Submitted By: Donald Cavalier, District Membership ChairJune is Rotary Fellowship Month: A time to recruit new Members for your Clubs!
I want to thank the Past District Governors, Debra Warner (who will complete her term as District Governor on June 30), Herb Schmidt, Craig Loughery, and Dr. David Smette for giving me the opportunity to serve as the District Membership Chairperson for the past four years. Also, a BIG thanks to Dr. David Smette and Branden Robinson for all their help with Membership and Extension over the past four years and to all the District club Presidents and Club Membership Chairpersons. It has been a great learning experience and I want to wish Branden Robinson well as the next District 5580 Membership Chairperson.
The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster: FIRST- The Development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service. SECOND - High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society. THIRD - The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal, business, and community life. FOURTH - The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.
June is designated Rotary Fellowships Month to recognize the importance of fellowship and goodwill among or District 5580 Rotarians with similar recreational and vocational interests, promote increased participation in fellowships, and increase understanding of this program. District 5580 encourages these groups to celebrate Rotary Fellowships Month through projects, activities, and events.
What are the benefits for Rotarians in joining the Rotary Fellowships? Fellowship provides opportunities for Rotarians to make lasting friendships outside their own Club, District or country. Fellowships contribute to the advancement of world understanding and peace. Also, Fellowships serve as an incentive for attracting new members to Rotary and retaining our existing members. Indeed, Rotary Fellowship, together with the Rotarian Action Groups, serve as an effective tool in promoting membership development and should be actively promoted in our District.
All About Membership “Just Ask” and follow-up!
“To pursue new and retain existing members by doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results is lunacy.”
No club deliberately loses members. External forces cause a low percentage of membership loss. Internal issues that are difficult to recognize and resolve cause clubs’ major losses, primarily because they tend to render the clubs ineffective at satisfying member’s needs. Eager to succeed within Rotary’s one-year leadership cycle, club leaders often try quick fixes (like membership drives) which generally waste time, effort, and resources that should be used to identify and improve the clubs’ ability to satisfy present and future members’ reasons for joining. Over the past four years I kept asking myself “What are these issues and how does Rotary go about overcoming them”? I found that details differ according to each District 5580 Rotary Club and they fall into these 4 categories, usually in this order:
(1) Lack of leadership agreement on purposes and goals (Failure to set membership goals and a strategic plan).
(2) Loss of desire and initiative to make the necessary changes.
(3) Losing sight of the overall objective. Too grow membership.
(4) Failure to properly educate and communicate with all involved.
To overcome these issues, here are some suggestions and guidelines clubs could follow:
1. CREATE A SYSTEMATIC STRATEGIC MEMBERSHIP PLAN WITH SHORT-TERM, ATTAINABLE MILESTONES. Real change takes time, but the vision may become lost in the fog if the coalition does not build in short-term successes. Timely milestones with appropriate celebrations tend to keep the vision in focus while getting more and more people involved. Success breeds success.
2. CREATE A POWERFUL GUIDING CLUB MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE . At the club level, the board is a logical place to start building a committee BY ASSIGNING A MEMBER TO BE THE CLUB MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSON AND BUILDING A MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE (Make sure to include longtime or new members). The membership committee’s size will vary according to club size, but improving effectiveness will fail without a dedicated and cooperative membership committee.
3. ESTABLISH AN ATTAINABLE VISION. The Club must establish goals that are attainable within a reasonable length of time. This will solidify the group because they will have worked together to define the objectives and, most important, will believe they are attainable.
4. ESTABLISH PRIORITIES. To reverse membership decline by making clubs more effective is not a one-person show; it requires the cooperation of many. To attain this cooperation, club (and district) leaders must establish priorities around which they can build a consensus. Only then can clubs become more effective in satisfying their members’ needs and further advancing the Object of Rotary. Recruiting new members should be
a year round and continuous process.
5. COMMUNICATE. Failure to communicate is a common, costly oversight. Plan to communicate priorities and dependable, accurate, timely updates to all parties involved. For example, if the membership committee plans to reach a specified membership recruiting goal, the membership chairperson should periodically bring members up-to-date where the club stands relative to its goal. Also, Rotary International and District 5580 provides great membership recruiting resources for all clubs to use. A must do for all clubs in District 5580. At all levels, communications must focus on priorities. Priorities must be headliners, not mid-page articles.
6. REMOVE OBSTACLES. Obstacles will arise as any club proceeds on their path to success. Many try to side step or ignore impediments rather that deal with them. Perhaps the most common obstacle is those who fight the winds of change. Club Leaders should find a way to recognize and overcome obstacles. They will have to make hard decisions like asking uncooperative individuals to step aside.
7. DO NOT DECLARE THE MISSION ACCOMPLISHED TOO SOON. This is perhaps the major reason membership drives seldom accomplish their desired goal. It is important that the club and district continue to refine priorities the new customs and practices, that have made them more effective, become operational norms. “Once again membership recruitment should be continuous throughout the Rotary year”! Only then can the membership committee declare victory and celebrate.
Donald R. Cavalier, District Membership Chairperson 2017-18, cavalier@umn.edu