Educational but fun: Active Nation makes fi tness accessible, but is also clear in communicating the benefi ts
approach sits very much alongside the government’s Big Society vision to build a stronger society.”
the feelgood factor Getting employees on-board has been key to the organisation’s transformation.
“We did roadshows when we relaunched and I spoke to most of our staff. Many didn’t even know we were a charity. “For any employer to get the most
out of its staff, every employee needs to understand who they work for and what that organisation is trying to do – why it exists. That’s particularly important when you’re a charity. A charity can only exist if it’s benefi ting the public; if it isn’t, it shouldn’t be there. And explaining that – that it wasn’t just about being a leisure centre, but about having an effect on people’s lives – was massively important. It didn’t matter if they were a receptionist, a cleaner, a duty manager or a fi tness instructor. That understanding re-ignited their enthusiasm for sport and exercise and meant they would come to work with a far more positive attitude.” It’s also important for members – or, as Active Nation calls them, supporters – to be brought in on this feelgood factor,
may 2011 © cybertrek 2011
Active Nation has a clear mission statement: ‘Persuading the nation to be active’
says Oxley. “With a customer, there’s only ever a transactional relationship. If we’re truly going to persuade people to commit to a healthy lifestyle, we need to have a far deeper relationship with them. “They’re not just members of a facility:
we need them to join our movement. We want them to be our advocates, to have conversations with their friends and family and promote our message. “And once they know we’re an
organisation trying to do good, rather than just offering a facility and taking their money, they might even view their fee as a donation – as a contribution to the cause.
“In addition, because we’re a
charity, we feel we can be completely transparent. We don’t need separate B2C and B2B strategies: what we communicate to our staff, our clients and our supporters can be the same. There’s nothing to hide because we’re unequivocally driven by our mission. It’s the purest form of organisation I’ve ever worked within because it’s completely credible.”
beyond the facility Nowadays everything about Active Nation is geared around its mission statement, from its name – “we needed
Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital 29
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