FOH email.

[Toxteth O'Grady]

1 hour ago, kingantti1874 said:

Direct response to Gerry Mallon being called out on here imo.  And the email has little to no substance. 
 

maintain he’s not doing enough and in retrospect was a poor choice 

Correct 

[Bull's-eye]

22 minutes ago, washniklaw said:

While I have been a little underwhelmed by FOH communication my son (age 10) has been part of the discussions regarding family pledges and junior FOH. What is instantly obvious is how professional and thoughtful the people involved have been. Nothing is being rolled out without numerous meetings and discussions to iron out any issues before going public. Mallon given some Tesco Bank people the roles of voluntary consultants so it’s all very professional. I think it will be delivered well and we will see an upturn in quality moving forward.

 

This post needs highlighting for the hard of thinking that need to read things multiple times before it sinks in.

 

Hopefully a few other will repost to help the cause.

[Jambo-Fox]

I had to read the e mail twice just to make sure I’d not missed anything important! Good news is I didn’t, bad news is I had to read it twice ….

 

My out-take is … “we’ve listened to the members, we are going to announce some stuff soon (which isn’t transformational), it’s what the members asked for so don’t blame us!”

 

It’s typical management ‘spin’, I’ve been there & done it!

 

Anyway good luck to them,

they’re unpaid and doing their best!
 

As long as they keep the FOH alive and thriving it’s about all we can ask for!!

 

[lost in space]

47 minutes ago, db211833 said:

So a decent update about what is coming?

No.

It's main ficus is the "new strategy" - which describes what they should have been doing all along.

Looks as though it has been written by a politicians speech writter.

JAM TOMORROW.

[Chuck Berry]

25 minutes ago, Bull's-eye said:

 

This post needs highlighting for the hard of thinking that need to read things multiple times before it sinks in.

 

Hopefully a few other will repost to help the cause.

 

Is every single post you make a combination of defending the club board/FoH board to the hilt and attacking people for their views that differ from your own. 

 

All from your lofty section PR perch of course.

 

Edited October 6, 2023 by Chuck Berry

[Snedescu]

Could someone copy and paste the email? I haven’t received it through yet. 

[Chuck Berry]

FoH UPDATE
October 2023

Dear Owner

Looking forward – an update on recent activity

I’m very conscious that it has been a while since we provided an update to you, so let me begin by apologising for this delay in getting back to you. There has been a lot going on behind the scenes, though, and I wanted to bring you up to date on a number of initiatives which are aimed at taking the Foundation on to a new level as we continue along the road in our organisation’s journey, one which looks forward and charts the way ahead for development and growth.

First and most significantly, we have been focusing on the creation of a new strategy for the Foundation to reflect where we are now and what we aim to achieve in the coming years. The strategy, while led by the Foundation board, has been put together on the back of feedback and views we have heard from Foundation members, for which we are extremely grateful. The strategy is led by a new vision – one which has at its core every Hearts fan being a co-owner of their club.

Increasing the Foundation’s levels of donations to the club is also a hugely significant objective outlined in the strategy, and we have set a number of key targets on this front. Clearly if we can achieve our targets, the resources of the club will be greatly strengthened. That, ultimately, is what the Foundation is all about – helping to ensure that Heart of Midlothian grows, prospers, and competes at the highest level of Scottish football and beyond.

The strategy will be launched later this month after some final tuning by the board members and I look forward to sharing it with you. As part of the strategy, we will be increasing the level of consultation with our fellow owners and, on a practical level, we will be supported by the Foundation’s marketing group and the club itself in its delivery. The marketing group provides valuable help and expertise to the board and I’m delighted to let you know that it has recently been strengthened through the recruitment of two new members, Eilidh Doyle and Claire Hammond.

Beyond the strategy, two other major projects are reaching fruition. First, the Foundation’s ttech upgrade, led by Andrew Brown and including a new website, will be unveiled within the next few weeks and will provide much-improved routes of communication, as well as a better service for owners, including the management and accessibility of pledger accounts.

Secondly, we are close to finalising the plans for engaging with younger members of the Hearts community and bringing them into Foundation membership. Again, this is an extremely important project, one which is aimed to ensure that the legacy which is being passed on by the current generations is picked up by the next generations. While acknowledging past achievements is rightly part of our DNA, we must increasingly look forward. This project, led by Louise Strutt and currently given the title of the family pledge, addresses this challenge head on.

As all of these initiatives, which have involved a great deal of work away from the public eye, are unveiled, I would highlight again that engagement with Foundation co-owners will be increased. What this amazing organisation has achieved to date has been as a result of working together and we aim to build on this principle. This approach has been enshrined in the forthcoming strategy and as ever, we very much welcome hearing your views, not least through the main FoH email [email protected]. As I’ve said previously, we do share these views, including those expressed on the early season form of the men’s team, with the club executives who are responsible for the day-to-day running of the club. We will certainly be continuing this practice.

Finally, at the start of next week we will be taking the first steps towards this year’s AGM and the board elections. For the election this year, we will be looking to recruit two specialist posts and details of these will be announced next week. It is a huge honour to serve on the board of the Foundation and we look forward to seeing the new board take shape as we move into 2024 and the club’s 150th anniversary celebrations.

With very best wishes

Gerry Mallon
Chairman, Foundation of Hearts

[GavK1012]

1 minute ago, Snedescu said:

Could someone copy and paste the email? I haven’t received it through yet. 

It's really not worth reading tbh

[Snedescu]

1 minute ago, Chuck Berry said:

FoH UPDATE
October 2023

Dear Owner

Looking forward – an update on recent activity

I’m very conscious that it has been a while since we provided an update to you, so let me begin by apologising for this delay in getting back to you. There has been a lot going on behind the scenes, though, and I wanted to bring you up to date on a number of initiatives which are aimed at taking the Foundation on to a new level as we continue along the road in our organisation’s journey, one which looks forward and charts the way ahead for development and growth.

First and most significantly, we have been focusing on the creation of a new strategy for the Foundation to reflect where we are now and what we aim to achieve in the coming years. The strategy, while led by the Foundation board, has been put together on the back of feedback and views we have heard from Foundation members, for which we are extremely grateful. The strategy is led by a new vision – one which has at its core every Hearts fan being a co-owner of their club.

Increasing the Foundation’s levels of donations to the club is also a hugely significant objective outlined in the strategy, and we have set a number of key targets on this front. Clearly if we can achieve our targets, the resources of the club will be greatly strengthened. That, ultimately, is what the Foundation is all about – helping to ensure that Heart of Midlothian grows, prospers, and competes at the highest level of Scottish football and beyond.

The strategy will be launched later this month after some final tuning by the board members and I look forward to sharing it with you. As part of the strategy, we will be increasing the level of consultation with our fellow owners and, on a practical level, we will be supported by the Foundation’s marketing group and the club itself in its delivery. The marketing group provides valuable help and expertise to the board and I’m delighted to let you know that it has recently been strengthened through the recruitment of two new members, Eilidh Doyle and Claire Hammond.

Beyond the strategy, two other major projects are reaching fruition. First, the Foundation’s ttech upgrade, led by Andrew Brown and including a new website, will be unveiled within the next few weeks and will provide much-improved routes of communication, as well as a better service for owners, including the management and accessibility of pledger accounts.

Secondly, we are close to finalising the plans for engaging with younger members of the Hearts community and bringing them into Foundation membership. Again, this is an extremely important project, one which is aimed to ensure that the legacy which is being passed on by the current generations is picked up by the next generations. While acknowledging past achievements is rightly part of our DNA, we must increasingly look forward. This project, led by Louise Strutt and currently given the title of the family pledge, addresses this challenge head on.

As all of these initiatives, which have involved a great deal of work away from the public eye, are unveiled, I would highlight again that engagement with Foundation co-owners will be increased. What this amazing organisation has achieved to date has been as a result of working together and we aim to build on this principle. This approach has been enshrined in the forthcoming strategy and as ever, we very much welcome hearing your views, not least through the main FoH email [email protected]. As I’ve said previously, we do share these views, including those expressed on the early season form of the men’s team, with the club executives who are responsible for the day-to-day running of the club. We will certainly be continuing this practice.

Finally, at the start of next week we will be taking the first steps towards this year’s AGM and the board elections. For the election this year, we will be looking to recruit two specialist posts and details of these will be announced next week. It is a huge honour to serve on the board of the Foundation and we look forward to seeing the new board take shape as we move into 2024 and the club’s 150th anniversary celebrations.

With very best wishes

Gerry Mallon
Chairman, Foundation of Hearts

Thanks Chuck

[Chuck Berry]

It's at least communication, which is more that we've had in the last 8 months, which was nothing.

 

It's encouraging to read that things are going on in the background and have been for some time, so why not tell us that as they went along?    Someone said jam tomorrow [again] who knows, hopefully not.

 

Now that we have had this, let's see what happens between now and the end of the year.

[Jambo-Fox]

Just now, Chuck Berry said:

It's at least communication, which is more that we've had in the last 8 months, which was nothing.

 

It's encouraging to read that things are going on in the background and have been for some time, so why not tell us that as they went along?    Someone said jam tomorrow [again] who knows, hopefully not.

 

Now that we have had this, let's see what happens between now and the end of the year.

Are some of the Board up for re-election towards the end of this year??

[Lone Striker]

This "new strategy" sounds intriguing.   Having dabbled in business strategies briefly a while back, my memory  is that when senior  management announce a new one they seldom make you go "Wow, thats a completely new approach". 

 

 In the context of what FoH's purpose is - which is to attract  new members and encourage increased pledge amounts -  its hard to envisage much scope for doing anything differently, especially since the whole thing is voluntary.   

 

Maybe arrange for new  young members to get a tour of the stadium, or a free lunch in the Skyline with their parents ?  Not sure that constitutes a strategy change though......

[Philfigo]

"Apologies for not getting back to you" in the opening part is really poor.  To me clearly only indicates that they have felt pressures to put a statement out. Apologise like they have forgotten that thousands contribute £150,000 each month. How can they forget to communicate to the very people who are contributing to them to be in existence. A lengthy email which you have to read several times to see what the hell he is even on about. 

[OldGorgie]

19 minutes ago, Jambo-Fox said:

Are some of the Board up for re-election towards the end of this year??

After that email, they certainly should be. 

[Footballfirst]

13 minutes ago, Philfigo said:

"Apologies for not getting back to you" in the opening part is really poor.  To me clearly only indicates that they have felt pressures to put a statement out. 

Could be because last month's donations were are the lowest they have been for two years.

 

With the inflationary pressures that we have seen over the same period, it's no great surprise that donations have drifted down a touch (£138,881 still ain't too bad).

[Bull's-eye]

28 minutes ago, Chuck Berry said:

 

Is every single post you make a combination of defending the club board/FoH board to the hilt and attacking people for their views that differ from your own. 

 

All from your lofty section PR perch of course.

 

 

Quite the opposite, i criticise when its justified, i applaud when its justified. I deal in fact not fiction unless otherwise stated.

 

My perch in PR isnt that lofty though.

 

Glad we cleared that up and ive now popped you onto ignore with the rest of your ilk.

 

Enjoy the game tomorrow 👍

[Jambo-Fox]

27 minutes ago, Lone Striker said:

This "new strategy" sounds intriguing.   Having dabbled in business strategies briefly a while back, my memory  is that when senior  management announce a new one they seldom make you go "Wow, thats a completely new approach". 

 

 In the context of what FoH's purpose is - which is to attract  new members and encourage increased pledge amounts -  its hard to envisage much scope for doing anything differently, especially since the whole thing is voluntary.   

 

Maybe arrange for new  young members to get a tour of the stadium, or a free lunch in the Skyline with their parents ?  Not sure that constitutes a strategy change though......

Is this really it? Ie purpose of the FOH?

 

“attract new members and encourage increased pledge amounts”

 

Are you really sure this is the purpose of the FOH???

[Gards]

The FOH have been very poor on communications over the last couple of years.

 

If i was contributing to something on a monthly basis (which I am with FOH) I would be expecting monthtly updates on where my money is going, what it is being used for etc.  This hasn't been happening.

I was pleased to see O'Mallon get the chair job but have been disappointed with the engagement since his appointment.

Will give them some leeway at this time but this is not how you run an organisation with 7000+ contributors on a monthly basis.

 

Must must do better

 

[Luckies1874]

Bizarre. Apologises for the lack of comms yet decides to write an email, at this juncture, promising actual information, but another time. Why not simply wait till next month, at this point what's another few weeks going to matter, whereby you can provide some concrete and tangible updates instead of using the word 'strategy' 6 times and throwing around a whole lot of buzzwords. A complete nothing burger which as others have pointed out is simply because he's been getting called out for being the hide and seek champion for 2023.

[chrystaf]

40 minutes ago, Luckies1874 said:

Bizarre. Apologises for the lack of comms yet decides to write an email, at this juncture, promising actual information, but another time. Why not simply wait till next month, at this point what's another few weeks going to matter, whereby you can provide some concrete and tangible updates instead of using the word 'strategy' 6 times and throwing around a whole lot of buzzwords. A complete nothing burger which as others have pointed out is simply because he's been getting called out for being the hide and seek champion for 2023.

Sadly tend to agree.  Disappointed in Mallon.  He's a high flier and I would have expected more substance rather than rhetoric.  

And the substance there is has been established with little consultation with the members.

[OTT]

1 hour ago, Jambo-Fox said:

I had to read the e mail twice just to make sure I’d not missed anything important! Good news is I didn’t, bad news is I had to read it twice ….

 

My out-take is … “we’ve listened to the members, we are going to announce some stuff soon (which isn’t transformational), it’s what the members asked for so don’t blame us!”

 

It’s typical management ‘spin’, I’ve been there & done it!

 

Anyway good luck to them,

they’re unpaid and doing their best!
 

As long as they keep the FOH alive and thriving it’s about all we can ask for!!

 

 

Its the thriving part that is key. Every FOH chairperson should be aiming to leave the FOH in a better position than they found it. 

 

If Mallon can begin to take communication seriously so that whoever ultimately follows him has an established communication pattern to follow with members, that can only be a good thing. 

 

Obviously membership numbers and projects are crucially important too, but getting the communication sorted needs to be high on the agenda. Its been an issue for virtually the entire time the FOH has existed. 

 

Could they commit to quarterly updates ? Perhaps giving some sort of update around pledges/ pledge numbers as well as progress updates on projects being undertaken - that kind of thing. 

 

FWIW I know he's not not taking it seriously (), I don't doubt there is a lot more going on that meets the eye, particularly with board meetings, of which he can't share the contents of or show much in the way of public disagreement with the board - collective responsibility. Just really need to see an improvement in communication, perhaps even some sort of roadmap/strategy for how the FOH aims to continue to grow and develop. His comments about the family pledge and so forth, certainly speak to that kind of thing, but obviously we've not really had much on this before/yet. 

 

I think the FOH needs to give us something to really buy into. Yes, fan ownership is one part of it - absolutely, but ownership with no plan is underwhelming and will ultimately lead to apathy. Some sort of grand plan fans can engage with and get behind is important. We all want a feeling of progression and development of the FOH and ultimately the club too. 

[Chuck Berry]

1 hour ago, Bull's-eye said:

 

Quite the opposite, i criticise when its justified, i applaud when its justified. I deal in fact not fiction unless otherwise stated.

 

My perch in PR isnt that lofty though.

 

Glad we cleared that up and ive now popped you onto ignore with the rest of your ilk.

 

Enjoy the game tomorrow 👍

 

Sanctimonious with every post.

[1971fozzy]

An email that is just hot air and says absolutely nothing about anything as far as I can see. Not bothered  too much it’s all Meh.   At least Naismith gave us some info on injuries at  the shareholders dinner , shared on here by a kind member.

[Chuck Berry]

1 hour ago, Jambo-Fox said:

Is this really it? Ie purpose of the FOH?

 

“attract new members and encourage increased pledge amounts”

 

Are you really sure this is the purpose of the FOH???

 

To be honest, they need to move towards a membership scheme if they're wanting to increase numbers. £20 a year is your membership/ownership, anything you want to donate over and over that as a pledge is upto you.

 

As for purpose, surely it's a simple as to ensure Hearts as a club are the best they can be at everything they do, and that the fans are very much an integral part of that as owners.

[Saint Jambo]

54 minutes ago, Gards said:

The FOH have been very poor on communications over the last couple of years.

 

If i was contributing to something on a monthly basis (which I am with FOH) I would be expecting monthtly updates on where my money is going, what it is being used for etc.  This hasn't been happening.

I was pleased to see O'Mallon get the chair job but have been disappointed with the engagement since his appointment.

Will give them some leeway at this time but this is not how you run an organisation with 7000+ contributors on a monthly basis.

 

Must must do better

 

 

I contribute to various non-profit organizations monthly. None of them give me a monthly update of where my money is going in a detailed sense. Many of them give me a sense of the kind of activities that are going on. For FoH I get that on a weekly and sometimes even daily basis through Hearts comms channels and more importantly when I go to games I see it in the flesh. FoH income goes to the club as a general revenue stream. It funds the activities of the club.

 

For those unhappy with this communication, I'd be interested to know what they expected from an FoH communication given FoH's role.

 

A couple of things in the email not commented on so far, but I found interesting...

 

1. The new strategy aims to significantly grow FoH income and will have targets. That is the first time I've seen anything suggesting that FoH seriously believes it can significantly grow income (I'm dubious). Setting targets also means that it will be possible for members to see if the FoH board are succeeding in the things that the FoH Board say they are responsible for.

 

2. Eilidh Doyle has joined a marketing sub-group of FoH. I assume this is Eilidh Doyle the former athlete who is a well know Hearts fans and supporter of FoH. She is a PE teacher by trade, so not sure she has marketing skills. Which makes me speculate that she will be announced as some sort of ambassador for FoH. Not a bad move if so. Not heard of the other person.

 

A new website, improved pledge management functionality and improved comms channels all sound sensible. Engaging young people is also potentially sensible if done right. Better engagement with members is something fans have been calling for, so it seems odd that people now criticize them for committing to that (although I do understand scepticism that it will actually happen). The email comes as close as it really can to say they have been putting pressure on the club execs to ensure that performances improve, which is again what fans have been demanding. Not sure what more people expect or if people expect a criticism of the club board/ director of football/ manager here, they will always be disappointed.

 

The fact the two FoH board members positions are going to be advertised as specialist positions is interesting. I expect it will get some backlash as it will exclude what some people seem to think of as "normal fans". Given Mallon is now a target of personal abuse, you have to wonder who would want to volunteer to be on the FoH board at this stage. I expect we will see limited candidates again.

[Lone Striker]

1 hour ago, Jambo-Fox said:

Is this really it? Ie purpose of the FOH?

 

“attract new members and encourage increased pledge amounts”

 

Are you really sure this is the purpose of the FOH???

Glad to be corrected on that , if you'd be so kind ......👍

[Bull's-eye]

33 minutes ago, Saint Jambo said:

 

 

I contribute to various non-profit organizations monthly. None of them give me a monthly update of where my money is going in a detailed sense. Many of them give me a sense of the kind of activities that are going on. For FoH I get that on a weekly and sometimes even daily basis through Hearts comms channels and more importantly when I go to games I see it in the flesh. FoH income goes to the club as a general revenue stream. It funds the activities of the club.

 

For those unhappy with this communication, I'd be interested to know what they expected from an FoH communication given FoH's role.

 

A couple of things in the email not commented on so far, but I found interesting...

 

1. The new strategy aims to significantly grow FoH income and will have targets. That is the first time I've seen anything suggesting that FoH seriously believes it can significantly grow income (I'm dubious). Setting targets also means that it will be possible for members to see if the FoH board are succeeding in the things that the FoH Board say they are responsible for.

 

2. Eilidh Doyle has joined a marketing sub-group of FoH. I assume this is Eilidh Doyle the former athlete who is a well know Hearts fans and supporter of FoH. She is a PE teacher by trade, so not sure she has marketing skills. Which makes me speculate that she will be announced as some sort of ambassador for FoH. Not a bad move if so. Not heard of the other person.

 

A new website, improved pledge management functionality and improved comms channels all sound sensible. Engaging young people is also potentially sensible if done right. Better engagement with members is something fans have been calling for, so it seems odd that people now criticize them for committing to that (although I do understand scepticism that it will actually happen). The email comes as close as it really can to say they have been putting pressure on the club execs to ensure that performances improve, which is again what fans have been demanding. Not sure what more people expect or if people expect a criticism of the club board/ director of football/ manager here, they will always be disappointed.

 

The fact the two FoH board members positions are going to be advertised as specialist positions is interesting. I expect it will get some backlash as it will exclude what some people seem to think of as "normal fans". Given Mallon is now a target of personal abuse, you have to wonder who would want to volunteer to be on the FoH board at this stage. I expect we will see limited candidates again.

 

You will only ever see limited candidates because the mass majority are pleased how the club is being run and feel good being part of the FOH. 

 

Then there's the whackadoodles. 

[OldGorgie]

1 hour ago, Gards said:

The FOH have been very poor on communications over the last couple of years.

 

1 hour ago, Luckies1874 said:

simply because he's been getting called out for being the hide and seek champion for 2023.

Sums up Mallons feeble attempt at an update on FOH. We deserve far better than the drivel in the update.

[OldGorgie]

4 minutes ago, Bull's-eye said:

 

You will only ever see limited candidates because the mass majority are pleased how the club is being run and feel good being part of the FOH. 

 

Then there's the whackadoodles. 

Try and keep up.

[davemclaren]

5 minutes ago, OldGorgie said:

 

Sums up Mallons feeble attempt at an update on FOH. We deserve far better than the drivel in the update.

What else are you actually looking for?

[Jambo-Fox]

45 minutes ago, Lone Striker said:

Glad to be corrected on that , if you'd be so kind ......👍

No need for correction if you’re sure that’s the ‘purpose’!

 

Just seems rather mediocre. Also surprising that the ‘purpose’ has nothing stated about Hearts …

 

But if that’s it, it is what it is!

 

 

[Jambo-Fox]

12 minutes ago, davemclaren said:

What else are you actually looking for?

IMO if you’ve nothing to say it’s better to keep quiet until you do (have something to share).

 

I realise they are all unpaid volunteers doing their best and I wish them well. 
 

The next communication will be better with some real content I’m sure!

[Chuck Berry]

59 minutes ago, Saint Jambo said:

For those unhappy with this communication, I'd be interested to know what they expected from an FoH communication given FoH's role.

 

More than one email every 8 months perhaps, and a website that's actually updated, maybe some member consultation/engagement?

 

I think Mallon/FoH realise that they've dropped the ball over the last 12 months and are rightly copping some criticism.   If they are taking steps to begin to rectify the problems then all well and good.

 

They could learn a lot from Big Hearts, is there a case for FoH and BH to work together for the benefit of fans/community?

[Nookie Bear]

5 hours ago, EH11 said:

 

Between your ears?

Not likely.

 

So you don’t have anything to add then. 
 

Naive little boy. 

[Bad Religion]

They’re going to update the website 
 

bunch of fuddy-duddies. Yes men. 

[Pans Jambo]

6 hours ago, Gorgiewave said:

The email doesn't say anything. It's just management speak. You could hardly tell from that that they have anything to do with a football club.

This. Doesnt tell us squat!!!

[Lone Striker]

1 hour ago, Chuck Berry said:

 

To be honest, they need to move towards a membership scheme if they're wanting to increase numbers. £20 a year is your membership/ownership, anything you want to donate over and over that as a pledge is upto you.

 

As for purpose, surely it's a simple as to ensure Hearts as a club are the best they can be at everything they do, and that the fans are very much an integral part of that as owners.

It basically already is a membership scheme like you've described, except the fee is £10  ......

 

Your 2nd paragraph is a fair assessment of the purpose - but what other way can that be achieved other than persuading/encouraging  fans to cough up money ?     Remember, the mantra is "fan-owned, not fan-run".

 

The 2 FoH reps on the club Board are non-exec directors, presumably for that reason.

 

 

26 minutes ago, Jambo-Fox said:

No need for correction if you’re sure that’s the ‘purpose’!

 

Just seems rather mediocre. Also surprising that the ‘purpose’ has nothing stated about Hearts …

 

But if that’s it, it is what it is!

 

 

Its my opinion based on my understanding of the relationship.  I was hoping you'd have an alternative & more accurate view.   What did you expect FoH's purpose to be ?

[Roxy Hearts]

Words but no substance. I started reading then scrolled!

[Saint Jambo]

26 minutes ago, Chuck Berry said:

 

More than one email every 8 months perhaps, and a website that's actually updated, maybe some member consultation/engagement?

 

I think Mallon/FoH realise that they've dropped the ball over the last 12 months and are rightly copping some criticism.   If they are taking steps to begin to rectify the problems then all well and good.

 

They could learn a lot from Big Hearts, is there a case for FoH and BH to work together for the benefit of fans/community?

 

But what content are you looking for? I get you want them to listen to you, which is fair, but what do you want them to tell you in these more regular updates?

 

The reason Big Hearts have more to say is that they are a delivery organisation. They have lots of activity to talk about. FoH don't because they own the club, it is the club that delivers, and the club has its own comms channels to talk about the detail of that delivery.

[Bazzas right boot]

 

Some people...

I want camunikation, we oan da club,  they dinae tell us anything.

 

 

Same folk after said communication after greeting for months.

-Dinnae like it/ never read it/ not enough/ I dinnae understand it.

 

Edited October 6, 2023 by Bazzas right boot

[iainmac]

6 hours ago, Daktari said:

Daft question (or not) does everyone who pledges get an email from FOH? You can probably guess why I'm asking......

No, not anymore. 

 

We used to but GoCardless changed their service offering & stopped sending them. Outside the control of FOH. 

[washniklaw]

One thing FOH is increasingly concerned about is the drop off between demographic groups. Less than 20 members between 20 - 30 age bracket. 
Some if this can be explained away because when FOH launched these people too young to be involved. Additionally people in their 20’s might consider ‘better things’ to spend £10 a month on. Finally there are loads of mums and dads chucking in additional payments to cover a younger persons sub (hacking the system). 

FOH is aiming to clean this up and aim to bring the younger generation with them on a lifetime journey. This should increase the number of pledges and make the demographic breakdown look more consistent. Personally, I think 10,000 pledgers is a very real possibility. It’s going to be tough with the financial climate we are in but getting granny’s and grandad’s to buy a junior FOH pledge for their grandchildren might be a starting point (those boomers have all the money anyway 😉)

[chrisyboy7]

Om very thankful for this letter. But....the people running FOH are very poor...they have been very quiet and why is. They should be encouraging fans to sign up at every home game but more importantly.....when you renew your season yivket slong with the people on the waiting list....The money generated is very important and is mostly spent on infrastructure as you can see.....alot more needs done to tyncastle and these extra funds if banked will help make things possible. 

[Francis Albert]

All this stuff about journeys, routes and steps leaves me feeling a bit travel sick.

Reads like computer generated business speak. 

 

 

[Disco Dave]

14 hours ago, kingantti1874 said:

well basically mate,  not a bad thing to engage younger fans however take your point and zero doubt in my mind, Mr Mallon has started to see his name being called out on here, on social media and and has pushed out a weak ass email. Someone in the background improving the website is nothing to wrote home about.  To be honest not exactly a complex task. 
 

It’s not good enough.  The drop of in comms and engagement since Stuart Wallace moved on has been tangible and FOH is poorer for it. 

Building a non transactional website of static content would be relatively simple. However the FOH website is transactional, has a secure member zone, contains personal data etc. So I would argue it is a more complex task than you might think. The web pages need to be secure, performant etc. Further complexity is added when it’s probably being built and tested by volunteers in their spare time and not run as a full time project by a specialist organisation.

[Neon]

11 hours ago, Bull's-eye said:

 

Quite the opposite, i criticise when its justified, i applaud when its justified. I deal in fact not fiction unless otherwise stated.

 

My perch in PR isnt that lofty though.

 

Glad we cleared that up and ive now popped you onto ignore with the rest of your ilk.

 

Enjoy the game tomorrow 👍

Mate you literally just backed up his point, I think I have a sum total of three people on my ignore list because I find them caustic and crude.

 

Having a differing opinion tends to lead to debate and the ability to talk things through and helps people see things from a different angle.

It's not a criticism just an observation, I tend to be a reader nowadays as I think lots said about the club are completely over the top.

Some of the criticism is justified but I think we all want to pull in one direction.

 

Now lets smash the Hibs, something I think we can all get behind.

 

[davemclaren]

2 hours ago, washniklaw said:

One thing FOH is increasingly concerned about is the drop off between demographic groups. Less than 20 members between 20 - 30 age bracket. 
Some if this can be explained away because when FOH launched these people too young to be involved. Additionally people in their 20’s might consider ‘better things’ to spend £10 a month on. Finally there are loads of mums and dads chucking in additional payments to cover a younger persons sub (hacking the system). 

FOH is aiming to clean this up and aim to bring the younger generation with them on a lifetime journey. This should increase the number of pledges and make the demographic breakdown look more consistent. Personally, I think 10,000 pledgers is a very real possibility. It’s going to be tough with the financial climate we are in but getting granny’s and grandad’s to buy a junior FOH pledge for their grandchildren might be a starting point (those boomers have all the money anyway 😉)

Where did the '20 members between 20 and 30' info come from? 

[Jambo dans les Pyrenees]

Voting buttons at every seat.

 

50p a vote.

 

10 votes a match, we can use the new screens to pose the questions

 

”Who should play at right back today”

 

”After 8 minutes, should we sub Kye Rowles”

 

”Is Shanks a chubster”

 

etc.

 

20,000 seats x 50p per vote x 10 votes per match x 24 home matches a season (yep, we’re having a couple of cup runs and in Europe) = GBP 2.4m per year.  Everyone feels engaged and like proper owners.

 

No need to appoint any more marketing geniuses.

 

Disclaimer:  We may have no management team, and probably will get relegated.

[highlandjambo3]

Where’s my e mail 🤬🤬

[OldGorgie]

11 hours ago, davemclaren said:

What else are you actually looking for?

Monthly information on amount pledged and numbers continuing to pledge. Any decently run organisation would provide that basic data and definitely not some nonsense about a new strategy and web site. When people pledge their hard earned cash, it’s vital that everything is transparent.