MEMBERSHIP CLINIC

  Along with a discussion of the standard Rotary Publications there was a free-flow of ideas on how other clubs treat membership matters.  Below are some ideas I picked up and others that came to mind during the meeting.  It should be noted that during the meeting, Randolph's Membership Development Plan was singled out by District as the best membership plan they had seen and recommended it to the other clubs in attendance.  There is also a wealth of information in RI's Membership Development Resource Guide (RI Pub 417-EN).  I encourage all members to obtain one.

Sonny Holt

MEMBER RECRUITMENT: 

1.  Hand out "What is Rotary" cards to all Chamber of Commerce members.

2.  Have Realtors hand out "What is Rotary" cards to prospective new home buyers.

3.  Set aside one lunch meeting for membership ideas only.

4.  Challenge all board members to personally ask well qualified potential members to join and have them not take "No" for an answer.

5.  Send speakers out to talk about Rotary at other organizations.

6.  Collect Rotary Magazines from our members and re-distribute them to public places, like Hospital waiting rooms, Libraries, Churches, etc

7.  Recruit qualified spouses of current members (Arny and Cil are a showcase for this concept)

8.  Membership matters should be the responsibility of all club members not just the Membership Committee.

9.  Publicize projects in local papers.

10.  Publish and send out Weekly newsletters not only to Rotarians but other members of the community as well as local organizations, schools, colleges, etc.

11.  Sell Rotary - Invite 10 pre-qualified people at a time to an informational meeting about Rotary - Present RI's PowerPoint briefing tailored to our club's activities.

12.  Look at the possibility of recruiting former members - their situation may have changed since they resigned.

13.  Consider asking our Speakers to join Rotary

14.  Have a "Membership Minute" at each meeting. (See RI Web Site)

15.  Encourage our members to approach and say "Hi" to our Guests - Fellowship is important.

16.  Develop a Club Business Card with a personal invitation on the back for a prospective member to attend a Lunch on a specific date and signed by the Club President.  Alternatively send out formal letters to do the same. Limit to 10 at a time.

17.  Encourage Rotary Shirts and Hats/Jackets to be worn in Public by all members.

18.  Form 2 or more Teams within the club to compete for bringing in the most new members.  Winning Team gets a Free Formal Dinner with Wine.  Losing Team(s) serve the winners.

19.  Consider asking parent(s) of exchange students, speech contest winners, RYLA, if they are interested in possibly joining Rotary (should be pre-qualified).

20.  Print full text of winning Speech Contest in local newspaper - shows community how Rotary supports High School students and also exposes the community to Rotary's Four Way Test - good PR.

 
RETENTION:

1.  Top notch Programs/Speakers.

2.  Lunch/No Lunch option with different price for each option.

3.  Effective Public Relations - both internal to the club and external to the community, newsletters, press releases, etc. Recognize new members.  See RI Pubs 257-EN and 

4.  Induction Ceremony - Should be formal with spouses/family invited to attend.  Oath of Office?  etc.

5.  Assign a sponsor to each new member.

6.  Get them involved early-on with a Service Project / Committee Assignment.

7.  Provide Rotary Membership Kit - History of our Club, ABCs of Rotary,  What is Rotary?,  Rotary Basics, Quick Reference Guide,  How to Make up Meetings w. locations and times of other nearby club meetings, List of Committees/Projects and ask for their preferences to serve on any.

8.  Look at structure of current meeting, to accommodate more members, especially those with limited time off from work - start eating right away, limit meeting to 1 hour maximum, etc.

9.  Fireside chats, assignment as greeters, 5 star program, etc.

10.  Encourage all members to engage new members with a helping hand approach.  Say "Hi" and engage in conversation.

11.  Conduct exit interviews for "Lessons Learned" and how we can improve our retention program.

12.  Give every member a Rotary Decal or Bumper Sticker for their car.

 
OTHER MATTERS:

In 2007, Rotary International lowered their attendance requirement to 50% vs. 60% of meetings in each half year.  The requirement to not miss more than 3 consecutive meetings is still in effect.

Excused members (85 rule) are considered active members.

Honorary members should not be included in membership/attendance reporting statistics.