The month of August gives Rotarians the opportunity to celebrate membership. Our members are the most valuable asset of this organization, and it has been an absolute privilege to travel our vast district and meet so many of you. Without members we could not accomplish any of the good works our Rotary Clubs do.
ATTRACTION and ENGAGEMENT are vital to our success, but we must also be proud of and celebrate our own members, the Rotarians who have made a difference in our clubs, our local communities, and our world. There is no magical answer to increasing membership, it takes hard work and a willingness to share your own passion for this organization with everyone. Clubs must create strategic initiatives directed at sharing the benefits of Rotary with potential Rotarians. Here are just a few of the things we are doing right around our district.
A well-known saying goes, "If you want to change the world, go home and love your family." That doesn't mean people should ignore the needs outside their own homes; instead, they should pay attention to the needs within.
It can be tempting, when our priority is service, to focus only on the things that look like service: the projects, the planning, the work that yields a visible benefit to those who need it. But to do that work effectively, we need to keep our own house in order. In Rotary, that means conducting ourselves in accordance with the principles of Rotary, treating others with respect, and following The Four-Way Test. It means maximizing our impact by planning carefully and stewarding our resources wisely. And it means looking after the long-term health of our organization by ensuring that our membership is strong, engaged, and healthy.
Our membership has hovered around the same 1.2 million mark for 20 years. We aren't growing, and our membership is getting older. We have too many clubs that don't have the knowledge or motivation to have an impact: clubs that don't know what we're doing on a global level, clubs that don't know about our programs or our Foundation, that don't even know how to get involved. And with a membership that is still mostly male, we clearly aren't doing enough to become the organization of choice for women who are seeking to serve.
When it comes to finding new members for his Minnesota Rotary club, Tom Gump doesn’t just walk the walk, he trots the trot: the turkey trot. Gump is a former president of the Rotary Club of Edina/Morningside, which makes boosting membership a priority. In fact, that’s the fourth item on a list of 10 tips to attract and retain members which has been prepared – and practiced – by the club. It’s tip No. 10 that finds Gump clad in a turkey suit. More on that shortly.
The tips work: During Gump’s 2016-17 stint as club president, Edina/Morningside added 31 members. Eleven of them were women; 10 were under 40 years old. With 94 members, the club “went from being classified as a medium-size club to being one of District 5950’s large clubs,” says Gump, who will be the 2020-21 district governor. “There were 13 clubs larger than our club in our district, and now there are only four.”
The tips have proven so effective that Gump has taken the Edina/Morningside show on the road, using a PowerPoint presentation to coach other clubs on specific ways they can expand their membership. “I have been called a good salesman,” says Gump (who, for the record, is a real estate lawyer and a developer). “But to me, recruiting new Rotary members is not really selling. It’s matching up potential members with what he or she wants in a club.”
So if you’re looking to add members to your club, consider taking a page from the Edina/Morningside playbook. Read on for the club’s 10 tips, as well as five suggestions for increasing membership from other Rotarians and Rotary clubs.
We are excited to announce that our district will be presenting One Rotary Summits on September 15 in Duluth and October 13 in Fargo. These summits emphasize how Membership, Public Image, and Humanitarian Service through The Rotary Foundation activities can build a strong club. It's a unique and effective way to help club members understand and become truly engaged in the opportunities offered by Rotary. See you there!
District 5580 is now calling for nominations for the office of District Governor for the Rotary year 2021-2022, and qualified Rotarians may submit a nomination for consideration by the District Nominating Committee. The Nominee must submit the following documents:
Membership in Rotary fulfills the basic human need of friendship. In fact, it was one of the primary reasons Paul Harris started Rotary in 1905. We create lifelong friendships in our local and international communities. The relationships created in Rotary’s are with a network of local and international leaders whom we address by name and are considered our equals and peers.
2. Professional Development
Rotary is a network of business, professional and community leaders, who have a culture of high level of integrity and purpose. Our members are exposed to people, every week, in a vast range of vocations that can provide assistance to our business and professional development. Although we are not a business networking organization, we afford our members to be identified to the leaders in their local community. By this association, our members not only enhance their business, they learn from and identify with the leaders in their community. It was once said, “Rotary allows me to sit next to people every week that I would otherwise have to pay $250 an hour to meet.” 3. Personal Growth Rotary takes ordinary individuals and puts them into extraordinary circumstance. Every week, you are exposed to new thoughts, new professions and new opportunities to learn. Our members develop broad social skills. A key part of Rotary is its internationalism, which gives our members to broaden their international scope, living and expression. Simply stated, membership in Rotary helps to make our members better – better individuals, community leaders, internationalists, and humanitarians.
Rotary District 5580 offers our sincere apologies for an error in the International Convention article published in the July edition of "Cross Currents". The current Prime Minister is Justin Trudeau, son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, who spoke at Rotary International's General Assembly in Toronto.
The Rotary Club sounds familiar to most. After all, it’s an organization that has been around for over 110 years, has 35,000 clubs nationwide and 1.2 million members or “Rotarians.” However, depending on who you ask, you will likely get different answers regarding the club’s mission. Some will tell you it’s a networking club for professionals, others may say it’s like the “Moose Club.” Julie Rothmeier, Retirement Planning Specialist and Founder of Strategic Wealth Partners, thought something similar. She was not sure what to expect when invited to attend her first meeting eighteen years ago. Since then, Julie has embraced the Rotarian mission, served as The Rotary Club of Cloquet’s President twice, and spearheaded the launch of two charitable initiatives near and dear to her heart; one being the Literacy Program of Cloquet, Minnesota.
Rotarians are professionals, leaders, and problem solvers who share a global mission to promote peace, fight disease, provide clean water, sanitation, and hygiene, assist mothers and children, support education and grow local economies. The ability to work with a dynamic group of individuals in her community to solve some of the issues impacting children at home, and in third world countries, was of significant interest to Julie.
The Detroit Lakes Noon Rotary club will be having their summer social/fundraiser on August 29 at Detroit Mountain Lodge from 5 – 9 pm with a Caribbean theme. Salsa Dancing Lessons, Don Q rums, and beer from the Islands will be available for tasting along with a cash bar and great food will be served.
The social/fund raiser is to help our Rotary partners in Districts Jamaica #7020 club Port Antonio and Puerto Rico #7000 club El Vigia.
The Detroit Lakes Club is looking for help to raise money for:
“Eyes on Jamaica” project that Rotarian Larry Morrison has gone on 21 times! Thousands of people have been helped to see and receive eye proper care. Our sister Club Port Antonio prescreens thousands of Jamaican residents so that only people that truly need the services are treated. Rotarian Dr. Parataneni (DR. P) also provides a free eye care clinic for anyone meeting the economic guide lines in Port Antonio the last Friday of every month. Please bring light used sunglasses, readers, prescription glasses, and cases. We have a use for all of them and will collect them at the event!
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Blaine Johnson, District Governor
Barry Rassin, President 2018-19
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We are excited to announce that our district will be presenting One Rotary Summits on September 15 in Duluth and October 13 in Fargo. These summits emphasize how Membership, Public Image, and Humanitarian Service through The Rotary Foundation activities can build a strong club. It's a unique and effective way to help club members understand and become truly engaged in the opportunities offered by Rotary. See you there! 
District 5580 is now calling for nominations for the office of District Governor for the Rotary year 2021-2022, and qualified Rotarians may submit a nomination for consideration by the District Nominating Committee. The Nominee must submit the following documents: 
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by Financial Advocates, Charity Spotlight
The Detroit Lakes Noon Rotary club will be having their summer social/fundraiser on August 29 at Detroit Mountain Lodge from 5 – 9 pm with a Caribbean theme. Salsa Dancing Lessons, Don Q rums, and beer from the Islands will be available for tasting along with a cash bar and great food will be served.