January is Vocational Service Month

It is what sets Rotary apart from other service organisations. The concept of vocational service is rooted in the second point of the Object of Rotary which calls on Rotarians to encourage and foster 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. Rotarians every day put these ideals into action by using their professional skills to serve their community, practising their profession with integrity and guiding others in their professional development.

 

Rotary was started in 1905 by Paul Harris and his business associates as a vehicle for business & personal connections, what we would now call ‘networking’.  The sharing of vocations and skills was a basic tenet of Rotary’s inception.  And I would offer that it certainly still is and should be.

 

Several have put forward the concept that Rotary should be run like a business; if so, like any business manager, we need then to consider our inputs and outputs.  Our inputs are our time, talent and treasure in the projects, fundraising and even our regular gatherings.  Our outputs are a better life and improved health for the recipients of our humanitarian work and more peace in the world.  For ourselves, we gain the support and friendship of our fellow Rotarians and the personal and professional growth that comes from our team-leading, public speaking and organisation efforts.

 

Stories abound of Rotarians who would say they got so much more out of their Rotary experiences than they put in – that is, their outputs exceeded their inputs.  Sounds like a good business model to me. An example of sharing our skills and talents is the Vocational Training Team.  The VTT this year in our District is a great example of sharing our skills and talents with others in the world; of Rotarians serving humanity.

 

When is the last time you presented your ‘Classification Talk’?  If you’re a realtor or dentist or roofer and there just happens to be a fellow-Rotarian or a guest wanting to buy a house or get her molars looked at or needing her roof re-shingled, I’m sure she would be interested in knowing that you could be of service to them.  Most Rotarians would rather do business with another Rotarian. 

 

And the sharing of that knowledge also leads to opportunities for mentoring the Rotaractor and the Rotarian newer in his career.

 

At our meetings, we sometimes see ‘advertising bucks’ or fines for professional publicity.  My position: we should not be embarrassed about sharing how we contribute to the economic life of our community and the world.  Yes, it’s usually done in fun but maybe we should consider how it looks to the visitor or new Rotarian.  We don’t need to give these people a reason to reconsider coming back.

 

As Rotarians, we are asked to share our time, treasure and talent.  So let’s use Vocational Service Month to celebrate and share our individual talents and skills in Rotary Serving Humanity.