MINUTES OF ZOOM MEETING: Tuesday, March 23, 2021
Editor: Janice Coupland
BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES
March 23 – Shawn Kellam and wife Kristen - Happy Anniversary
And Lennis has a birthday coming up!
On the Zoom Call Tonight:
Kris Sachdeva, Jan Coupland, Dave Andrews, Dave Penney, Lennis Trotter, Heather Drakes, Hilda Finnigan, Sue MacKinnon, Robbie Larocque, Bill Creamer, Ted Morrison, Larry Hurren, Ana Rejab
Guests: None tonight
PRESIDENT SUE’S OPENING REMARKS
Good evening and welcome to our meeting
ARE YOU EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT?
Do you know your strengths and weakness?
Do you let go of your mistakes?
Are you difficult to offend?
Do you recognize and stop negative talk?
Do you hold a grudge?
Do you pick up on how people feel?
A year into COVID, people are suffering in ways that are not always obvious.
Continue to be kind and be a good neighbour!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Board of Directors meeting April 7 @ 7:00pm – new Board Members are encouraged to attend, anyone can attend but not vote.
Rotary Great Lakes Watershed Cleanup April 24 – we may have a few t-shirts given to us to help promote Rotary and City of Oshawa email me to advise gloves and garbage bags will now be available. Just need pickers!
May 12 – Rotary Foundation Gala – more info to come.
We also have an opportunity for a grant from the District Conference Committee of $500 to use in our community on June 26 – more info to follow
ALSO on June 26 we will have the opportunity to see a shelter box (tent) and donate to the cause. As we have not donated to Shelter Box this year, I will ask the Board if a donation is possible. I would like our club to join Oshawa for this event as one shelter box is $1,200
Our District Conference is June 25 and 26; cost is only $10 Several shelter boxes have been purchased and there may be an opportunity to visit the tents
UPCOMING FUNDRAISERS:
On line gaming Catch The Ace is in the works
Secure web site also in the works
Fertilizer sales coming in April! Any other announcements?
Jan thanked Sue for her introduction messages, Dave for all of his hard work on the bulletin and everything else for our club and thanked Sue for going to Feed the Need Durham for the big cheque presentation
SPEAKER:
President Sue continued with a review of our goals for 2020-21 and Sue review and invited commenbts from our members on the first 26 of 50 ideas to increase membership in our Rotary club.
Here they are:
26 of 50 ways to increase Membership
1. It sounds simple, but the most effective way we have found is ….”Ask Someone”
2. Repeatedly invite prospective members - unless you get a definitive “no” from them. If you you believe someone is interested, to our meeting.
3. Ensure that prospective members feel important. Everyone should speak with them.
4. Make your meetings FUN. Change up the agenda, make some meetings social events.
5. Have a clear membership goal for your club, develop a strategic plan & establish a budget. (for advertising, dinner is on us).
7. Have a membership minute at every club meeting. Search ideas and give an idea each meeting; bringing in a new member.
8. Have incentives for recruitment – make it fun and exciting for your members
9. Reward Rotarians who bring in new members – recognize a job well done
10. Everyone needs a one minute “elevator speech” about Rotary. Practice them in your club meetings.******lets do this************ we need a clear message
11. Engage your entire club – work together to invite at least one prospect to each club meeting
12. Assign a knowledgeable & sales oriented Rotarian to follow up with guests and report back.
13. Tell your club story in community newspapers and on local radio & TV
14. Write letters (not email) to make personal contact with local business / professional people. Ted has a letter ready to go, and going to send out. Follow up with a telephone call.
15. Prospect through your local Chamber of Commerce, BIA, or use a business directory.
16. Invite family members to join – spouse, sibling, parent, child. They already know Rotary.
17. Strive to recruit more women into your club.
18. Strive to accomplish ethnic diversity in your club. Does the club reflect your community?
19. Hold recruiting events with other Rotary clubs in your area for bigger impact. Something to do post COVID. Update website – marketing professional!
20. Host an open house at your club, inviting local business people – perhaps a wine and cheese event. Something to do post COVID.
21. Ask Rotary Foundation alumni to join your club. Difficult, location not known
22. Put together a guest information package to tell your story - have a new member kit. Update new member and send out to all.
23. Advertise the service projects your club does that serve a need in the community
25. Print invitations to club meeting. State time, location & offer “Free” lunch dinner.
Dave and Sue to look at this item
26. Ask corporations to sponsor membership – i.e. the local bank, car dealer, etc.
Kris updated everyone on the latest news on COVID-19
MEETING ADJOURNED: at 8:10 pm
UPCOMING MEETINGS:
Mar 30, 2021 7 pm Donna McFarlane, Senior Advisor, Durham Region Hospice - (for more details, please see: https://durhamregionhospice.ca/ )
Apr 6, 2021 7 pm Claudia Gutierrez, National Director, Operations and Events for Their Opportunity) (for more details, please see: https://theiropportunity.com/