A recent investigation by the Charity Commission into negative balance sheets found that 10 per cent of the charities they reviewed were experiencing real financial difficulties. Holding financial reserves has traditionally been seen as a way of managing this risk; but the evidence shows that this is not working for many charities. In 2012 Kate […]
The team at ChangeSU asked me to write an article with some observations on what Students’ Unions do well and not so well in comparison to the wider world of organisations. You will appreciate that this is a little daunting, be too praiseworthy and it may appear sycophantic; be too critical and it may prove to […]
The Student Deal: designing genuinely student-centred higher education incorporates thinking on current issues and challenges in higher education. Reflecting the changing dynamics of the higher education system, The Student Deal challenges the limitations of the current thinking about students-as-customers, and the related emphasis on student satisfaction and student journeys. The challenge for universities is to […]
Change is coming Fans of statistics will have no doubt noticed the inexorable slide of traditional commercial income in Unions over the last decade. Almost every annual NUS Services report over this period has remarked on declining sales, and we have told a story of students working harder and drinking less. Eventually this situation creates […]
As the leader and voice for your nonprofit organization, should you as the CEO or executive director use social media as part of your organizational or personal leadership tool set? Certainly, your marketing communications staff has talked about the benefits of effective social media integration that personalizes your organization’s brand with the voice of its […]
“Steal this Idea” is ACUI’s contest seeking the best marketing and promotion ideas. Judges from around the United States examine all the entries, choosing placements for both students and professionals, in addition to the Best of Show. Entries are judged on concept, design, editorial content, and effectiveness. This year, 316 entries were received from 41 schools, […]
I wanted to share some work we have been doing on students’ union satisfaction scores from NSS Q23. First of all a quick ‘then and now’ comparison… The ‘long tail’ of SU scores is now 63%, more than 2012’s 56%, and 3X the university scoring range of about 20%. This is the national equivalent of […]
As with previous years I have put together the full list of NSS Q23 satisfaction scores for each HE union. The full table is below along with scores from the previous two years. This year’s results are more informative than previous years as we can now start to identify trends and develop more accurate insights into […]
UWE, November 1995. I’ll never forget the moment. I was getting my first undergraduate essay back, all sweaty palmed and full of feverish expectation as I snatched the folder from the administrator to see how I’d been judged. Marked. Assessed. Ranked. 45 was the mark. And the comment? “Spend less time working in the bar […]
FXU uniquely brings together students from Falmouth University and the University of Exeter on a shared campus in Cornwall, just outside Falmouth. It celebrates its 10th anniversary this year – we are just a fledging in the world of NUS. But just think of the intricacies and challenges you would normally face and then double […]