1. How did you use the Society Matrix to plan or guide your activity this year?
(e.g. setting goals, tracking progress, prioritising areas)
As a committee, we used the matrix to identify areas where we could improve and thus set goals for the year. We would review it regularly to see where we were.
2. What specific actions or initiatives did your society introduce to improve your matrix score?
(events, campaigns, collaborations, internal changes, etc.)
At the beginning of the year, we went through the matrix to identify where we could improve. We found that collaborations, member numbers, sponsorships, and Green Impact were areas we could improve. We combated this by reaching out to many different societies to organise collaborations and also increased our efforts to create a formal sponsorship with a local Scout group, which stores and insures our kit. We also tried to increase our social media presence, especially during Freshers, where we made some promotional reels.
3. What impact have these actions had on your society or your members?
(growth, engagement, feedback, opportunities, measurable outcomes)
We had a very successful social with the History Society, where we created cardboard castles and a castle-themed quiz. This social ended up being one of our most enjoyed socials of the year. We have also had a 35% increase in members this year and donated our leftover food from camps to the food bank.
4. What was the biggest challenge you faced in working towards the matrix, and how did you overcome it?
The biggest challenge we faced was probably membership numbers, as we are a pretty small and niche society. We tried to overcome this by putting more effort into social media advertising during Freshers and making business cards with important information that freshers could take away from the fair. We ended up with a 35% increase in members, taking us from 29 to 39 members (standard and associate).
5. What advice would you give to other societies looking to improve their performance in the matrix?
We would say identify small things you can do to improve and don't try to use it like a checklist. For us, getting 51+ was probably quite unlikely, so we focused on other areas. Especially some of the higher-weighted areas can do a lot!
Quote
"My favourite thing about SUGS this year has been getting to know new people whilst doing loads of fun and silly activities! From putting up tents blindfolded to bin bag fashion weeks! I enjoyed being part of SUGS so much that I decided to join committee, to help SUGS to continue to be a welcoming, inclusive, supportive and fun place to be and be part of" - Isobel (Vice-President 26/27)
