recruitment tool anyway.

Knowing what I know now, I'd suggest it might be a simple opt-in on the new member joining form to ask if they would like their details to be passed on to the local organisation for a *one-off* email / postal contact to be made.

[Tinkerbell]

I must admit I don’t understand why CUK HQ don’t use / advertise local clubs (or District Associations and Branches - where they still exist as they do in West Sussex).

I joined The Ramblers last year and within a few days received a welcome letter from my local branch (this seems general practice, not specific to my branch). I don’t understand why CUK can’t do the same…

[AndyK]

I must admit I don’t understand why CUK HQ don’t use / advertise local clubs (or District Associations and Branches - where they still exist as they do in West Sussex).

I joined The Ramblers last year and within a few days received a welcome letter from my local branch (this seems general practice, not specific to my branch). I don’t understand why CUK can’t do the same…

Cycling UK member groups can similarly send an intro email to new members in their area. Ours does. They have to use the central mailshot facility provided by Cycling UK to do it as they don't get to see the new members' contact details. It's a faff but it does work.

What bugs me is (as I pointed out when I was a CUK trustee) that saying "we can't because data protection" is an excuse, not a reason.

If you gather specific, informed consent from the new member when they sign up, then you can share their contact details with member groups without breaking any data protection regulations.

What that means in practice is that the membership form needs a tick-box question along the lines of:

"Many areas of the UK have local Cycling UK Member Groups who organise rides and other activities. If you would like to receive information via email from your local member group, please tick this box."

It would have to be unticked by default, so you wouldn't get everyone, but them's the breaks. It would remove any argument and consenting members' contact info could be shared with the member group.

[Tinkerbell]

Thanks AndyK. I’ll pass the email process on.

I too have noticed (in other contexts) that GDPR has become an excuse (or reason for complex over-engineered processes) - usually by those to idle, or too ignorant of the regulations, to use common sense

It really isn’t rocket science

[Jdsk]

...
What bugs me is (as I pointed out when I was a CUK trustee) that saying "we can't because data protection" is an excuse, not a reason.

If you gather specific, informed consent from the new member when they sign up, then you can share their contact details with member groups without breaking any data protection regulations.
...

I too have noticed (in other contexts) that GDPR has become an excuse (or reason for complex over-engineered processes) - usually by those to idle, or too ignorant of the regulations, to use common sense

It really isn’t rocket science

Me too, in membership associations that aren't connected to cycling.

It takes a bit of work but we've always found solutions. and advice hasn't been hard to find.

Jonathan

[gaz]

What bugs me is (as I pointed out when I was a CUK trustee) that saying "we can't because data protection" is an excuse, not a reason.

If you gather specific, informed consent from the new member when they sign up, then you can share their contact details with member groups without breaking any data protection regulations.

That approach would be compliant with the legislation as it applies to consent but it increases the risk of misuse of data, inadvertent disclosure and hacking.

Cycling UK member groups can similarly send an intro email to new members in their area. Ours does. They have to use the central mailshot facility provided by Cycling UK to do it as they don't get to see the new members' contact details. It's a faff but it does work.

It may be a faff but member data is more secure.

It's also easier to update a single database than to rely on MGs to make amendments to their local 'duplicate' record as new members join, current members change their preferences* and other members leave.


*I've just logged on to check what I am/am not signed up for. There is no way for me to check, I'm simply advised to contact the membership team to update my preferences with neither a list of the available options nor my current preferences. I've emailed for and received both.

[Malky1422]

The CTC is Cycling UK or was. Its all been restructured to Charity status and now is just a campaigning charity it isnt a club anymore. I feel very let down with it, as a full CTC member I was looking forward to the CTC holidays, Birthday Rides, York Rallies, and other events on retiring....all gone. After years of membership the reduced rate for lifers gone and then now all this Woke Ideoligy and progresive rubbish is now gradually pushing me out. I have joined the National Clarion as a private member and I may join their local group and dump all the CUK crap, just not a club and they even got rid of the Winged Wheel, Stanley Cotterall must turning in his grave. Its just for insurance I stay and the local DA but with all the electric bikes speeding the group up and being flashed to blindness with all the flasher read lights many use I think I will be better riding alone and this is how I see it going now for me.