Are you a Rotary RINO ?
"RINOs are not effective. RINOs are not involved. RINOs don’t contribute. They come to lunch (occasionally) and think they are Rotarians. But they are Rotarians in Name Only. DON’T BE A RINO."
A prominent Past Rotary International confessed that for awhile after joining Rotary, he was just a member, but he said he truly became a Rotarian when he got involved in both Community and International Service, and even more when he attended District Conferences and ultimately a Rotary International Convention. Should the word RINO (Rotarian in Name Only) be stamped on the forehead of some of
your club members? How do you turn RINOs into Rotarians?
All clubs have RINOs. Our goal is to minimize that number as much as possible. True Rotarians see the big picture of Rotary and “get it”. They know Rotary goes way beyond the greet, eat, and meet mentality.
They are interested in what Rotary does on the district, national, and international levels.
They get goose bumps when they hear of polio eradication efforts i n developing countries, a new school built in Mexico, a child from Panama receiving the life saving surgery open heart surgery, getting cleft palate
surgery, poverty stricken families receiving crude solar ovens to heat their food, children and adults being fitted with braces, dentures, and eye glasses. It’s the proud feeling of seeing tiny villages get clean drinking water for the first time, books to start a small school library, or back packs filled with school supplies and hygiene products for impoverished children.
Yes, being a Rotarian is much more than just attending weekly meetings. It’s reaching out to others, giving generous support to the Rotary Foundation, attending district conferences and international conventions to meet other Rotarians. It’s typical for club members who attend an international convention or participate in a “sweat equity” district or club project to exclaim upon their return “I left town as a club member and I return as a Rotarian!” Participating in Rotary projects in other parts of the country (Hurricane Katrina),in other countries (India, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Namibia, S. Africa and Russia or attending international Rotary conventions (held annually) can have a significant impact along the journey to become a “real” Rotarian.
One of the best ways to make full fledged Rotarians out of club members is to broaden their Rotary horizon by having guest speakers bring worldwide Rotary projects to your club meetings. Oftentimes this will result in just the spark a club member needs to take the initiative to get involved in Rotary .