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• 7 ways we work for our members

7 ways we work for our members

Consumers International (CI) exists because of its membership. Since CI's creation in 1950, the goal of this international fraternity of consumer rights groups has been to serve and support the needs of its member organisations. The method and means by which this is done may have changed significantly over the years, but the value we place on enhancing the effectiveness of members' campaigns, broadening their influence and supporting their development remains central.

A huge variety of organisations make up Consumers International. Our largest member has 500 staff and an annual turnover of USD160 million. Some of our smallest members are made up of no more than one or two volunteers, using a living room as a campaigns office. We have over 220 members representing more than 110 countries across the world, with two-thirds of our membership active in the developing world.

For us to truly represent all these interests; and to fairly claim to be 'the global voice for consumers', we must find ways of providing value to all of these organisations.

Here are some of the various ways in which we do this.

1. Helping members achieve their campaign goals

2. Providing members with access to and expertise on the international scene

3. Our network gives members the opportunity to learn from others

4. Helping to develop strong consumer advocates

5. Helping you find longer-term support

6. We provide support staff at every level

7. Making sure members are heard

 

1. Helping members achieve their campaign goals

Providing international support for national consumer rights advocacy is the bedrock of CI. The founding member organisations saw CI as a global association for sharing research and expertise on product testing, and, over several decades, CI has convened and facilitated global campaign networks on pesticides, health issues, baby milk formula and many others.

Today, we do this is in a number of ways: from providing accreditation to international governing bodies like the UN, WHO, ISO and G20, and expert advice on how these frameworks function, to coordinating consumer group delegations to major international summits. We also facilitate requests from global governing bodies for consumer group engagement in their processes.

In recent years, we have brought together national consumer groups to successfully lobby the WHO for better junk food marketing guidelines for national legislators. We have helped provide consumer group access and influence on a range of ISO working groups, putting our members at the very heart of the standards-setting agenda. And in July 2011, through CI's long-standing access to the Codex Alimentarius Commission, CI members helped secure new global GMO guidelines, meaning all consumer groups have a greater chance of lobbying successfully for GM labelling at the national level.

There is no clearer indication of CI's campaigning value than our successful lobbying of the G20 to recognise the need to address financial consumer protection. Financial services is a headline issue for nearly  all our members, and all those involved in this campaign can and should claim a slice of the success so far. But CI's role in coordinating the advocacy efforts of G20 economies member organisations and beyond was central to securing G20 action.

Over a very short period of time, CI has positioned itself as the 'go to' international NGO on financial consumer protection. The G20, the OECD and national governments recognise the collective expertise of the global consumer movement, and the substantial constituency we represent.  Such a position gives us authority and legitimacy in the eyes of our campaign targets, and, we hope, incredible value in the eyes of a campaigning membership.

2. Providing members with access to and expertise on the international scene

As the only global consumer organisation, we are the entry point for consumer groups wishing to lobby international governing bodies. This provides members with accreditation to over 30 international bodies and their relevant sub-committees.

This is a unique value to our membership and something that cannot be accessed at a national or regional level. We work hard to maintain these openings within the global governance community, and position ourselves as experts on these processes should our members require access.

 

3. Our network gives members the opportunity to learn from others

Whether it is virtual or in person, networking is at the heart of any good member organisation. CI provides unprecedented opportunities for our members to exchange ideas with each other, and hear from other stakeholders too.

The flagship networking event for CI is, of course, the World Congress - the 2011 event attracting over 500 delegates from 80 counties. CI Congresses take years of planning and consistently provide members with world-class speakers and cutting-edge debate. But we also arrange regular regional meetings, campaign dialogues and policy consultations designed to get members fully involved in tackling common concerns.

We also facilitate the TransAtlantic Consumer Dialogue, helping consumer groups in the EU and North America construct shared policy goals.

The CI website is a window on the global consumer rights movement, and we are working to highlight the breadth and depth of our membership. Not only is there an advanced search facility offering a range of ways for users to find details of member organisations; but we regularly feature global member activity on our homepage, and member expert commentary via our blogs.

Our communications team work hard to seek out interesting member stories, but we need members' help to showcase the best of their work. Please, take up the opportunity to tell a global audience about your organisation: email your news to consint@consint.org.

And remember, we're multilingual. We have dedicated online services in English and Spanish, with selected content in French, and further materials in Arabic, Chinese, Portuguese, Russian and more.

Our online services don't end there. We seek to provide optimum value and support by utilising the best of new and social media tools. These include Blogspot, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, together with newsletters and email updates.

 

4. Helping to develop strong consumer advocates

Being a CI member organisation means having access to world-class consumer rights expertise, both from within CI and through the member network. We are able to draw on over 50 years of experience and over 220 organisations to help members develop consumer protection law and consumer rights advocacy.

Not only do we try to facilitate this exchange of knowledge through our communication services and networking opportunities, but also in structured ways via internships and capacity building projects.

We are currently working with members to develop landmark consumer protection in a number of countries, including Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, the Caribbean, El Salvador, Peru, and across Southern and Eastern Africa.

Through the Rhoda Karpatkin internship scheme, we have been able to give young consumer advocates placements at the CI office in London, offering them a unique insight into the consumer movement. This scheme, funded by the Consumers Union of the US, has recently brought advocates to London from member organisations in Argentina, Armenia, Brazil, Cameroon, Fiji, Kenya, Lebanon, South Africa and Tanzania.

CI also administers a number of grants to help build strong consumer organisations worldwide. Members can apply for grants such as the Anne Fransen Fund which provides members in developing countries with funds to enable them carry out capacity building and campaigning projects. The Green Action Fund enables CI members in developing countries to carry out awareness-raising campaigns about sustainable consumption, with an emphasis on environmental issues.

And on the global policy level, we are constantly monitoring opportunities to improve frameworks and legislation, making sure agreements such as the UN Guidelines on Consumer Protection serve our members' interests.

'Our Members> Member Support' section of the CI website offers dozens of guides and support documents specifically tailored by CI for the needs of our membership. Here are just a few examples of what you can find there:

Writing a constitution How to ensure that an organisation operates well and under clear rules in order to maintain public trust and proper accountability.

Improving communication skills Writing tips and guidelines to improve communication skills within your organisation.

How to evaluate your capacity A questionnaire to help consumer organisations assess their level of development.

Getting Funding What model should you choose to generate funds?

5. Helping you find longer-term support

CI has a small, but highly dedicated fundraising team. Working across the international donor landscape, they have an expert knowledge of how and where to access appropriate government, foundation and institutional funding bodies.

It is an incredibly competitive market for securing donor funds at present, but CI's unique position as an international NGO, as well as a UK charity, gives us a level of donor access that national organisations could not secure on their own.

During the current strategic period (2007-2011), CI has secured £2.76 million in donor project funds. Of this, 56% was transferred directly to member organisations as part of CI projects, and a further 15% was spent on CI workshops and activities directly related to those member activities.

In other words, 71% of all the money CI raised outside of member fees has gone directly into the work of our membership. The remaining 29% covers the costs of CI campaigns, projects, communications and support staff, who are crucial to the successful delivery of these funded programmes.

We are now looking at forging longer-term partnerships with bodies interested in the development of social movements with the aim of helping to develop sustainable consumer advocacy bodies in parts of the world where they are not yet fully operational.

6. We provide support staff at every level

As an organisation, we are structured to provide members with support at every level.

Our projects team offers assistance to all members involved in CI's funded activities. From understanding compliance procedures, to coordinating joint reports the projects staff are here to ensure donor expectations are met and that member organisations get the most out of the experience.

Our campaigns and communications teams are focused on making our shared advocacy goals a success. Not only do they represent and lobby for our headline campaigns at the international level, they provide CI members with research data, campaign activity materials, press briefings, publications and promotional media. One need only look to the growing success of World Consumer Rights Day to see the popularity of this outreach work - member involvement in CI-coordinated activities grew by over a third between 2008 and 2011.

And of course, CI's member services staff are the frontline support personnel across our four offices. They are here to help all of our members with enquiries about being a CI member, gaining governing body accreditation, using our services and engaging with the international movement.

7. Making sure members are heard

Our members' priorities must be reflected in our own. To make sure this is always the case we conduct regular surveys of member CEOs and expert opinion on everything from campaign topics to social media strategies. Our methods range from qualitative consultations, right through to face to face conversations.

Our regional offices for Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and Latin America and the Caribbean are in regular consultation with our members in those regions, giving them access to like-minded organisations, and ensuring our global objectives are reflective of their needs. Our Global Office in London, together with our TransAtlantic Consumer Dialogue, provides similar access and input for Europe and North America.

We are a democratic organisation. Every Full member has the opportunity to stand for election to the CI council and executive board, who in turn set the overall objectives for the organisation. Such accountability, and the responsibilities which follow, are at the heart of our ways of working.