2019 in the rearview mirror: that was the year of change
The year of change has lived up to its reputation. We have examined the subject of change from several perspectives, given ourselves a new set of rules and set the course for the future.
New perspectives and insights: The many faces of change
In 2019, our members truly could not complain that we had withheld anything from them: In the course of numerous events we tried to show them the different facets of Change. The first one was the Book presentation by bestselling author Andreas Salcher, who sketched the thought experiment of a life that lasts only 24 hours. In the shortly following Workshop "How do I tick as a person?" with Karoline Moldaschl-Pree the participants* also got to know her personality. What you can change in your own appearance and what effects you can achieve with it, our alumni learned in March - in Workshop "Rhetoric" with Daniela Strolz-Holzer.
But not only the potential that lies in change on a personal level was explored. There was also a lot of input on areas that are helpful in a professional context: Two experts from the management consultancy Avanade, for example, spent an evening devoting themselves to Obstacles in change projects. In her follow-up workshop on the topic Design Thinking they also gave the participants* an impressive demonstration of how to avoid tunnel vision with creativity techniques. The offer was rounded off with workshops on the following topics constructive error culture, Change with system and Leadership Without Easy Answers.
During the site visits at the MIC Data Processing GmbH and in BMW Group Plant Steyr one thing became clear: Many changes which at first glance appear to have a negative impact on a company often prove to be a stroke of luck on closer inspection. Despite all efforts to place change at the centre of the 2019 event year, there was one constant: the annual Alumni Club Ski Day. Only the excursion destination has changed with Schladming ;)
We would like to thank you for your active participation, which has contributed significantly to the success of the event year 2020! Finally, we ask you to take a few minutes of your time and tell us how you felt about the first theme year of the Alumni Club FH Upper Austria. What did you like? What can we do better in 2020? Tell us your opinion and help us to advance the club. Below you will find the link to the big end-of-year survey 2019.
[to the year-end survey]
Clear commitment: more transparency, fairness and participation
With more than 2,800 members, the Alumni Club FH OÖ is now more than just an association: It is a regional Network of success. As such, it must also give its members sufficient opportunities to participate. A first step in this direction was the introduction of the website categories "speak out" and "Take an active part in shaping the future", through which alumni can get involved with us.
However, a network of this size also needs clear rules to ensure the greatest possible transparency, the equal treatment of members, the responsible use of the funds raised and the expansion or diversification of the range of services offered. In line with its duties, the Executive Board has therefore adopted a series of fundamental resolutions in 2019, which will result in a comprehensive Set of rules poured or into the Privacy policy have been incorporated. Also defined in detail were the Conditions for cooperation with corporate and benefit partners*.
All documents can be viewed at any time on the website of the Alumni Club FH OÖ. The most important changes were made in FAQs are summarised or briefly explained below:
- In future, all members will receive an extract of the data currently stored in our system by e-mail once a year - with the request to check and update it. This will be done for the first time in January 2020, a measure to prevent us from losing contact with one another.
- In order to improve the data quality and to be able to reach our members better in the future, the indication of a mobile phone number is mandatory for new registrations with immediate effect. Furthermore, students can no longer register with their @students.fh address, but only with their private e-mail address.
- From 2020, the membership fee is only payable by direct debit. The reason for this is that the administration of manual bookings is very time and resource consuming. Members who wish to register as new members can therefore only do so by providing their bank details. Registered members are also no longer able to change their payment method in Member portal to switch to wire transfer. However, it is possible to change the bank details at any time. In well justified exceptional cases e.g. invoice is to be issued to a company), you can request a changeover to bank transfer by sending us an e-mail.
- In order to expand and diversify our range of services, the membership fee will be raised to EUR 30 from 2020. Due to this adjustment, the membership will not be extended automatically on 01.01.2020 this time, but only on 01.02.2020. We will inform you about our plans in detail in the next newsletters.
- In the spirit of equal treatment, the obligation to pay contributions will in future apply to all alumni - regardless of whether they live in Germany or abroad.
- In 2019, an average of more than 25% of the registered participants in events such as workshops with costs have cancelled their registration at short notice or have stayed away without excuse. This circumstance unfortunately forces us to collect participation fees in advance by bank transfer from February 2020. For this purpose we will also issue deductible invoices in the future.
Association management strengthened: proof of confidence of the members
2019 was also the year of landmark decisions. So was the fifth general meeting of the Alumni Club FH Oberösterreich also the weakest visited in history. Just 17 participants* came to set the course for the future on behalf of the club, which has over 2,800 members. The members present, however, drew a clear picture of their ideas for the future: They unanimously agreed to strengthen the management of the association by electing new Members of the Board zu verstärken und ihnen durch die Änderung der Association statutes to grant more flexibility and a greater scope for action and design.
In addition, the board's wish was complied with to let the four sections of the Alumni Club FH OÖ grow together and to formally equip representatives of the FH OÖ with more competences to help shape the fate of the club. This desire for closer cooperation with the Upper Austrian University of Applied Sciences was confirmed by the members by electing the first chairperson of a newly founded expert advisory board. In the future, this advisory board will assist the executive committee by preparing draft resolutions. The members gave the association's management the clear mandate to take on more strategic and operative responsibility for advancing the alumni network in the future with the unanimous decision to hold ordinary general meetings only every four years.
The Alumni Club FH OÖ says "Thank you" for the trust you have placed in us over the past months and years and says goodbye to the well-deserved Christmas holiday. On 7.1.2020 we will be back - with new energy, new zeal and a new theme year. In the meantime we wish you happy holidays and a happy new year!
