President's Letter

 

That’s not “fine” as in “quality.” It’s “fine” as in “imposed monetary penalty.” Although the bad rap is fading, you will still run into some who aren’t familiar with Rotary and learn that their belief is the organization is defined as much by fines that are levied as it is by the good work it does. While it’s a myth that fining is a fundamental or major part of Rotary’s existence, there is an overblown history that supports the misunderstanding, and there admittedly remain, to this day, fines that nearly all agree are justified.

 

Let’s be fair: Rotary fines have historically been less about punishment than they have been about generating funds to support service. Most “fines” were inflicted on those who had a recent, positive occurrence in life. In present day Rotary, these sometimes substantial fines are arranged with the “violator” prior to imposition. While fines for trivial infractions (like not wearing western wear on Rodeo Day) haven’t completely disappeared, those are typically nominal and enforced only by the 4-Way Test – no one checks off your name as the dollar drops from your hand.

 

So what are those justified fines that are still in play? The cell phone that rings during the meeting is the nearly-indisputable example. And that traditional fining event is made known to even the newest members during information sessions and STAR meetings. Behavior known to be fine worthy can scarcely be classified as not pre-arranged – you are asking for it when you pilfer a fellow member’s birthday dessert. That counts as justified, if not unexpected.

 

A relatively recent Rotary movement is to encourage recognition of positive happenings in a member’s life, to take the place of fining. You may have already seen this in our club as a member offers a donation to celebrate good fortune, rather than waiting to be sanctioned by the President or Sergeant. Our Happy Jackson opportunities stand in for what once would have been fines. Underscoring that there is more to this than mere semantics, some Rotary clubs have seen non-offending members offering a contribution in honor of someone's child/grandchild birth or the opening of a new business operation. These self-imposed fines are a perfect denial to lingering misconceptions about an alleged disincentive to join Rotary.

 

Keep your cell phone on vibrate at meetings and you’ll likely never be surprised by a monetary penalty that exhausts your coffee budget for the month. Help Rotary finish off the vestiges of that fine reputation by offering a contribution when you make an announcement to be proud of. Better yet, set an example of recognizing the other member’s accomplishment via a small voluntary donation. You might be pleased to see how many others follow your lead.