Dear District Leaders,
Greetings! In this month’s email, I’m sharing information on the membership breakout sessions at convention, a new resource on satellite clubs, Membership Leads statistics, and membership data. Everyone who receives this message is noted at the top of the email, but don’t hesitate to forward this message to anyone you think should be aware of this information (including club membership chairs, assistant governors, and other key membership leaders in your district).
Rotary Convention Breakout Sessions on Membership
If you’re going to the convention, consider attending one or more of the breakout sessions on membership. And if you’re not able to travel to Hamburg, you can still participate! All presentation slides will be posted on SlideShare after each breakout session. In addition, Rotary will livestream inspiring sessions from this year’s convention. Livestreaming is available in English, French, and German for $95. Don’t forget to download the Rotary Events app to your mobile device for more information and resources.
Here are just some of the membership sessions that will be offered in Hamburg:
- From Iconic to Innovative: An exploration of the Club Experience: During this interactive session, you will identify and celebrate your club’s strengths, and determine how and why it may want to evolve in today’s changing social environment.
- State of Membership: During this session, we will look at the state of Rotary’s membership: how we got here, who is joining, who is leaving, and the opportunities for us all to make membership a top priority.
- Engaged Members: Strategies for Success: Need tips for engaging members? Drawing from best practices around Rotary, members of the RI Membership Committee will share examples and the latest resources. In a fun-filled 30-second spotlight round, attendees will share their own engagement strategies for success.
- Strategies for Advancing Women in Rotary Leadership: Women account for more than 20 percent of Rotary’s global membership, but they are underrepresented in leadership positions throughout the organization. Diverse leadership correlates with high performance, so let’s explore strategies to break the “glass ceiling” in our clubs, districts, and zones.
- Unconscious Bias: Awareness and Action: Join us for an interactive presentation that will draw upon videos, vignettes, and personal experiences to help you better understand “unconscious bias,” explore how it shows up in your life at work and beyond, and make a specific action plan to counteract your biases.
- See the full list of breakout sessions and register for the livestream today: http://www.riconvention.org/en/hamburg/rotary-live-connect
New! Satellite Club Guide
Satellite clubs are becoming an increasingly popular way to grow and retain members because of the flexibility offered to create a club experience more suitable to members’ needs. Do you think the idea of creating satellite clubs in your district could be beneficial to members, but you’re not sure where to start? The new Guide to Satellite Clubs helps members understand how a satellite club differs from a traditional club, its benefits, challenges, and how it works.
Membership Leads report
Membership leads submitted through rotary.org/join are first sent to the district leadership team. That’s why it’s beneficial to have an established process for quickly and effectively managing leads and connecting these prospective members with the right club. I’ve attached the Membership Leads Progress Analysis report, run from 1 July 2018 to 29 May 2019 for each district. It’s important that districts and clubs use My Rotary to update the status of candidates, because that data then populates the report so district leaders can see:
- How far leads have gotten since they were assigned to your district
- What percentage of leads haven’t been followed up on
- What percentage of leads are no longer interested in membership
- How many leads have been admitted to a club
Regional Highlight: From Vision to Satellite Club to fully-chartered Rotary Club
Thinking about forming a satellite club but not sure where to start? District 5930 leaders share how their newest club went from just a vision, to a satellite club, to a fully-chartered Rotary club in just nine months. Under the guidance of District Governor Andy Hagan and District Membership Chair Luis Cavazos, Past District Governor and Club President of the Rotary Club of Port Isabel, Kent Mallquist, worked hard to establish a new satellite club in Los Fresnos, Texas. How did they do it?
DG Andy and PDG Kent met with a core group of prospective members (including former Rotarians) in Los Fresnos after seeing a need and interest from folks in the community. They defined and shared their vision for a club and were met with enthusiasm! Soon, Donald Henderson (now club president) emerged as a leader of the group. His energy and connections brought even more prospects into the fold. Donald shares, "Key is Kent Mallquist’s commitment to share Rotary and allow us to lead from an early start.” He goes on to say, “providing weekly guidance and giving feedback was very important!” Donald notes that Kent taught him about leadership, mentored from the sidelines, and was present at every meeting.
With a structure in place and support from the sponsoring Rotary Club of Port Isabel, the satellite club invited other community members to visit and began with several small projects and engaging speakers. Also key to Donald’s success was appointing a leadership team to help guide the club and build a strong foundation. As a result, the satellite club quickly grew beyond 20 members and officially chartered as the Rotary Club of Los Fresnos, Texas as of April 2019. PDG Kent, 81 years young, shares what he believes are the most important steps in creating a satellite club: “Engage three or more very enthusiastic people, find a good meeting place, and provide good programs from the beginning.”
Congratulations to the Rotary Clubs of Port Isabel, Los Fresnos, and District 5930. We applaud your willingness to innovate and utilize flexibility to grow Rotary!
District Membership Progress to Goal
I’ve attached your May 2019 District Membership Progress to Goal report. Districts 5790, 5870, 5890, 5910, and 5930 are all experiencing positive net membership growth. In addition, Districts 5610, 5630, and 5690 have shown slight increases in membership numbers from last month. Keep up the great work!
As we approach the end of the Rotary year, we often see a drop in membership numbers as clubs update their rosters in advance of 1 July invoicing. Now is a great time to encourage club leaders to talk with their members and make sure they’re engaged so we can minimize the decrease in membership that often happens with the new Rotary year.
Membership Resource Guide
Also updated and attached is the Membership Resource Guide with helpful new resources and publications noted in red. If you have any questions about the materials listed, please let me know.
As always, thank you for everything you’re doing to support membership! Please reach out with any questions or concerns.
Best Regards,
Emily
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Emily Tucker
Regional Membership Officer | Membership Development
Tel 1.847.866.3258