Benefits of LINK Membership
The Benefits of LINK Membership
LINK’s strategic objectives are for a sustainable
LINK’s core functions are facilitating information sharing, discussion, and joint action. LINK members drive the annual work programme supported by core and project staff. Members are encouraged to make use of the full range of services offered by LINK and participate across the wide range of available opportunities.
Information sharing services include:
- Parliamentary Monitoring: a weekly digest of what is happening in the Scottish Parliament related to member bodies' interests, as well as news from the Scottish Government and the wider political scene.
- European Monitoring: a monthly digest of EU information and opportunities.
- Members' Bulletin: a monthly round-up of initiatives, consultations, member's news, and reports on LINK-wide activity.
- email alerts according to your organization’s interests.
- Members’ website with all details of contacts, key outputs, forthcoming opportunities and key network records.
- articles in the tri-annual LINK newsletter.
Participation opportunities include:
- Working with other member bodies through LINK's Task Forces on specific topic areas; sharing information, diversity of approaches, generating interest in your concerns and contributing to LINK's joint positions. Task Force members represent the network on many government sponsored forums.
- Quarterly network meetings of members, task forces and trustees, where intelligence is shared, progress is evaluated and future action agreed.
- Taking part in meetings with ministers, civil servants, agencies, and other sectors, and shaping these agendas.
- Representing the network on stakeholder groups, giving evidence to Parliament and communicating to media.
- Joint campaigning, currently on Marine.
- Training days
- Shaping and taking part in initiatives such as Scottish Environment Week annually in the Scottish Parliament, and the members' annual Congress.
- Voting on LINK decisions, including appointment of office bearers, and nominations for office, standing for office and contributing to LINK's direction.
- Supporting wider policy statements, consultation responses, briefings, commissioned reports etc.
- Networking opportunities at party conferences, LINK festive reception, Parliamentary receptions and events.
Wider benefits of membership include:
- Strengthened roles of smaller NGOs, added credibility for larger NGOs
- Avoiding overlap or duplication
- Development of a more informed approach for individual organisations
- Broadening each others’ agendas
- Getting an issue on the agenda which an organization cannot take forward alone
- Sharing skills and diversity of approaches to issues
- Recognizing issues where conflict may occur and building consensus
- Development of trust within the network
Membership of LINK is a wise investment which pays dividends in terms of added clout, credibility, relationships, agenda-setting, support, skills development and access to other sectors.
Read more about joining LINK as an organisation, or as an individual.
