The Council of the Union of Journalists in Finland (UJF) approved a new membership recruitment plan on 22 May, which will market union membership more effectively to students entering the media sector, new employees, and freelancers. A membership recruitment working group appointed by the Council has prepared the plan, which provides the union, its associations and branches with resources to expand union recruitment and retaining existing members. “It is important to us that we remain a strong union—both financially sound and with a broad membership base,” said UJF President Marjaana Varmavuori. The working group has carried out extensive background research, drawing on good examples and experiences from other organisations as well as from the union’s own associations. Background interviews and surveys were also conducted to assess the current state of membership recruitment. The recruitment plan will now be made available to member associations. Member referral scheme brings in new members Last autumn, the union launched a member referral campaign, in which union members who recruit a new member receive a gift voucher. The campaign has so far recruited several dozen new members. The Council decided to continue the referral scheme as part of the union’s broader membership recruitment efforts. Cultural policy strategy The UJF Council also approved a cultural policy strategy to make culture and cultural practitioners a more prominent part of the union, and to recruit additional members from the cultural sector. The UJF aims to champion the interests, livelihoods and social security of those working in the cultural sector, by participating in public debate and by influencing legislation. The strategy includes several cultural policy objectives. For example, the union aims to ensure that production support granted by the Finnish Film Foundation is conditional on the full amount being spent in Finland. The union also seeks an increase in the funds allocated for public lending rights compensation, in order to secure the livelihoods of literary authors. Finns should also have access to culture and the work of cultural professionals regardless of where they live. Cinema theatres, for example, should continue to receive support so that films remain accessible throughout the country. Going forward, the UJF intends to engage more broadly with issues affecting the cultural sector. The strategy also identifies two groups within the cultural sector that offer particular membership recruitment potential: audiovisual (AV) practitioners and entrepreneurs, and authors, translators and editors. Avainsanat: council UJF