Rotary Fellowships -- Benefitting Membership?

Fellowship: Sharing Ideas and Connecting People Worldwide
by Amanda Runge, RI Programs Division

Rotarians often cite fellowship as the reason why they joined a Rotary club. With so many diverse Rotary clubs all over the world, the opportunity for connection and collaboration is truly inspiring. One of the ways in which Rotarians can bridge continents is through the Rotary Fellowships program. Rotary Fellowships are groups of Rotarians, Rotarian spouses and Rotaractors who unite to: share a common interest in worthwhile recreational activities, further their vocational development through acquaintance with others of the same profession, make new friends around the world, explore new opportunities for service, and of course, have fun!

How can Rotary Fellowships lead to Bigger, Better, Bolder clubs? Rotary Fellowships are a great way for Rotarians to share ideas and make new friends in Rotary. By joining a fellowship, Rotarians will experience the internationality of Rotary and form relationships that are the basis of future club to club partnerships for service projects. Rotarians involved in fellowships are among the most committed of our members, and their activities increase membership retention.

Rotary Fellowships informally began in 1928 when a group of Rotarians with an interest in Esperanto (a language derived from many European languages) joined together to practice their hobby. In 1947 Rotarians organized a group of boating enthusiasts, which became the Yachting Fellowship. These activities gained more attention and operated over the years under many different names, such as World Fellowship Activities, International Vocational Contact Groups, Rotary Recreational and Vocational Fellowships, and finally Rotary Fellowships. As of June 2010 there are 55 Board-recognized Rotary Fellowships covering all sorts of hobbies and professions, including music, doctors, and scuba diving, just to name a few. (There is even a new Rotarians On Social Networks Fellowship!)

Whether it is just for the fun of it, or to build relationships with others in your professional field, fellowships are a great addition to any Rotary experience. For more information on Rotary Fellowships visit visit www.rotary.org/fellowships

Recruitment Idea Exchange

Following are notes from the Idea Exchange on Membership Recruitment at the International Convention in Montreal. The participants were from around the world. Though many of these ideas are not new, you might find some great tidbits to consider - or share the list with the clubs in your district!

MEMBERSHIP RECRUITMENT IDEAS
Notes from the Idea Exchange – Montreal RI Convention – June 21, 2010

ASK – ASK – ASK

Have a club representative on the Chamber of Commerce or community business group.

Invite prospects, who feel they don’t have time at the moment to join Rotary, to help with projects.

Keep a database of prospective members – i.e. parents of RYLA, Interact, and scholarship students. Stay in touch with them, sending club bulletin or newsletter and copy of Rotarian magazine.

Ask each member think about who they “touch” on a daily basis.

Plan a Refreshment Evening or Open House, inviting prospective members to socialize and hear about Rotary and your club. One club invited 140, had 35 attend, and 5 joined.

Retain members to recruit.

Membership drive

PLAN!!

Website – attractive, user friendly and current!
See www.rotary7090.org – video

Utilize District Membership Chair and committee – they have been trained to help clubs.

Advertise:
1. collaborate with other Rotary clubs and other service clubs, such as Lions , listing time of meetings, activities, projects (even average age)
2. members sponsor ad and receive acknowledgment or reference to their businesses.

RI PR grants

Attracting younger members:
1. cost effective
2. family friendly
3. creative classifications
4. See Rotary Club of Edmonton Urban Spirits (D5370)
“This is not your father’s Rotary club!”
http://www.urbanspirits.ca/

Meetings at different hour than traditional lunch venue
1. After – five, meeting after work for about 1 hour – liquid refreshment, no meal, home in time for dinner with family.
2. Saturday morning, meeting for coffee, meal optional, and babysitter!

Community based Rotaract in every major community is a natural feed to Rotary.

Divide membership into groups to work on recruiting.
Facilitator’s note: Consider the “Five for One” plan – see http://www.rotary.org/RIdocuments/en_pdf/five_for_one_plan_en.pdf

Members are the customers – what do they want?
What are prospective members looking for in Rotary?

Partners of Rotarians

Game – submit name of potential member or pay $1.00

Survey club membership
One club’s example - http://gilletterotary.com/membership_survey
Membership Satisfaction Survey - http://www.clubrunner.ca/data/7090/html/51968/Membership%20Satisfaction%20Questionnaire%20%28RI%29.pdf

What are the RI criteria for membership? See Manual of Procedure (MOP) Article 5, Section 2 of the Standard Club Constitution
http://www.rotary.org/RIdocuments/en_pdf/035en_full.pdf

TRF Alumni -
Ambassadorial and Peace Scholars, GSE team members, Rotary Volunteers.
(Also consider former Youth Exchange students, RYLA students, Interactors, scholarship recipients – where are these young adults now?)
We have spent time and money to send these people as our Rotary “ambassadors” – they know Rotary and usually want to remain involved with Rotary.

Friends of Rotary
(Group of community folks who are supporters and helpers of Rotary clubs, either with financial support or hands-on assistance with projects.)

Family members!

Attendance – be creative within RI rules – make sure lots of options for make-ups.

Membership information, newsletters and club bulletins emailed to club members who then forward to friends. Membership committee does follow-up to “close.”

Build Effective Rotary Clubs! (Build it and they will come!)

See Also: Membership Development Resource Guide – 417EN

Membership, your club, and the RI Strategic Plan

The revised RI Strategic Plan focuses on strengthening Rotary at the club level and provides the framework for clubs and districts to craft a successful future. This back-to-basics plan, with its revised vision and three targeted priorities, affirms that Rotary’s future lies in strong, focused clubs that are well known for their accomplishments.

So why is the RI Strategic Plan important to your club’s membership? The answer is very simple: Dynamic clubs attract new members, and they are a source of pride for existing members. Who wouldn’t want to belong to an action-oriented club whose contributions are improving lives in their own communities as well as communities worldwide?

Consider the ways your club fulfills the priority of supporting and strengthening clubs by answering the following questions:

•What are three innovative things your club has done — or will do — to address membership issues relevant to your region?

•How has your club become more flexible to accommodate the needs of younger working professionals?

What specifically have you done — or can you do — to attract members from a diverse cross-section of your community?

•How is your club approaching membership recruitment and retention differently than it did 5, 10, and 20 years ago?

•What does your club offer to its prospective and current members in terms of leadership development opportunities?

These questions will get you thinking about how your club’s membership efforts support Rotary International’s mission and vision, and how your club can step up these measures to play an integral role in implementing the RI Strategic Plan.

Consider the following resources to guide your club in its strategic membership efforts:

•RI Strategic Plan (including the plan document, PowerPoint presentation,core values statement, and poster)

•Strategic Planning Guide

•Club Leadership Plan

•Club Assessment Tools and the Membership Development Resource Guide

•Leadership Development: Your Guide to Starting a Program


Taken from The Membership Minute, May/June 2010

Rotary - Networking? Service? Social?

Ever wonder about the history of Rotary's creation? Why Paul and the other three young men developed this organization in the first place? I've just read two wonderful blog posts about Rotary membership by Paul Kiser. Paul has obviously done his research -- I think you'll find his insight interesting and his questions thought provoking.

http://paulkiser.wordpress.com/2010/06/13/rotary-young-professionals-networking/#comment-680

http://paulkiser.wordpress.com/2010/04/17/rotary105-april-24th-donald-m-carter-day/

Hope to see you this week in Montreal!
Judi

COL Enactments -- More Than a Cure for Insomnia...

2010 COL Enactments

"Many club and district leaders either neglect to learn about the Council on Legislation, not realizing the relevance of these changes to their roles as Rotary Leaders, or they may use COL materials as a soporific."

Documents containing eight essential categories of Council changes that affect clubs and five important changes for districts will be sent to current and future governors and club presidents and presidents-elect via Rotary’s broadcast e-mail service. I can also send these two documents (or the whole unabridged version) to you directly -- contact me at judi5110@comcast.net

If you would like help in understanding the complexities and subtleties of changes made by the delegates from the 2010 Council on Legislation, ask your district's delegate to the COL for assistance. One of the responsibilities of your COL delegate is to make sure his/her respective district is well informed.

Take time to find out about these new COL enactments -- they DO affect you and your clubs and districts!

Sharing the Wealth (of Ideas!)

I read a lot of newsletters, blogs - most anything I can find that I think will help me with my Rotary responsibilities. Attached are links to two recent offerings for your perusal:

The first is to the always good, "Membership Matters" - some very useful articles in the June edition.

http://www.clubrunner.ca/zonedata/22/html/853/Membership%20Matters%20June%202010.pdf

The second link is to a business blog (with permission to share.) I think if you substitute "Rotary Club" for business and "Member" for customer, you will find some excellent ideas that we can apply in our clubs and districts.

http://dickolenych.com/keynote-speaker-author-hampton-roads.asp

Hope to see many of you in Montreal!

Thanks for making Rotary a priority!

Judi

Rotary Coordinator Program Starts July 1

The Rotary coordinators program will launch 1 July, providing a new resource on Rotary International for districts and clubs. Rotary coordinators (RCs) will be well versed in the many programs of RI and knowledgeable about Rotary club and district best practices. RI President-elect Ray Klinginsmith has appointed the initial 41 RCs, who will serve the same geographical regions as the regional Rotary Foundation coordinators, with at least one RC serving each Rotary zone.

RCs will offer guidance and tools in three areas: RI programs such as youth programs, Rotary Fellowships, and Rotarian Action Groups; best practices that strengthen clubs and districts such as strategic planning, effective public relations, and leadership development; and building membership through stronger clubs and districts. More information about the program is available on the RI website

http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/News/Pages/100107_news_rotarycoordinators.aspx

Or contact Rotary Coordinators:
Zone 25 - Judi Beard Strubing - judi5110@comcast.net
Zone 26 - Don Kremer - dekremer@pacbell.net

Watch for a new Zone 25-26 blog that will begin soon to give you current information and ideas your district and clubs can use to make clubs "Bigger, Better, Bolder!"