IMPORTANT NEWS! At its November meeting, the RI Board approved a number of recommendations and actions to reinforce the priorities and goals of the RI Strategic Plan.
The changes, which include endorsing the concept of flexible attendance and meeting requirements and allocating US$4 million for Public Relations Grants, are designed to keep Rotary vibrant and attractive to current members and prospective members from younger generations.
Read more about these changes:
Rotary.org: News
RI Zones 25-26 Rotary Coordinator News
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Time to be Thankful
Past RI President Frank Devlyn shares his "thankful" list.
Rotary: "Thankful to be a Rotarian"
What are YOU thankful for this Holiday season?
Rotary: "Thankful to be a Rotarian"
What are YOU thankful for this Holiday season?
Friday, November 19, 2010
Earn $50 for your Rotary Club and $75 for Polio!
Use the Rotary credit card to help eradicate polio and receive US $50 for your club!
U.S. Rotarians can apply for the Rotary MasterCard and if they charge US$75 in the first 90 days, they will receive a check payable to their Rotary club, which can be used for any club program. In addition, The Rotary Foundation will receive $75 from the Bank of America, which will be used to support Rotary’s $200 Million Challenge to eradicate polio.
Read about this and other important Rotary Updates by linking to:
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Foundation Updates
From Eddie Blender, editor for Our Foundation Newsletter:
Dear Colleagues:
It sent shivers up my spine when the newspaper headlines recently shouted: "Polio Outbreak in the Congo". Thankfully, RI responded immediately with calming reassurances. But there is still a monetary shortfall. It is important for Rotarians to stay focused - for the eradication of Polio is in sight.
Please read "Smallpox Zero to Polio Zero" (pages 16 to 25).
While traveling in the Pacific Northwest I was bringing Rotarians up-to-date and sharing with them the incredible progress and power of the Rotary Peace Program.
Not only was the outpouring of support for the program wonderful, it was quite fruitful... with new commitments and new donations. Rotary and Peace are alive and well and thriving in Washington and Oregon! (pages 2 to 11)
There is a wonderful story about ten year old who is forgoing holiday presents while raising money for an educational project in Cambodia. The tie-in is that I presented Adam with a Paul Harris Fellow Recognition Award when he was younger. He says he feels good.. doing good (page 12).
Our Foundation Newsletter for December, 2010, contains important updates on Peace Scholars, Polio and a reminder of the history of smallpox. It's a great read!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Training and Help for Clubs and Districts
"If I don't learn something new every day, I'm probably just not paying attention!" What new thing will you learn today?
- Clubs around the world have reported on their best practices - find out what they said.
- Learn how to make weekly club meetings, club assemblies, and club board meetings more effective.
- New Future Vision e-learning module - The Developing Global Grants e-learning module focuses on how to identify global grant projects and activities.
All this and more will be found in: Rotary Training Talk
Rotary Peace Centers
I'm looking forward to meeting Brad Lauman who is the manager of the Rotary Peace Centers Department when he visits Districts 5100 and 5110 this week.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Tips for Publicizing Your Rotary Club Activities
With so many opportunities to publicize your club’s projects and activities, it may be difficult to know where to begin. Rotary International offers many outlets through which you may be able to publicize your club’s success stories to an international audience. Before you submit a story, ask yourself these questions:
- Was our project or activity a success?
- Can other clubs learn and be inspired by our story?
- Can other clubs replicate our success?
A story that includes the following elements has a greater chance of receiving coverage in an RI publication:
- Demonstrates a unique or innovative approach to addressing a problem or challenge
- Focuses on action and hands-on participation by Rotarians
- Explains why the activity was undertaken and what positive outcomes resulted from it
- Includes high resolution, action-oriented photos of the activity
Please send concise descriptions of newsworthy activities, along with action-oriented photos, to your RI staff liaisons. They can share your submissions with RI’s communications and editorial staff for consideration as a story in one of RI’s publications or on the RI website.
Another easy way to share your project success stories with Rotarians around the world is to submit a description of your project for possible inclusion in RI’s database of model projects on ProjectLINK. Simply fill out the ProjectLINK Model Project Submission Form, and e-mail it to Rotary International. If selected for inclusion as a model project, Rotarians will be able to read about your club’s success and may choose to replicate your strategies in their own communities.
For tips and resources to help you promote your club activities and enhance Rotary’s image through other media, please visit the Public Relations section of the RI website.
Best regards,
Kathryn Nichols
Coordinator, Programs & Presidential Initiatives
Rotary International
programs@rotary.org
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Red Flags for Rotary Clubs
Why Rotarians Drop their Membership
Thanks to Rotary District 6000 - www.rotary6000.orgRetention is not just everyone’s responsibility, but OUR responsibility. Otherwise, it’s nobody’s responsibility.
Lack of screening to ensure prospective members are a good fit with Rotary
No meaningful induction ceremony
Inadequate orientation of the new member
Very limited, or no club participation in projects or committees.
Poor or non existent follow up by mentor or sponsor.
Cliques
Club projects not meaningful
Meetings too boring, formal, or inflexible
Inconvenient meeting time or location
Indifference or apathy on part of club officers and leaders.
Poor communication between officers and members.
Lack of encouragement to attend training seminars and district conferences
When Rotarians drop their club membership (but remain in town and have no major health concerns), 70% drop because they don’t believe they are receiving value for the time and money spent, 14% are dissatisfied with the club leadership or fellowship, and 9% drop because of financial reasons.
Do you know of other red flags?
The good news is the majority of the above reasons for member disillusionment can be eliminated by the club leadership being proactive.
The bottom line is Rotarians must feel they are an important part of the club membership. If not, they’ll look to other clubs or activities where they will get involved.
Rotary Membership Survival Kit
Pencil - to write down the names of people you meet every day who might be good Rotarians.
Piece of String - to remind you to invite those people to a Rotary meeting or event.
Rubber band - to remind you to be flexible........ we don't need to always do things "the way we've always done it."
Band-Aid - to remind you to be sensitive to difficulties others may be experiencing (health, business, financial or family.)
Eraser - to remind you everyone makes mistakes, but that's okay because we learn by our errors.
Candy Kiss - to remind you everyone needs a hug or a compliment every day.
Mint - to remind you that you are worth a mint to your Rotary family.
Mirror - to see ourselves as others see us. (What image to we project to our community?)
Tea Bag - to remind you to be calm and have patience with those who don't agree with you or perhaps need a little more time or encouragement to understand the need for more Rotary members.
Bubble Gum - to remind you to stick with your plan and vision!
Monday, November 8, 2010
Exposing Some Truths About Motivating Millennials in the Workforce
Received this blog article via Tweet today...... VERY interesting!
Read the whole article here:
New Generations Newsletter November 2010
Throughout November, which is Rotary Foundation Month, all those involved with Interact, Rotaract, and RYLA are encouraged to consider ways to support Foundation programs and projects around the world.
Many Foundation programs are open to Rotary’s New Generations, including Ambassadorial Scholarships, Group Study Exchange, and Rotary Peace Fellowships.
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