Welcome

Los Altos Rotary Club (LARC) Membership

Los Altos Rotarians are business, professional and community leaders who take active roles in the Los Altos Community. LARC membership provides the opportunity to:

• Become better connected to the community
• Work with others in addressing community needs
• Interact with other professionals in the community
• Assist with RI’s international humanitarian service efforts
• Establish contacts with an international network of professionals
• Develop leadership skills
• Involve your family in community service efforts

• Pay annual dues and fines to the club

• Attend weekly meetings of the club on Thursdays at noon.  Opportunities exist to make up attendance include attending the regular meeting of another Rotary Club, on-line makeups, satellite meeting and committee meeting attendance.

• Attend various other Rotary meetings or participating in a club service project authorized by the club Board of Directors

• Attend the annual re-organization dinner meeting typically held on the Friday following the last Thursday meeting in June

• Participate in local or International activities or projects of the club. Every member is expected to work on the club’s major fundraiser, the annual Fine Art in the Park Festival held on the third weekend in May

• Aspire to leadership or committee roles in the club

Becoming a Member:

Rotary, through its membership criteria, selects people who are achievers, specifically those who hold positions of responsibility and leadership, and presumably would be able to contribute their time and talent to the kinds of projects that Rotary undertakes.

A person being considered for membership is invited by a member/sponsor to attend at least three club meetings to learn more about Rotary and the Los Altos Rotary Club (LARC). The sponsor may then submit the name of the candidate to the club’s membership committee.

An individual who is interested in membership but doesn’t know any Rotarians can contact the club directly through its website: www.LosAltosRotary.org.

Qualifications for Membership

Any person proposed for membership must meet the qualifications set down by Rotary International as follows:

1. Engaged as proprietor, partner, corporate officer, or manager of any worthy and recognized business or profession; or
2. Persons who have established themselves as community leaders or who are officers of community non-profit organizations may be eligible.
3. Holding an important position in an executive capacity with discretionary authority;
4. Acting as the local agent or branch representative having charge of such agency or branch;

Before making formal application, it is required to invite the prospective member to attend three meetings as “A guest of the Club”. This process gives the candidate a chance to “look us over” and also gives the member a chance to explain to the guest something of what Rotary is and does.

Proposing a Candidate for Membership

If a candidate is qualified, they should be proposed in writing to the Club Secretary, using a “Membership Application” covering personal data and a “Sponsor’s Form” covering eligibility and classification. These forms are available from the Secretary and on the Club website (www.losaltosrotary.org). The fact that a member intends to propose a person should be kept confidential until the application is accepted and not announced to the Club, to avoid embarrassment should the person not be accepted.
The Club’s Board of Directors will then review both forms. If any questions or objections are raised, the Director of Membership will investigate and report back to the Board. Ultimately, the Board will approve or disapprove the application for further processing.

If approved, the next step is for the sponsor and the prospective member to attend an orientation session covering the principles of Rotary and the privileges and obligations of membership. At the conclusion of the orientation session, the prospective member will be asked to reaffirm their interest in joining the Club and to give permission for their name and other pertinent data to be published to the membership.

Once the candidate’s name is published as a prospective Rotarian, the members of the Club have ten days in which to raise any objections. Assuming no objection is received, and upon paying the required initiation fee and membership dues, the candidate is considered elected to membership.