Organisation

The Organisation Subcommittee was established in 1919 with the aim of considering and making recommendations to the Executive Committee on matters affecting the organisation of the movement. It arranged the work plans of the movement's Regular Organisers (in 1920 comprising Miss Liley Lumley in Wales, Mrs ME Mayo in the West of England, Mrs Clowes in the South, Mrs E Warner in the Midlands and Miss Margaret Kekewitch in the North of England) and arranged for the training of Voluntary County Organisers (VCOs) when the large number of new branches made it impossible for all organisational work to be done by paid staff. The latter, under the initial leadership of Chief Organiser Mrs Nugent Harris, were recruited to take over the propaganda, formation and consolidation work with local branches that had previously been undertaken by Executive Officers. By 1927 there were 325 VCOs working in the Federations.

The Subcommittee was made responsible for arrangements for the Consultative Councils and Organisers' conferences to discuss issues of concern, keep Federation officers up to date with developments in the movement as a whole and to give them information and training on relevant topics.

The Subcommittee was also involved in specific initiatives such as those to encourage the formation of WI branches in RAF and Army camps, which was launched in 1955, and the establishment of branches in psychiatric hospitals in the 1950s.

As at 2005 the Membership and Training Subcommittee undertook the organisational work of the NFWI. This was also responsible for some aspects of educational training. The NFWI (Wales) office in Cardiff largely undertook the organisational work related to branches in Wales.