Project 1.1 - A diverse base for recruitment
Current status (February 2026): With States and Territories for implementation
In February 2025 a national recruitment campaign brief was provided to all State and Territory Presidents and CEOs for their consideration.
State and Territory Presidents and CEOs agreed to proceed with the proposal, and to establish a working group to progress this initiative. It is hoped the working group will hold their initial meeting in March 2026.
National recruitment campaign
The following images summarise the national recruitment campaign.
Conference readiness
If the national recruitment campaign is successful, this will mean an influx of new Members. Understanding which Conferences are ready for new Members will help make the process better for everyone, and hopefully mean new Members enjoy their first experience with the St Vincent de Paul Society.
Step 1 - Identifying regions / geographic areas to target
Each State and Territory will need to decide which areas are ready to accept new Members and require new Members. These areas will be targeted through the recruitment campaign, and Conferences in these areas will need to be briefed on the national recruitment campaign.
To assist States and Territories in assessing where a Conferences is recruitment ready, a checklist has been developed and has been shared with States and Territories (February 2025).
Step 2 - Activating Conferences / Members
Once an area has been selected to be targeted in the national recruitment campaign, Conferences and Members in that area need to be contacted and briefed on the national recruitment campaign, the role of the State / Territory and their specific role.
Step 3 - Process to become a Member
The process to become a Member of the Society varies in each State and Territory, and it is important to note that State and Territory legislative requirements that may impact membership application processes also vary (for example, working with vulnerable people requirements).
It is generally agreed that complicated or long processes can lead to some people opting out of becoming a Member.
Step 4 - Welcoming new Members / Induction processes
The ways that new Members are welcomed and inducted also varies in each State and Territory, and is a topic being explored by other Congress Project Teams - see Project 1.3 and Project 1.6.