Dear District 6630 fellow Rotarians and Friends:
In my August letter, we began exploration of Rotary International President Mark Maloney’s primary goal of developing membership in new clubs in innovative ways. This topic is complex and of vital importance to all of us.
A quick review of the membership results for District 6630 during the 2018-2019 Rotary year points to the critical nature of advancing membership. Fully, 26 of our clubs lost members during the past Rotary year. An additional 8 club’s membership was unchanged. This is a trend that we cannot, and I am confident will not, allow to continue. We are certainly off to a good start. From July 1, 2019 through July 31, 2019, our membership increased as a district by a net gain of 20. However, from past experience, we all know how difficult it will be to maintain this upward trend and finish the year with a net increase in membership.
Your entire District Leadership team is here to assist you and your club in the growth process. The membership committee led by PDG Jim McKee in particular can and will provide assistance and advice to you on innovative membership tools, innovative club types, and the nuts and bolts of brochures, business cards and the like for your club.
One of the major undertakings of the district is to help create and participate in the second annual Tri-District Membership Summit. Mark your calendars for this event which will take place at the Stanton Middle School, 1175 Hudson Road, Kent, Ohio 44240 on October 26, 2019. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the program will end at 12:30 p.m. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
There will be over three hours of productive interaction with the best and brightest Rotarians from Districts 6630, 6650, and 6600.
There will be small group facilitated sessions broken down by club size for five areas. These areas are: “Closing the Back Door” to retain members; Developing an Effective Orientation; Making Your Club More Attractive; Practicing Flexibility and Innovation and Attracting People of Action. To effectively take advantage of this opportunity (which is free to attend), I ask that each club send at least three members who are interested in membership and hopefully include a critical part of your leadership team.
A unique opportunity has been developed for this Tri-District Membership Summit. A “capstone” session will give you dedicated time to build your membership plan in a facilitated small group discussion. All other sessions are offered multiple times so your team can attend all the sessions of interest to them.
In reviewing the results of last year’s Tri-District Membership summit, we are both encouraged and pleased to report that those clubs that attended and took serious advantage of the opportunities offered have had good results. Thus, I ask you to bring your team—this is a morning focused on engagement. Plan to leave the event with materials and programs you can implement around membership immediately.
As you plan your attendance at the Tri-District Membership seminar, there are a few things you should think about. First, why do prospective members join a Rotary club? The best statistics indicate that about 40% of new members join to participate in local service. Another 31% join to participate in international service projects, and about 27% join to gain personal development and training opportunities. What can you do to take advantage of this information?
With regard to “Closing the Back Door,” why do current members stay? The best information available indicates that about 46% stay to participate in local service projects. Another 41% stay to enjoy friendship and fellowship. About 29% stay so that they can connect with people outside their work and social circles. What can you do to take advantage of this information?
If you have any questions about this event, please direct them to PDG Jim McKee. He can be reached at hunnee1997@aol.com. I look forward to seeing you there!
Speaking of fun and fellowship, PDG Beverly Ghent-Skrzynski and I both cordially invite you to the upcoming Foundation Gala to be held at Windows on the River on December 5, 2019. Plan on spending an enjoyable evening with us. After all, what is more fun than a dessert dash and a chance to show off your ugly holiday sweater? More information is forthcoming, but I ask you to save the date now.
I close with a message from R.I. President Mark Maloney. Mark points out that another summer is winding down and regardless of season, every family has its own traditions. He goes on to state:
I would like to suggest a new one [tradition] for [your family]: Find an opportunity to introduce your family to Rotary…We must foster a culture where Rotary does not compete with family, but compliments it. We should never expect our members to choose between the two…
Often, the young professionals that Rotary needs to attract in order to remain a dynamic 21st century service organization are the very people who have the greatest family responsibilities. We must not keep these prospective young members away from their families…
So let us open our doors and do it in a fun way, with opportunities that make our children and grandchildren want to learn more about Rotaract, Interact, and Rotary membership.
So how will you grow your Rotary club this year?
Sincerely,
John Reyes
Rotary District 6630 Governor 2019-2020
Tel: 330.258.6469
Email: jreyes@bdblaw.com
Rotary District 6630 Governor 2019-2020
Tel: 330.258.6469
Email: jreyes@bdblaw.com
