August is Membership and New Club Development Month.
August 2021
Ideas for strengthening membership
Membership and New Club Development Month
August is Membership and New Club Development Month, a time to recognize our members and the incredible work they do locally and globally. In 2021, many Rotarians around the world are working together to curb the pandemic through vaccination drives. After a long year of uncertainty, hope is on the horizon.
Membership Month is a great time to introduce friends and colleagues to the family of Rotary. Here are just a few ideas on how to attract new members and keep them engaged:
Learn about strategies for attracting new members in this online course in the Learning Center. (A My Rotary account is required.) The course highlights ways to interest prospective members and showcase your club’s strengths.
Because of the pandemic, many clubs have started meeting exclusively online. The Engaging Online Meetings page has many useful tips and stories on virtual engagement. Take the Best Practices for Engaging Members online course to develop strategies for engaging people at all stages of membership.
Is your club healthy? Find out by taking this online course, which will help your club improve its member experience, service and social events, public image, and club operations. And don’t forget to address your club’s challenges! Answer a few questions in the Club Planning Assistant to get solutions that are tailored to the issues you are facing.
Introducing the Membership Society for New Member Sponsors
Rotary recently announced a new recognition program called the Membership Society for New Member Sponsors, to recognize members who demonstrate extraordinary commitment to sharing the gift of Rotary with others.
A new virtual gallery on My Rotary honors members who have sponsored a total of 25 or more new members.
Rotary adopts new diversity, equity, and inclusion statement
To ensure that our organization values and lives the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), the RI Board of Directors, with guidance from the DEI Task Force, strengthened the organization’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement. Read the updated commitment and learn more about our efforts to ingrain diversity, equity, and inclusion into our culture to improve the membership experience for current and future Rotarians, Rotaractors, and the family of Rotary.
Engaging your club’s newest members
At the beginning of each Rotary year, many clubs welcome new members. Because members are most likely to leave Rotary in their first few years of membership, it’s important to engage them right away. Pair them with a Rotary mentor, learn about their interests, and involve them in club activities. To complement your efforts, Rotary will send a series of email messages to members in their first year to tell them about opportunities to get involved in Rotary beyond their clubs. The messages will mention resources such as Rotary Basics and include information about Rotary Fellowships, Rotary Action Groups, and The Rotary Foundation. Together, let’s make sure members have a fulfilling Rotary experience!
2020-21 in review
Though the last Rotary year had its challenges, we have many achievements to be proud of. Take a look at what we did during 2020-21 in General Secretary John Hewko’s report to the convention.
Each One Be a Role Model
Each of us was given an extraordinary gift when we were proposed for membership in Rotary. Consider extending the same gift to other qualified people who could benefit from Rotary and help Rotary increase its impact. Find out how a chance encounter between a Rotarian and prospective member inspired RI Director Elizabeth Usovicz to share the gift of Rotary.
Growing Rotary through membership leads
As an assistant governor, K.R. Parthasarathy managed to help establish four Rotaract clubs and one Rotary club while following up on membership leads assigned to District 3150. These efforts brought more than 400 members to Rotary. Read about how he achieved this.
Membership Minute is a bimonthly newsletter that provides the latest membership trends, strategies, best practices, and resources to help strengthen membership in your clubs. The newsletter is sent to Rotary coordinators, district governors, district membership chairs, club membership chairs, club presidents and subscribers. Please forward this to anyone who may be interested.
One Rotary Center, 1560 Sherman Ave., Evanston, IL 60201-3698, USA
