DG's August Message
How time flies! The new Rotary year is no longer so new. We are already in August and this month, in the Rotary world, we celebrate Membership and New Club Development. It is fitting that at the beginning of the Rotary year we focus on Membership. Membership and Club Development are important factors that we must take into account as we go about planning and providing community service.
The success of Rotary and of club activities depends on club members and on the strength of our clubs. Membership growth is mandated by both the criteria for the Presidential Citation and the District Governor's Award. The more members that we have, the more hands we will have to work with, the more resources (time, talents, treasures) we will have at our disposal and the more we can accomplish - the wider our reach will be. More members allow us to increase the size and scope of our programs. More members also mean that the responsibility for the work that we do can be shared so that hardworking members do not experience "burn out".
Hand-in-hand with membership growth, we are encouraged to think of developing new clubs as well as existing clubs. Good Rotarians exist in different contexts and therefore different clubs can be developed to cater to various types of leaders in our communities committed to doing significant things and to being a gift to the world.
Equally, we must not lose sight of the importance of strengthening our clubs. Our mission is not to increase members at the expense of club strength. Indeed membership growth is complementary to stronger clubs. Our aim is "quality", not "quantity" but, at the same time, as with any good organization, our aim should also be to grow the organization so that the organization's impact will increase. If we are truly convinced about the Rotary ideal of Service above 'Self, then we should be motivated to find like-minded persons to join us in selfless service. If we are persuaded that life is only truly significant when we use our gifts not just for ourselves but for our world, then it becomes apparent that we should invite others to make a difference in the world through Rotary.
I invite you this Rotary year to commit to growing our membership and to strengthening our clubs. Our membership is not just limited to Rotarians. This year, I entreat you to develop and mentor members of our Youth Arms - Rotaract, Interact and Early Act. In doing so, we have a hand in grooming reputable and effective leaders for tomorrow's world.
Carla and I have started our official visits. Mid-July we visited the Cayman Islands and, at time of publication, we will be in The Turks and Caicos Islands. We are being constantly reminded how awesome our District is! To capture the work that our District does year after year, and especially this year, District 7020 Rotarians are being asked to post their stories and pictures with the hashtag: #unleashtheawesome7020. Carla and I are convinced that our stories are worth-telling. I hope you agree. In doing so, we may even find that even more community builders will want to join this awesome group called Rotary7020!
The COTM program invites your submissions on Membership and Partnership activities this month. We look forward to hearing what you are doing in this regard - including your collaboration with Rotarian and non-Rotarian partners. We anticipate awesome things. Unleash it! And record it: #unleashtheawesome7020.
This month, I ask you to invite others to Be a Gift to the World. Challenge them to move from Success to Significance.
Felix N. Stubbs
District Governor 2015-2016, District 7020,
Rotary International
The success of Rotary and of club activities depends on club members and on the strength of our clubs. Membership growth is mandated by both the criteria for the Presidential Citation and the District Governor's Award. The more members that we have, the more hands we will have to work with, the more resources (time, talents, treasures) we will have at our disposal and the more we can accomplish - the wider our reach will be. More members allow us to increase the size and scope of our programs. More members also mean that the responsibility for the work that we do can be shared so that hardworking members do not experience "burn out".
Hand-in-hand with membership growth, we are encouraged to think of developing new clubs as well as existing clubs. Good Rotarians exist in different contexts and therefore different clubs can be developed to cater to various types of leaders in our communities committed to doing significant things and to being a gift to the world.
Equally, we must not lose sight of the importance of strengthening our clubs. Our mission is not to increase members at the expense of club strength. Indeed membership growth is complementary to stronger clubs. Our aim is "quality", not "quantity" but, at the same time, as with any good organization, our aim should also be to grow the organization so that the organization's impact will increase. If we are truly convinced about the Rotary ideal of Service above 'Self, then we should be motivated to find like-minded persons to join us in selfless service. If we are persuaded that life is only truly significant when we use our gifts not just for ourselves but for our world, then it becomes apparent that we should invite others to make a difference in the world through Rotary.
I invite you this Rotary year to commit to growing our membership and to strengthening our clubs. Our membership is not just limited to Rotarians. This year, I entreat you to develop and mentor members of our Youth Arms - Rotaract, Interact and Early Act. In doing so, we have a hand in grooming reputable and effective leaders for tomorrow's world.
Carla and I have started our official visits. Mid-July we visited the Cayman Islands and, at time of publication, we will be in The Turks and Caicos Islands. We are being constantly reminded how awesome our District is! To capture the work that our District does year after year, and especially this year, District 7020 Rotarians are being asked to post their stories and pictures with the hashtag: #unleashtheawesome7020. Carla and I are convinced that our stories are worth-telling. I hope you agree. In doing so, we may even find that even more community builders will want to join this awesome group called Rotary7020!
The COTM program invites your submissions on Membership and Partnership activities this month. We look forward to hearing what you are doing in this regard - including your collaboration with Rotarian and non-Rotarian partners. We anticipate awesome things. Unleash it! And record it: #unleashtheawesome7020.
This month, I ask you to invite others to Be a Gift to the World. Challenge them to move from Success to Significance.
Felix N. Stubbs
District Governor 2015-2016, District 7020,
Rotary International