Recruiter Programme

Welcome to the Recruiters' Code of Conduct..

Here you will find some useful information on how to recruit residents, win rank awards and increase your recruitment numbers. Please note, this is not a paid competition and there is no money to be won. It is simply a friendly competition between members to see who can recruit the most residents and it is intended to be community spirited. As always, there is no intention to form any kind of contract. To indicate that you would like to take part, please read this very important document carefully and you will find a link within it to visit. Thank you so much!

Important: In door knocking and contacting residents, the following rules must be adhered to at all times:

1. Never intimidate or be rude to any resident. If they are rude to you, just politely walk away and try someone else. Please always log this and report it back to us.

2. Never offer anything as a bribe for joining.

3. Only ever knock doors and contact people between 10am - 8:30pm.

4. If they ask you to come back another time, please honour that and mutually agree a time and day that is suitable.

5. Do not collect any information (other than a first name or a nickname for conversation purposes) - All as we need is the address and the response from that address.

6. Only knock doors of people on the lists that we supply. Do not, under any circumstances, knock on doors that are not on the list, they are either already registered or they are ineligible through association to Avro Hollows' TMO, Northwards' Housing or Manchester City Council.

7. If someone tells you that they are a member of one of the organisations listed in paragraph (6), please log the door number, the fact they are a member and report it back to us. Please do not continue with them but politely thank them for their time. If they tell you that they used to be affiliated to one of those organisations, then ask them if they have been in the last 5 years, if they haven't been affiliated in any way (volunteer or otherwise) for 5 years or over, handle the invite like any other resident. If it has been less than 5 years, treat them as ineligible and, either way, please log this to report back to us.

8. Never give out personally identifiable information about yourself. If the person has any questions, point them to the contact link on this forum (available to the public, they don't have to be registered to use it). Remember, the web address is now www.croydondrive.org.uk/forum

9. Never go into someone's home, it leaves you and us at risk of accusations. Politely decline and just say it covers them and you if you don't.

10. When you knock the door, step back, never invade the resident's space. It's intimidating.

How the programme works:

1. Read up and, as far as possible memorize, the "Questions You May Want To Ask Us" Section above (in the black bar). This is available to the public so feel free to print it for your reference. Any bits you struggle to remember, it might be worth highlighting.

2. Read up on the registration rules by signing out, and clicking register, feel free to print this off too as it is available to the public.

3. Bring plenty of pens and paper with you. Also, make some copies of your Referrer ID (you can view this on your own profile and to the right of any of your posts). You can then pass these on and obviously ask the person, if they want to sign up, to quote that on the registration form where there is now a box for it.

Just log any conversation by the address and not by the name of the person. Names are not used by CDIRF at all and nor is any other personally identifiable information. The address is verified by a Unique Registration Code (URC) posted to the new/potential member and a valid Email address. That is all. If there name is given away by their Email address, they should feel free to set up a second free webmail address - please advise them to set it to forward to their normal Email account though so they get important messages from us. Also, the system sends a validation link to the member before they can actually be accepted.

4. Introduce yourself by your first name or nickname (whatever you are comfortable with, or make one up), never give out your own door number or floor but tell them your block or Audex or Underhill Walk if they ask (or make one up to protect your anonymity).

5. Ask if you are speaking to the main householder and only speak to people over the age of 16. This is because otherwise allegations can fly around. Ask for parents of any kids that answer the door or come back another time. There shouldn't be too many kids or kids answering the door though.

6. Ask if there is anything that has put the resident off joining as they will have already received an invitation letter:

A) If they say they do not have internet, you can tell them that they can use any smartphone with an ability to access the internet to fully use the forum. It doesn't use much data either. Log this as the reason against the address (even if the member still agrees to register for our stats).

B) If they say that they would not be able to use the forum, politely ask why, residents are entitled within the CDIRF rules to have assistance from a friend or family member but that friend or family member must not be affiliated in any way to Avro Hollows', Northwards' or Manchester City Council or have been in the last five years. You may just find the reason is really simple for you but proper tricky for them. Be patient and explain, allow lots of questions please. Be kind and be nice (of course also polite). Log any problems they face, or perceive as a problem, against the address (even if the member still agrees to register for our stats). We also have areas dedicated to people of different races, sexual orientation, with disabilities etc and all of those people are welcome to join in anywhere they like too.

C) If there's something that you can answer easily through your own experience, feel free. Log any problems they face, or perceive as a problem, against the address (even if the member still agrees to register for our stats).

D) If they are scared of not receiving a friendly welcome, guarantee them one. We also have a reporting feature for any nasty behaviour. Noone will know that they reported it other than the forumadmin. All such reports are handled in strict confidence. Members are fully able to block other members too (we call this, jokingly, the "assassination list". Log any problems they face, or perceive as a problem, against the address (even if the member still agrees to register for our stats).

E) If they think there is a hidden charge, advise them that you are not paid, the forumadmin is not paid and we receive no funding (the forumadmin pays for administrative expenses). We also don't hassle people for, or even invite, donations due to the tax implications. Log any problems they face, or perceive as a problem, against the address (even if the member still agrees to register for our stats). We are also not a registered charity or a business. We are a grassroots community project, run by a tenant on the Croydon Drive Estate.

F) If the person is scared about Avro Hollows', Northwards or Manchester City Council finding out anything tell them that we don't even record the resident's name, their door number and floor remains confidential. Only the forumadmin has access to that for the administration of user accounts alongside their Email address. The Email address must be valid for the member to register but they are more than welcome to set up a second Email address (just ask them to forward mail from it back to their normal Email address so they get important messages from us). Log any problems they face, or perceive as a problem, against the address (even if the member still agrees to register for our stats). Also, it's written into all tenancy agreements that the resident has a right to join residents groups and also form them. They can't be evicted or harassed.


7. Any reasons that you are given, whether you overcome them or not, please ensure that you record them alongside the address and feedback to us. This is essentially important for us to grow. If you can't answer a question that they ask, be honest, advise that you have made a note of the question, that you are going to ask the forumadmin and arrange a mutually convenient date and time to knock their door again. Don't take phone numbers or Email addresses.

8. Finally, if they just dismiss you, do a last ditch attempt and ask them, Is there anything that CDIRF could do to change their mind? Or Could you arrange a mutual date and time to speak to them again by knocking their door? - Again, log any problems they face, or perceive as a problem, against the address (even if the member still agrees to register for our stats).

9. If they still won't go for it, please log the door number and the words "strict optout". We won't hassle them again (although the address will get a yearly letter just in case they move out and a new tenant moves in).

10. Anyone that is up for registering, please advise them to carefully read the rules when they click register. Also, that the contents of CDIRF is strictly confidential. The next step once you input the information is that they will receive another invite letter. If they struggle with reading and writing, remember, they are entitled to ask a friend or a family member to help them (this doesn't need to be someone living on the estate) but that person who helps must not be affiliated to Avro Hollows, Northwards or Manchester City Council (volunteer or otherwise) or must not have been for 5 years or over.

11. For further information, the resident is welcome to visit our main website at www.croydondrive.org.uk. They are also welcome to contact us directly using the contact link (also available to the public) on this forum.

12. Make sure that you give them your Referrer Code and ask them to ensure that they input it on the registration form. This means that you get your recruiter number increase and come closer to receiving your rank awards!

13. It doesn't matter how long you have been a member, anyone that is already a member can be a recruiter, subject to the sole discretion of the forumadmin. If you see a Referrer Code in your profile and by your posts, it means you are eligible.

14. Still happy to help us out? Thank you so much! To proceed, click here and just indicate that you'd like to and also feel free to ask any questions. Keep a close eye on your Emails for a response from us and an invite to special hidden areas of the forum! There, you'll be able to find the address lists that do not have a registration associated with them and also input the information we need to collect (as detailed above). If you've not put a correct Email address in the past, please be sure to update it in your user profile control panel area and no more shall be said!

15. Please remember to tell every resident that you speak to that CDIRF is in the final stages of releasing a repair reporting tool that will allow residents to report new and existing repairs, both priority and non priority online, the system will automatically notify Avro Hollows' and, if they do not reply, the system will automatically escalate disrepair cases to the Avro Hollows' board, Northwards' Housing, Manchester City Council, the Housing Ombudsman, the Local Government Ombudsman and on to Lucy Powell as the Constituency MP for the estate. The system will be open to all residents on the Croydon Drive Estate, regardless of whether they are a member of the CDIRF forum or not.

The service will, as usual, be totally free and without warranty. Residents will be able to fill in one simple form and everything else will be dealt with automatically. The resident will be able to see all correspondence sent by the system and all responses received. The system will escalate priority repairs more quickly than standard repairs too. The Housing Ombudsman, the Local Government Ombudsman and Manchester City Council will be able to access statistics to assess Avro Hollows' performance and to take steps to remedy failures including imposing sanctions.

16. This guide is available to the public so that all residents can see the standards that we expect from members. If any resident has any concerns and they are not a member, they can contact us in confidence by clicking the contact link at the bottom of this page.

Kind Regards,

Forumadmin.

September 2019

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