Interviews with stakeholders to develop the Federation’s Strategic Plan (III)

In order to develop the Federation’s Strategic Plan and to respond to the needs of SenioriNET members, stakeholder interviews were conducted and a series of questionnaires were administered to member organisations.

These are the most relevant findings. (part 3)

– Very good communication, both internally and externally: ongoing communication of advocacy efforts, which are often invisible; communication to keep members connected and engaged; all successes put on the website; common messages (“Everyone knows the same elevator pitch and says it at a friend’s birthday party on a Saturday night – that’s how you get supporters”)

– Involvement of different members in different working groups and initiatives: “Accountability by assigning different tasks to everyone”.

– Need for representativeness of members: “To know that if I have a problem in a ministry I have a resource person there where I can ask a question, find an answer, set up a meeting and have a discussion partner at central government level.”

– The Federation to provide specialists and specialised training for members (advocacy, legal, etc.)

– Alignment with European standards is an opportunity: EU pillars of social rights, but also adjacent issues (long term care, informal care, discrimination against women, elder abuse) – “The first thing you can do where services are lacking is to support informal care”.