“We Care” Program – District 7730 2006-07
A Guide for Building Strong, Effective and Fun Rotary Clubs
For Rotary’s Second Century
District 7730 Vision for 2006-07:
“All Quality Clubs, Everyone Involved!”
- Wilson Ray, District Governor, 2007-08
First we must ask how Rotarians will know that they are members of a Quality Club.
A Quality Club is one in which the members are enjoying the Rotary experience and feel a sense of accomplishment. The membership is receptive to the clear and positive goals supplied by the club’s leadership. Within the club there is an understanding of Rotary’s purpose and there is strong support for the Rotary Foundation. There a number of service projects each year which activity involve the participation of all members. The success of a Quality Club can be measured in its strong camaraderie which makes the recruitment of new members and the retention of current members a simple task.
As Rotary Leaders, what must be understood about our membership and their desire to be involved?
A Rotary leader must understand the basics of group dynamics which lead to members being involved. Each person must feel that they welcomed into the club and respected for their unique abilities. The leadership must respect their time by using it wisely and keep the group informed both of club activities and Rotary knowledge. A quality club will provide the individual with challenges from which one can grow. In a quality club, each member will feel a sense of accomplishment from being involved in projects which make a difference in the club and the community.
Leaders cannot motivate Rotarians to be involved. However, leaders can provide the environment within the club which facilitates those motivated people to be involved and be part of building a Quality club. Here are 15 suggestions to building that environment.
1. Watch the time – Make sure that our volunteer time is wisely spent.
a. Our weekly meetings are one hour long. Our Rotary members are busy people, so we cannot run over their time.
b. At the same time, our meetings must be of high quality. By the end of the meeting, our members should be pleased that they were there.
c. Be sure that special projects start on time with minimum cancellations.
2. Make sure weekly meetings are worth attending,
a. The meeting environment needs to be informative, enjoyable, and most importantly, well planned.
b. The food should be appetizing and served on time.
c. A prepared agenda is essential. Assign duties in advance and follow up. You will not have time to plan after you reach the meeting.
d. Feature quality speakers. Speakers should be lined up well in advance to ensure a quality program.
e. Allow enough time for the speaker – 20 minutes is recommended.
f. Members must be able to hear the speaker. The room needs to be free of outside noise.
g. Advertise speakers well in advance to give members a compelling reason to attend.
h. Assembled a calendar early in the year and advertise it throughout the year to promote speakers, events, projects and Rotary education.
i. Meetings need to be fun and interesting. Adding humor is a good thing ….
j. But never when it causes anyone embarrassment. Everyone is treated with respect.
k. Encourage members to sit at different tables each week to encourage new friendships.
l. Assign greeters at the door to welcome new and visiting Rotarians.
m. Introduce new Rotarians each week for a month and give them an opportunity to present a brief bio. Welcome them; not once, but many times.
n. Recognize Rotarians for their service to Rotary and the community.
3. Make Rotary education a priority
a. All events need to have personal invitations. Phone calls are the best way. Soliciting participation during meetings generally results in minimum participation.
b. Do a weekly “Rotary Minute”: Have someone report each week on something that is happening in Rotary beyond the club level. The Rotarian magazine has many articles to choose from. Rotate this responsibility among many club members, including new members.
c. Encourage members to attend District training seminars and events. This gives club members important insight into Rotary’s overall mission beyond the club level and expands Rotary friendships. Extend the invitation in a positive and enthusiastic manner.
d. Rotary leaders – the president and directors – need to be at district events. If we are not, this communicates that the events are not important.
e. Encourage Rotarians to attend the International Convention. Make it a group event.
f. Encourage Rotarians to support The Rotary Foundation by giving a minimum of $100 to attain the Sustaining Member status. Encourage Rotarians to add The Rotary Foundation to their annual charitable giving budget and to give what they can afford even if they are already Paul Harris Fellows. Teach Rotarians that 100% of their giving is used for humanitarian and educational projects three years after the money is given, so that on-going giving is necessary to keep the Rotary Foundation’s programs alive in the world. Educate Rotarians as to how the Rotary Foundation is relevant in their lives by offering presentations by Group Study Exchange members and alumni, Ambassadorial Scholars and alumni, and Peace Scholars.
4. Motivate others through clear and enthusiastic communication.
a. Recognize Rotarians for participation and outstanding effort.
b. Talk about club accomplishments and upcoming projects at weekly meetings.
c. Talk to the club about board decisions and activity. Make board meetings open meetings to all Rotarians.
d. Maintain information flow as you receive information from Rotary International and the District Governor & Assistant Governor.
e. Be positive about Rotary projects when speaking to the club.
f. Generate the enthusiasm that the Rotary projects deserve.
5. Rotary belongs to all of its members. Motivate by involving others.
a. Strong leadership is a team effort and takes organization and planning.
b. Rotarians are motivated when they take part in the decision-making process and have a voice the direction of the club.
c. Rotarians need to buy into projects. Members who are part of the decision-making process are more likely to participate in the club’s projects and activities.
d. Take the club’s “temperature”. Discover what needs attention.
e. Regularly ask how the club can serve better its members – through surveys, one-on-one conversations, focus groups.
6. Get new members involved immediately.
a. Most new Rotarians make the decision about whether to stay in Rotary within the first few weeks or months of becoming a member. Things have changed from years past when the new Rotarian gave much more time for the club to prove its value.
b. Introduce new Rotarians weekly. Ask 3 or 4 Rotarians to mentor the new member by introducing him or her to other Rotarians each week. Assign mentors to personally invite new Rotarians to attend club events and projects. We need to make the extra effort to give new members a sense of belonging to the club.
c. Invite new members to Rotary Information meetings to become better educated about Rotary, not just once but several times within the first year.
d. Have a club director or the Membership committee chair speak with each new member weekly to answer questions and to assess how the new member is enjoying Rotary.
e. Assign new members to highly visible tasks. Give new members time at the podium with the pledge, invocation, Rotary Minute, classification/new member talk, etc.; and assign as a greeter. The more that other club members see new members, the more likely they are to interact with and get to know them.
f. Encourage new members to bring their spouses to club events.
g. Ask new members for their ideas. New members will be more likely to get involved and stay involved in club activities if their opinions are heard and respected.
h. Most importantly: Immediately direct the new member to club activities that match his or her interests and skills.
7. Plan social events to give members the opportunity for friendships.
a. Have informal socials in the homes of Rotarians and invite all Rotarians who have been in the club 2 years or less. Insist that they attend and bring their partners. Make a personal phone call and explain the importance of the event.
b. Do fun events – wine tasting, shrimperoos, or sporting events. Create goodwill and better friendships. Create excitement!
c. Make a Rotary International Convention or the District Conference a club social event.
d. Reward yourselves for the completion of a club project with a lunch or dinner for the members. Celebrate your success!
8. Welcome! Appoint a door greeter at every meeting.
a. Door greeters make the club atmosphere friendly and inviting.
b. Greeters can introduce new members and visiting Rotarians to club members who can then invite them to sit at their tables.
c. New members make great door greeters. It’s a great way to meet people.
9. Remember that our fellow Rotarians are family.
a. Everyone needs to be treated with respect and dignity even though we are not always in agreement. We all want to be in an environment free from fear of embarrassment.
b. Include spouses and significant-others. If we want to attract younger members, we also need to include families.
c. Send notices home – to include the spouse.
d. Be there to support each other in difficult times.
e. Budget for flowers and cards.
f. When Rotarians miss several meetings, call them, ask them how they are doing, and tell them that we missed them.
g. The most important message: “How can we be of support and assistance to you?
10. Develop Rotary leaders
a. Prepare your officers and directors. Make sure they know their roles. Communicate your plans to your leadership team.
b. Conduct regular board meetings. Develop and distribute the agenda beforehand. Keep good minutes for follow-up next month.
c. Groom your successors. Involved your officers and directors in your planning and your decisions.
d. Recommend club members who are candidates for District 7730 officers to the District Governor and Assistant Governor.
11. Be willing to listen to new ideas.
a. “If we always do what we always did, we will always get what we always got!” Sometimes, our clubs need change.
b. New members bring fresh ideas and perspectives. Let’s not squelch good ideas just because we are more comfortable with the status quo.
c. Rotarians will be a part of the club when their ideas are seriously considered and treated with respect.
12. Get and stay organized.
a. Leaders who organize and plan well will achieve success with meetings and projects and will have members enthusiastic about Rotary.
b. Speakers who take enough time to prepare will have presentations that the members find informative and interesting.
13. Be willing to do ourselves what we expect of others.
a. Good leadership leads by example.
b. We as leaders need to participate in club projects and district events. If we do not attend, it minimizes the importance of the function.
14. Take care of program speakers
a. Give program speakers enough time to make presentations – 20 minutes is adequate.
b. Show sincere appreciation to program speakers at the podium through your introduction and at the end of the presentation and with a follow-up “thank you” note.
c. Present each speaker with a gift. Speakers get too many Rotary mugs and pens. The best gifts are ones that are tied to community or humanitarian service.
d. Encourage Rotarians to welcome the speaker before the meeting and to thank the speaker individually at the end.
e. Encourage Rotarians to stay for the entire meeting. If a member must leave early, encourage the member to apologize to the speaker before the meeting starts.
f. Discourage table conversation and the use of cell phones during the speaker presentation and the business portion of the meeting.
g. Consider program speakers for membership in Rotary.
15. We are all ambassadors of Rotary
a. Talk about Rotary in a positive manner.
b. Become educated about Rotary – its programs in our communities and around the world – so that we can be informative.
c. Take the time to speak to friends about Rotary. We often pass up great opportunities to invite possible new members to club meetings.
d. Take pride in our accomplishments and let the world know through media and word-of-mouth.
e. Wear the Rotary pin in business and social settings.
f. Rotary’s visibility in the community will help us grow.
A FINAL WORD FROM PAST RI PRESIDENT FRANK DEVLYN:
What must we do as leaders to make ours a Quality Rotary Club?
(According to Past RI President Frank Devlyn in Frank Talk II)
• Avoid cliques
• Make meetings fun
• Conduct a pre-membership questionnaire
• Involve the right aware
• Educate them about Rotary
• Rotary Fellowship groups
• Always have interesting programs
• Watch the time
• Keep it affordable
• Let new people try new things
• Make a target list of prospective members
• Find out why members leave
• Involve families
Acknowledgements:
We acknowledge the following resources in helping us put together this plan for our Rotary clubs:
• District 5170 “WE CARE” Program, PDG Stanton Allen, Gary Citti
• Rotary International “Membership Minute”
• Frank Talk, Past RI President Frank Devlyn
• Frank Talk II, Past RI President Frank Devlyn
• Zone 33 ROTARY LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE Handbook
• Carolinas PETS Manual
• “The Star President’s Club Manual”, Maureen McDaniel Merrill, Rotary Club of Windsor, California, USA
• The ABC’s of Rotary, Past RI President Cliff Dochterman