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Outgoing chair Martin G Bell admitted there has been a fall in membership numbers to around 12,000 during the Institute for Workplace and Facilities Management AGM which was held on Thursday. He also added that: “much needs to be done to map out our member value proposition while the Institute works on a competence route towards chartered status.”
The finance update confirmed how badly Institute has been affected by Covid, with a fall in income of 18 per cent in 2020, membership income down by 7 per cent and IWFM suffering a 15 per cent reduction in sales. The Institute has sought government help through the furlough scheme totalling £78,000 for the year, PAYE deferrals of £193K to be paid back on the 3rd October and a loan of £100,000.
Interestingly, the main drivers for increasing income in 2021 appear to revolve around training, with IWFM direct, the digital learning solution forecast to be £147K up in 2021, and revenue predicted to be up £60K up for assessment services.
Challenged about allegations that the Institute’s Communities Report has revealed a dichotomy between head office and IWFM membership, CEO Linda Hausmanis said: “We the board, our committees and members are committed to working together to foster a culture of trust to help IWFM become a thriving body. The hard work starts now as we work through the communities report recommendations and begin our five-year plan.”
“We are a going concern, and given the overall context, we’ve done extraordinarily well to be in the position we’re in,” was the riposte of Bell regarding concerns about falling membership numbers and financial challenges ahead.
