Hannah KitcherManifesto Hannah Kitcher

Proposers: Mark Lewis and Jill Stratton

Meetings attended in 2019 and 2020 (to 16/09/2020): 21 out of 23

It’s been a huge honour and a privilege to serve as a member of the Dons Trust Board for the last two years at what has been a pivotal time in the Club’s history. We are going back to Plough Lane as a fan-owned club!

And I believe I have contributed to some of our successes on your behalf. I am proud to have been a voice against diluting fan-ownership and to see how far we have managed to come since that very dark time last year. 

I’m a more recent addition to the Wimbledon family, but I truly embody the spirit of the Club and I will not let the Club, that so many people have worked so hard for, and that is now so important to me, fall victim to the whims of owners who have little to no regard for what a football club can mean to an entire community.

I might not have been through previous trauma with the Club but I see it and hear it through others. And I could feel it in the back bar at Kingsmeadow on 9 December 2019. I listen to, and learn from members, old and new. This is essential if we’re to attract more fans to our brand new stadium, and look to the future. 

With another term on the Board my primary focus will be to continue to strengthen the Dons Trust through better communications and membership engagement. Getting comms right is not just a principal, it requires effort and thought. I commit to continue putting this in. My day job is in communications and am proud to be able to bring this expertise to the Board. 

I have already put a huge amount into this, which I do not plan to stop. In particular I’ve set up the members-only forum, Proboards, and have helped ensure members receive more regular emails to alert them to important news. This includes when we publish board meeting minutes – fundamental to ensuring that the Dons Trust members hold the Board to account.

More recently I have put much into making sure that, despite the pandemic, members still have the opportunity to have their questions answered and stay up-to-date on Club matters. And so I have led on setting up regular online meetings for members (as well as the Meet the Manager event for all fans).

The meetings allowed us to cover formal business and vote on resolutions in our first ever virtual SGM, as well as providing a space to get to know the Board a bit better, on a more informal basis, through introducing monthly Meet the Board events. All these have meant more members – especially those who are more remote/international – can take part and this is especially important to me. All members must have an equal opportunity to be informed, and have a voice on Dons Trust matters. Decisions should not just up to the Board. We are elected to represent you and so it is our duty to understand what you want. 

So should you choose to re-elect me, I will continue to maximise the potential for technology, and offline methods, for the much needed strategy review. This is a crucial project, and one that will decide what we want the next chapter of our story to look like. This means it has to be member-led, and by as many as possible.  

Finally, despite a desire to be transparent, there are some discussions it is not possible for members to see. However it is important that voters know what I stand for in Board meetings and so by voting for me I want to you to know that you are voting for a commitment to ensuring: 

  • We remain fan-owned
  • The Club operates sustainably – within our means – and that we are doing everything we can to maximise the potential of Plough Lane.
  • Greater transparency from the Board and the Club (one easy-win would be fewer redactions in meeting minutes).
  • All members feel they have a voice and are listened to and that I represent these in all decisions made by the Board
  • Where it is possible to consult with members, we should. When issues are a matter of principle, they should not be dictated by the Board, this is for the members to decide on. 
  • Inclusion. We must always strive to be as inclusive as possible, tolerate no forms of abuse and engage with the wider community. 
  • We are a responsible employer.
  • We maintain and build our volunteer capacity and community ethos.
  • We play a wider role in supporting the wider Football family.
  • We admit to, and learn from our mistakes, and always strive to be better. 

 

Ask me anything:  

hannah.kitcher@thedonstrust.org

Twitter: @hankitcher