August 13, 2026 Meeting Recap

August is Rotary's Membership and New Club Development Month, so we used our August 13th meeting to lay out this year's club goals and where the openings are to get involved. We covered all fifteen goals for 2026 to 2027, how the club grows through projects and events rather than pitches, the member resources most of us aren't using, Rotary Foundation giving and our new mini grant program, and how FundScrip earns money for the club without anyone donating a dollar. Members who missed the meeting will find the full rundown here, including every link and sign-up code.

Club Goals

We have 15 goals on the books this year. The takeaway is this: most of them get met by a handful of members saying yes one time, and several are easier than they look.

The four the District tracks

Thirty-five members. We're at 34, so that's one more person by June 30th, assuming nobody leaves.

Thirty-five members participating in service. Same number twice, and that's deliberate. It means every member does at least one service activity this year. It doesn't mean showing up to everything. Planning a project counts. Grant writing counts. Bringing a professional skill counts. Mentoring a RYLA participant counts. If you're already volunteering somewhere in your community, tell Trudy and we'll count it.

Eight thousand US to the Annual Fund and five thousand US to PolioPlus. Across 35 members that's roughly $370 each for the year, about $31 a month on Rotary Direct.

Participation goals

Four social activities and two service projects.

Three members in a Rotary Action Group. An Action Group is a global network organized around a cause: water, microcredit, mental health, environmental sustainability. If you have a professional or personal interest, there's almost certainly one for it, and joining connects you to people doing that work worldwide.

Three members in a Rotary Fellowship. Same idea, built around an interest instead of a cause. Cycling, wine, doctors, motorcycles, computer users. There are around ninety of them.

Both are free or close to it, you join directly through My Rotary, and you don't need club permission.

Seven members in leadership development and seven club leaders at district training. Neither is just for officers. Any member can attend a district assembly, take a seminar, or complete a course in the Learning Center, and it counts. Seven and seven works out to about a fifth of us doing something once.

Two RYLA sponsorships. If you know a good candidate, bring the name to Trudy.

Three standards, no numbers attached

Keeping the website and social accounts current. Using correct Rotary logos and Brand Center materials. Making sure the bylaws still fit how a passport club actually operates.

Membership

We need one more member to hit 35, but the conversation was less about the number and more about how recruiting actually works.

Invite people to something, not to a meeting. A service project or a social event shows someone what the club is rather than describing it. People decide whether Rotary is for them by standing next to Rotarians and doing something, not by hearing a pitch. Bring a friend, a colleague, a neighbour, or a family member to the next project. No cold introduction required, and they don't have to commit to anything.

Projects are also what keeps existing members. People stay because they're doing something they find worthwhile with people they like. Members who never end up on a project tend to quietly drift, and that's usually not a decision anyone consciously makes. If it's been a while since you were at one, that's worth fixing before it becomes a pattern.

If you have someone in mind, send the name to Tony. He'll handle the follow-up.

Resources you already have access to:

  • My Rotary. Free account, and it gates most of what follows. If you haven't activated one, that's the single highest-value thing you can do this week. It's where you see your own giving history and recognition points, join Fellowships and Action Groups, and access member resources.
  • The Learning Center. Free courses through My Rotary on club roles, leadership, grant management, and public image. Anyone can take them, not just officers, and they count toward our leadership development goal.
  • ClubRunner. Our club website and member directory. It's where you find contact information for other members, the club calendar, meeting documents, and the membership application to pass along to a prospect. There is also a mobile app which gives you access to club information, a district directory, and your contribution history… all at your fingertips.
  • Rotary Action Groups. A global network organized around a cause: water, microcredit, mental health, environmental sustainability. If you have a professional or personal interest, there's almost certainly one for it, and joining connects you to people doing that work worldwide.
  • Rotary Fellowships. The same idea built around an interest instead of a cause. Cycling, wine, doctors, motorcycles, computer users. There are around ninety of them.

Follow the club on social media. This is the lowest-effort thing on the list and it matters more than it sounds. Following, liking, and sharing club posts is what puts Rotary in front of people who've never considered it, and it's how our public image goal actually gets met. There's also a private District 5050 Facebook group for current Rotarians. 

Links at the bottom.

Service

 

The club donated over $5,000 to support local and international projects.

We sponsored young people to Youth Adventures in Leadership (YAIL) and Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), as we do every year.

Members volunteered alongside neighbouring Rotary clubs, at Port Moody Ribfest, and with Rotary World Help.

The Service Committee is newly formed and looking for members who want a hand in choosing projects, leading them, or deciding where club funding goes. The Foundation Committee is also open. If either interests you, just ask. We'd rather include you than have you wait to be recruited.

Foundation

Erin walked the club through what the levels of Rotary Foundation giving mean and where we stand.

The starting point is EREY, Every Rotarian Every Year, which takes a contribution of US$25 or CAD$35 during the Rotary year. Sustaining Member is US$100. Paul Harris Fellow recognition comes at US$1,000 cumulative, reached over years or through a transfer of recognition points from another donor. Beyond that sit Paul Harris Society, Major Donor, and Benefactor recognition.

Last Rotary year, of our 31 members, 12 reached EREY, 11 were Sustaining Members, four achieved Paul Harris Fellow status and three were Paul Harris Society members. This year the momentum has shifted. Ten members are now on Rotary Direct with automatic monthly giving, and six have already reached EREY with ten months left to go. At US$2.50 a month, EREY is within reach for every member.

The reason it matters is not recognition. Fifty percent of Annual Fund contributions return to our district three years later as district designated funds, which directly determines what our club can sponsor or partner on internationally.

Mini grants. Erin announced eight matching mini grants of US$250 (CAD$350) each. Find a community organization willing to put in US$250 (CAD$350) toward a project our members can contribute time and effort to, then apply through the club. The process is quick and stays in-house. Eight chances this year to turn $250 into $500 (CAD$700) while putting Rotarians to work.

Anyone interested in joining the Foundation committee is welcome. Time, skills, ideas and connections count as much as contributions.

Two fundraising programs you can use today

The club has FundScrip and RaiseRight already set up, and most members have never used them.

They work the same way. You buy a gift card at face value for somewhere you already shop. Groceries, gas, Home Depot, restaurants. You pay a hundred dollars, you get a hundred dollars of value, and the retailer sends a percentage back to the club. You're not donating anything. You're just changing how you pay.

FundScrip is the Canadian program and the one we primarily use. RaiseRight is the American equivalent, with over 750 brands. Groceries and gas sit around two to three percent, though some retailers go as high as twenty. If you're making a large purchase, an appliance, a trip, a renovation, check the list first. That's where it adds up.

If fifteen of us bought one $100 grocery card a month, that's over $500 a year to the club. One card. Same groceries you were buying anyway.

FundScrip setup

  • Go to www.fundscrip.com
  • Click "Support a group" in the top right corner
  • Enter group invitation code 83E9NR
  • Create an account and start purchasing cards

RaiseRight setup

  • Go to www.raiseright.com
  • Search for PNW Passport Rotary as your designated organization
  • Create an account and start purchasing cards

Links

Membership

Rotary

Social