THE ABC OF ROTARY
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By Past RI President Cliff Dochterman. This is one of the most important documents that all Rotarians should read, learn and keep for additional studies whenever a question arises concerning Rotary International Definition of Rotary How do you describe the organization called "Rotary"? There are so many characteristics of a Rotary club as well as the activities of a million Rotarians. There are the features of service, internationality, fellowship, classifications of each vocation, development of goodwill and world understanding, the emphasis of high ethical standards, concern for other people and many more descriptive qualities.In 1976 the Rotary International Board of Directors was interested in creating a concise definition of the fundamental aspects of Rotary. They turned to the three men who were then serving on Rotary's Public Relations Committee and requested that a one-sentence definition of Rotary be prepared. After numerous drafts, the committee presented this definition, which has been used ever since in various Rotary publications: "Rotary is an organization of business and professional persons united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and help build goodwill and peace in the world." Those 31 words are worth remembering when someone asks, "What is a Rotary club?" ROTARY'S WHEEL EMBLEM A wheel has been the symbol of Rotary since our earliest days. The first design was made by Chicago Rotarian Montague Bear, an engraver who drew a simple wagon wheel, with a few lines to show dust and motion. The wheel was said to illustrate "Civilization and Movement." Most of the early clubs had some form of wagon wheel on their publications and letterheads. Finally, in 1922, it was decided that all Rotary clubs should adopt a single design as the exclusive emblem of Rotarians. Thus, in 1923, the present gear wheel, with 24 cogs and six spokes was adopted by the "Rotary International Association." A group of engineers advised that the geared wheel was mechanically unsound and would not work without a "keyway" in the center of the gear to attach it to a power shaft. So, in 1923 the keyway was added and the design which we now know was formally adopted as the official Rotary International emblem. |
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100 PERCENT ATTENDANCE SHOULD BE Although the bylaws of Rotary require members to attend only 50 percent of all meetings (as of July 2009), the custom has emerged that 100 percent is the desirable level. Rotary stresses regular attendance because each member represents his own business or profession and thus the absence of any member deprives the club of the values of its diversified membership and the personal fellowship of each member. Club directors may determine appropriate reasons for excusing absences. From time to time, proposals have been made to give attendance credit for various reasons or to lower the minimum requirement, but such attempts have not been adopted by the Council on Legislation. In 2001, the Council approved the creation of a New Models Rotary Clubs pilot project to develop up to 200 new clubs that were more responsive to the needs of younger professionals. The new models clubs are allowed to operate outside the Standard Rotary Club Constitution and Bylaws. Many of these clubs have altered their meeting frequency and relaxed attendance requirements. If the pilot clubs prove successful, the 2004 Council on Legislation could adopt policies making these innovations permanent. FIRST NAMES OR NICKNAMES From the earliest days of Rotary, members have referred to each other on a first-name basis. Since personal acquaintanceship and friendship are cornerstones of Rotary, it was natural that many clubs adopted the practice of setting aside formal titles in conversations among members. Individuals who normally would be addressed as Doctor, Professor, Mister, the Honorable or Sir are regularly called Joe, Bill, Charley or Jerry by other Rotarians. The characteristic Rotary club name badge fosters the first-name custom.In a few areas, such as Europe, club members use a more formal style in addressing fellow members. In other parts of the world, mainly in Asian countries, the practice is to assign each new Rotarian a humorous nickname which relates to some personal characteristic or which is descriptive of the member's business or profession. A member nicknamed "Oxygen" is the manufacturer of chemical gas products. "Trees" is the nickname for the Rotarian in the lumber business, "Building" is the contractor, "Paper" is the stationery or office supply retailer. Other members might carry nicknames like "Muscles," "Foghorn" or "Smiles" as commentaries on their physical characteristics. The nicknames are frequently a source of goodnatured fun and fellowship. But whether a Rotarian is addressed by a given first name or a nickname, the spirit of personal friendship is the initial step that opens doors to all other opportunities for service. |
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THE FOUR AVENUES OF SERVICE - NOW FIVE The term "Four Avenues of Service" (or Five) is frequently used in Rotary literature and information. The "Avenues" refer to the four elements of the Object of Rotary: Club Service, Vocational Service, Community Service, International Service and the Fifth Avenue of New Generations.Although the Avenues of Service are not found in any formal part of the constitutional documents of Rotary, the concept has been accepted as a means to describe the primary areas of Rotary activity.
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THE ROTARIAN AND REGIONAL MAGAZINES The month of April is annually designated as "Rotary's Magazine Month," an occasion to recognize and promote the reading and use of the official RI magazine, The Rotarian, and the regional magazines, which make up the RotaryWorld Press. THE ROTARIAN has been around since 1911 as the medium to communicate with Rotarians and to advance the program and Object of Rotary. A primary goal of the magazine is to support and promote key programs of Rotary. The magazine also disseminates information about the annual theme and the philosophy of the RI president, major meetings, and the emphasis of the official "months" on the Rotary calendar. The Rotarian provides a forum in which both Rotary-related and general interest topics may be explored. The magazine serves as an excellent source of information and ideas for programs at Rotary club meetings and district conferences. Many articles promote international fellowship, goodwill and understanding. Regular readers usually have superior knowledge of the activities of Rotary and how each Rotarian may be more fully involved in the Avenues of Service around the world. In addition to The Rotarian In addition to THE ROTARIAN, the Rotary World Press includes 29 regional magazines printed in 21 languages with a combined circulation of almost half a million. Although each regional publication has its own unique style and content, they all provide Rotarians with up-to-date information and good reading in April — and all through the year. In Australia, the regional magazine is Rotary Down Under. INTERNATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF A ROTARIAN As an international organization, Rotary offers each member unique opportunities and responsibilities. Although each Rotarian has first responsibility to uphold the obligations of citizenship of his or her own country, membership in Rotary enables Rotarians to take a somewhat different view of international affairs. In the early 1950s a Rotary philosophy was adopted to describe how a Rotarian may think on a global basis. Here is what it said:"A world-minded Rotarian: • Looks beyond national patriotism and considers himself as sharing responsibility for the advancement of international understanding, goodwill and peace; • Resists any tendency to act in terms of national or racial superiority; • Seeks and develops common grounds for agreement with peoples of other lands; • Defends the rule of law and order to preserve the liberty of the individual so that he may enjoy freedom of thought, speech and assembly, and freedom from persecution, aggression, want and fear; • Supports action directed toward improving standards of living for all peoples, realizing that poverty anywhere endangers prosperity everywhere; • Upholds the principles of justice for mankind; • Strives always to promote peace between nations and prepares to make personal sacrifices for that ideal; • Urges and practices a spirit of understanding of every other man's beliefs as a step toward international goodwill, recognizing that there are certain basic moral and spiritual standards which will ensure a richer, fuller life." That is quite an assignment for any Rotarian to practice in thoughts and actions! STANDARD CLUB CONSTITUTION Rotary International is the most territorial organization in the world. It exists in 215 countries and cuts across dozens of languages, political and social structures, customs, religions and traditions. How is it that all of the more than 34,300 Rotary clubs of the world operate in almost identical style? The primary answer is the Standard Rotary Club Constitution. One of the conditions to receive a charter to become a Rotary club is to accept the Standard Club Constitution, originally adopted in 1922. The Standard Club Constitution outlines administrative techniques for clubs to follow in holding weekly meetings, procedures for membership and classifications, conditions of attendance and payment of dues and other policies relating to public issues and political positions. When the Standard Rotary Club Constitution was accepted, it was agreed that all existing clubs could continue to follow their current constitution. Although most of those early clubs have subsequently endorsed the standard constitution, The Standard Club Constitution has to be considered one of the great strengths of Rotary to enable the organization to operate in so many thousands of communities. THE SPONSOR OF A NEW MEMBER The bylaws of Rotary clearly outline the procedure for a prospective member to be proposed for Rotary club membership. The "proposer" is the key person in the growth and advancement of Rotary. Without a sponsor, an individual will The task of the sponsor should not end merely by submitting a name to the club secretary or membership committee. Rotary has not established formal responsibilities for sponsors; however, these procedures are recommended in many clubs. The sponsor should: WOMEN IN ROTARY Until 1989, the Constitution and Bylaws of Rotary International stated that Rotary club membership was for males only. In 1978 the Rotary Club of Duarte, California, invited three women to become members. |
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NON-ATTENDANCE RULES The Rotary Club Constitution specifies three conditions under which a Rotarian's membership will automatically be terminated for non-attendance. These circumstances are: failure to attend or make up four consecutive club meetings, failure to attend or make up 50 percent of club meetings each six months (as of July 2009) and failure to attend at least 30 percent of the meetings of one's own club in each six-month period. Under any of these three cases, a member will lose Rotary membership unless the club board of directors has previously consented to excuse such failure for good and sufficient reason. To some individuals, these rules may seem unusually rigid. However, being present at club meetings is one of the basic obligations a member accepts upon joining a Rotary club. The constitutional rules merely emphasize that Rotary is a participatory organization which highly values regular attendance. When a member is absent the entire club loses the personal association with that member. Being present at a club meeting is considered a vital part of the operation and success of every Rotary club. Of all the obligations a person accepts when joining a Rotary club, the one in which most Rotarians fail is "sharing Rotary." Rotary International clearly supports the position that every individual Rotarian has an "obligation to share Rotary with others and to help extend Rotary by proposing qualified persons for Rotary club membership:' It is estimated that less than 30 percent of the members of most Rotary clubs have ever made the effort to propose a new
member. Thus, in every club, there are many Rotarians who rarely share their positive experiences of Rotary membership with other individuals. |
