Using PowerPoint, PDG Tim Moore presented informative facts and figures on the structure and composition of Rotary Australia. Tim is the Zone Coordinator for 13 of the 21 districts in Australia for strengthening clubs – that is all Districts, except Victoria and Tasmania.
Zone Coordinators assist Rotarians in engaging current members and attracting new members to develop vibrant clubs and meet their membership goals. They:
- Encourage innovative strategies for attracting and engaging members
- Support districts in new club development
- Help districts and clubs develop and implement strategic plans to reach their goals
Tim then outlined Rotary's Strategic Plan which covered:
- Increasing our impact, both locally ad globally;
- Expanding our reach, in terms of attracting new members by increasing Rotary's appeal and building awareness of our brand;
- Enhancing member engagement;
- Increasing our ability to adapt
Zone Coordinators can assist Clubs achieve these goals by serving as a resource, consultant, trainer and advisor. They can identify exemplars in membership and public relations and connect them with Districts who are seeking assistance.
They can also facilitate collaborative efforts between Districts and assist with setting up suitable training programs.
Tim provided statistics that confirmed a significant drop in global Rotary membership. A drop of 11.8% in the last 5 years and 18.8% over the last 10 years. This trend is also reflected in regional Australia membership.
Rotary remains a predominantly male domain with only 22% of overall membership being female.
The trend is continuing, even though Rotary International has been addressing these issues by making Club constitutions and rules at Council on Legislation more flexible, providing supporting resources and identifying best practice in Clubs and Districts.
The barriers to success in overcoming these problems have been identified as:
- Each Club's willingness to self-evaluate
- The apathy of Club members
- A Club's ability to engage members to implement the necessary changes
Based on all this information, Tim's underlying message is that Clubs should assess their performance in relation to membership and engagement of members.
They should involve members to encourage and facilitate agreed change.
Club's need to develop an agreed plan for a more diverse and engaged membership.
