The Dons Trust Board would like to make sure that questions raised to us that have wider interest to members are published on our website, so as many people as possible can see the questions and answers provided.
The remit of the Dons Trust Board is to help set strategy, then oversee and hold the Club to account. Lots of the operational questions we get are ones for Club staff, which we pass on when relevant. Sometimes, the Club may not be able to answer, due to commercial and personnel sensitives.
There is a presentation in pdf format with more information about how the boards operate, from the recent AFCW PLC SGM over on their web page here.
With all that in mind, we’ve collated some questions we’ve been asked recently by members on ProBoards, social media, email and in person and published our answers as we have them here.
In May we published an update that include the DT’s first ever Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), historical membership data and some detail on Trust finances. This led to some positive feedback and the following questions, which we have tried to answer as fully as possible here.
KPIs
Are the AFC Wimbledon Club KPIs published anywhere?
The detailed KPIs for the Club contain commercially confidential information. We, as an oversight board need to know that they exist, and are being managed, but we don’t think it is appropriate to publish the detailed measures.
Can we include KPIs around engagement with members? Particularly two-way engagement, not only broadcast.
Yes, we are in the first year of having/publishing KPIs, so we are currently dependent on the data we have. We will be adding more KPIs when the data becomes available to us. We are hopeful that the new website platform due to be launched this summer, which will host Club and Trust content, will give us much better data on engagement and allow us to build more two-way KPIs.
We have a desire to more regularly poll and survey members to get their views and this will also help with developing the right kind of KPIs for engagement.
Managing finances, equity and debt
We are Wimbledon Fund (WAWF) and fundraising
We already have the structure in place both for regular donations to the WAWF, which currently go towards the men’s team budget and the Dons Draw, which raises funds for the Academy. Both have slowed down over time but with the right marketing behind them they are great tools to raise money.
Fundraising theme group
The board are constituting a new fundraising theme group, which will have members from the board, finance committee and our wider membership. The group will have a remit to launch and run campaigns to help support the playing budget, equity purchases, debt repayment etc. If you’d like to volunteer to help this new theme group please email contact@thedonstrust.org.
Season tickets and memberships for 2024/25
Working together, the Club leadership and the Dons Trust Board included membership to the Dons Trust with season tickets for the first time this season.
This is a project aimed at bringing as many fans into the Trust as possible and part of the Club’s growth strategy. We believe, and it’s a central part of AFC Wimbledon’s growth strategy, that the more Trust members we have the better for the long-term sustainability and success of Wimbledon football.
Members have raised questions about the detail and the process, we have tried to cover as many of them as possible in our FAQ.
Initiating the scheme
We’ve been asked whose idea and who was the driving force behind bringing membership and season tickets together.
It’s been an idea that has been discussed since around 2004, when our Supporters Direct caseworker first proposed it. At the time it was thought not feasible for VAT reasons, which is no longer the case.
Since then, it has come up in many discussions and features in the minutes of several board meetings over the years. This version of this initiative came up in member surveys in 2022 and various Club and board members have been working on its feasibility since then. It gained momentum in 2023 and we decided with the Club that the 2024/25 season would be the right time to launch.
Communicating the scheme
Our communications haven’t been perfect, but we have always started from a point of trying to communicate as early and as clearly with members as possible.
The membership scheme is something the Club leadership and the Dons Trust Board were keen to implement. Some operational difficulties with the ticketing platform, coupled with an incoming new MD and the timings of Trust and Club meetings meant that the process internally and externally was not as smooth as any of us would like.
However, we are confident that we are now in a good place for next season. We will have a record number of members, and it looks like we will have record season ticket sales. The onus now is on us all to make the most of this fantastic opportunity to engage the widest community of people as possible with the positivity of our fan ownership model.
We had some very detailed questions about specific wording of proposals, sales pages and Ts&Cs.
These are broadly Club operational decisions to help maximise the growth of Dons Trust membership. The Dons Trust Board have no issues with the wording used and will not be changing it any further.
The big picture win for us here is that the Club marketing hasn’t included Dons Trust membership for years. From now onwards, we can and will work together, with support of the Club, to promote membership to many more people.
We are a fan and member owned Club, so the more members we have, the more we grow the demographic diversity of our membership the more sustainable our future is.
Dons Trust membership fees for 24/25
As in our FAQ, Dons Trust membership for next season is available without the Club benefits, but with all the usual Trust rights, for £30 (adults) and £15 (concessions).
Memberships will go on sale at these new prices for the new 2024/25 season soon.
Membership including Rights and Benefits is £50 (adults) and £35 (concessions), again this will be available for non-season ticket holders to purchase soon.
Continuing membership approach in the future
For the reasons outlined above, the board and the Club and PLC leadership believe this membership approach is the right one. But nothing is set in stone, and if data and research show this years approach is not the right one, we can always change our approach as any good, innovative organisation would.
Use of Proboards
Some questions have been asked about the board using ProBoards.
We’ve included questions around members’ use and views of ProBoards in the latest surveys and will be discussing it at our upcoming board meetings.