Membership Corner -
Posted by Thomas Sturiale
Cost/Benefit...
When the benefits exceed the cost, clients will invest the time, money and effort to acquire the product, service or offering before them.
That is the basis of a Value Proposition. What is it that Rotary is offering to its members and to its prospective members? As Rotarians, we are aware of the costs - club dues and fees, meal costs, raffles, district meetings, training sessions, donations to the foundation or any other club projects, time for meetings, projects and fund raisers and the list goes on. What are the benefits? How do you articulate them? We sometimes agonize over developing statements of Rotary Value when it really is right before us. We only need to look at and think about the meaning of the Object of Rotary, Service Above Self, and the five Avenues of Service. We all join in and remain in Rotary because we believe the value we are receiving exceeds the cost we are expending whether it is in terms of money, time and/or effort. Now how do we translate our experience of value into a statement of value which will attract Rotary soulmates?
None of us have the time or inclination to fully explore and become totally immersed in all five Avenues of Service but we should be deeply involved in a couple and interested in the rest. Does your club spend enough time discussing Community Service, Club Service, Vocational Service, International Service and Youth Service. Exploring the five Avenues of Service leads one to networking, fellowship, service - in so many ways, friendship, leadership, personal relationships, youth development, ethics development, international and in so many other areas. Every club cannot excel in every avenue, but every club can excel in something that resonates in their neighborhood. What is yours? Discuss the avenues of service in your assembly meetings. What do they mean? How does your club approach them? Not only do the new members need to learn about them but the senior members may need to be reminded. It needs to be pointed out this does take some work. Your club leadership may need prodding. These issues need to be discussed on a regular basis at club assembly meetings.
Therein lies the great value of Rotary. There are many service clubs but none offer a greater variety of service opportunities through so many clubs to so many people throughout the world. Many years ago, one of my old bosses told me "If you can't sell that, you can't shoot a fish in a barrel".
Tom Sturiale - Membership Chair District 7910