Socitm has reported a turnaround in its finances after starting
2008 unsure if it would survive the year.
The organisation had been losing six-figure sums for the past
four years, leaving reserves badly depleted. After an
organisational overhaul, Socitm made a small surplus last year,
according to its
Position Statement.
A 2007 KPMG report found that business processes were not
defined, governance was "unwieldy", leadership was unfocused, and
strategic direction was uncertain.
The first main change was the revision of Socitm Consulting's
"badly flawed" 2006 contract, which had led to a large drop in
income from consulting.
The second big change was removing the 30-strong National
Council which led the organisation until April 2008, and replacing
it with a board of 12 directors. The bi-monthly meetings of the
Council were, the society said, "packed and chaotic, and its
decision-making ponderous".
Socitm has also revamped its membership model, offering
membership to bigger swathes of the public sector IT profession. It
has increased transparency by communicating more about its
decision-making through the
president's blog and a monthly progress report.
In 2009, Socitm wants to further improve interaction with
members, and is seeking their views on its transformation over the
past year.
The society said, "Socitm is on a journey to transform itself
from a niche club managed by members into a professionally run and
managed organisation."