Next Generation & Rotary Membership.....Say What??

Sooo.....just how does the new 5th Avenue of Service, New Generations, relate to Membership? Consider this:

1. Is your club actively involved with the youth and young adult programs of Rotary? Is it enough to write a check to send a camper to RYLA?

2. Might there be potential Rotary members who would be attracted to an organization that works with young people?

3. Are the whereabouts known of the alumni of our New Generations programs (Rotaract, RYLA, Interact, Youth Exchange) -- do we keep in touch to know when they might be ready to join Rotary? (Ten or fifteen years can go very quickly!)

4. Are we mentoring the New Generations groups so that they might have the resources and assistance that only we can offer to them?


Following is an article from this month's "New Generations Newsletter" (available on the RI website):

August is Membership and Extension Month. The success of Rotary depends on the commitment and hard work of its club members, and the same applies to Rotary’s youth and young adult programs: Interact, Rotaract, and RYLA. Successful programs retain their current participants and stay connected to alumni while seeking out new and creative ways to grow.

When reviewing your membership and extension activities, ask yourself the following questions:

• How do you recruit new club members or program participants?

• Has your Interact or Rotaract club developed a membership strategy or membership goals for the new Rotary year?

• How can your Interact or Rotaract club keep members engaged and motivated all year long? What is the average meeting attendance throughout the year? How can you improve this?

• How can you better stay in touch with RYLA program alumni? Do alumni get involved in supporting future RYLA programs?

• How do you select your club projects or fundraisers? How can you better leverage the interests of club members when developing these service activities?

• What kind of presence does your club or RYLA program have in your community? On your campus?

If your club has a membership plan in place – or any specific strategy that you have found effective – and you’d like to share it with others, please e-mail it to ryla@rotary.org.


Include the New Generations regularly in your club activities and participate in their activities. We are their mentors and they are our FUTURE!