This month is Rotary’s Membership and Extension Month, and while we are reaching the end of the month, I felt that we should all think about what this means. Membership and Extension is an ongoing part of being a Rotarian so we do not confine ourselves to making an effort on membership during August only. But was does having more members really mean?
• Is it to make the President look good? • Is it to beat other clubs by having the most members? • Is it to “Enrich your life by meeting people from different backgrounds”
The first two are probably the end result of having a strong membership, but not the reason. The third one is a quote from Rotarian Andro Bottse from the Rotary club of Amsterdam-Arena. This is a very poignant message about the opportunities that exist within our organization; this is not just about the international opportunities but also about what exists within our own community. Twinsburg is a richly diverse city with people from many cultures and walks of life who could make great Rotarians.
Rotary International has a statement on diversity; Rotary International recognizes the value of diversity within individual clubs. Rotary encourages clubs to assess those in their communities who are eligible for membership, under existing membership guidelines, and to endeavor to include the appropriate range of individuals in their clubs. A club that reflects its community with regard to professional and business classification, gender, age, religion and ethnicity is a club with the key to the future.
Remember - "Make A Difference" - when you share with your acquaintances and invite them to serve with you in Rotary!
Special Days: 12 International Youth Day (NewGens) 19 World Humanitarian Day (PCPR)
Member Retention: Now you got them so how do you keep them?
Many clubs are looking for ways to keep their members, but may not realize that they may be losing them until they notice that meetings are consistently not well attended or that membership numbers decrease from month to month. So the question is, when does member retention start? Immediately! The first day a member joins, your club has to constantly work to keep members happy and find new and innovative ways to maintain member satisfaction. After all, the largest majority of non-renewals come from first-year members with a loss rate as high as 50 percent.
Did you know that it’s cheaper to retain a member rather than recruit a new one? Why is that the case? Because when a member is lost, two must be recruited to grow so it's double the time, effort, and money to attain the desired results. Also, when a member is retained, new growth occurs with every new recruit since it is likely that every member will bring in at least one new one. So how can you make this happen for your club?
This week’s Rotary Foundation Thought is aboutFoundation programs.
Past District Governor Linda Coble says: ―I have been a Rotarian since 1987, but I have never dropped polio vaccine into the mouths of babes in faraway countries. I have not rolled up my sleeves to renovate a school in the Philippines with my fellow club members. I have not led a Group Study Exchange team to a foreign country or followed doctors on missions across the sea. But I feel in my heart that I have been there, done that all ... and more. Foundation giving comes in many ways. As a Multiple Paul Harris Fellow, I know that my contributions have enabled my fellow Rotarians who could make a difference up close and personally. I know I was there in the spirit of Service Above Self.‖
In 1931, Rotarians in France and Germany organized the petit cormite, a small group with the goal of fostering better relations between the people of these two neighboring nations. Since that time, Rotarians throughout Europe have led the way in creating Intercountry Committees to encourage contacts between Rotarians and Rotary clubs across national boundaries.
Intercountry Committees have now been established in many parts of the world to promote friendship as well as to cooperate in sponsoring World Community Service projects, student exchanges, and other activities to improve understanding among nations. Frequently, the Intercountry Committees sponsor visits of Rotarians and their families across national borders and arrange intercity meetings and conferences.
In some instances, Intercountry Committees are created between countries separated by great distances in an effort to encourage goodwill and friendship with matched or partner areas of the world. The Intercountry Committees coordinate their efforts with the district governors of their countries and always serve in an advisory capacity to districts and clubs. Intercountry Committees provide an additional means for Rotary clubs and Rotarians to fulfill the responsibilities of the fourth Avenue of Service international understanding, goodwill, and peace.
Rotary International President-elect Barry Rassin laid out his vision for the future of the organization on Sunday, calling on leaders to work for a sustainable future and to inspire Rotarians and the community at large.
Rassin, a member of the Rotary Club of East Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas, unveiled the 2018-19 presidential theme, Be the Inspiration, to incoming district governors at Rotary’s International Assembly in San Diego, California, USA. “I want you to inspire in your clubs, your Rotarians, that desire for something greater. The drive to do more, to be more, to create something that will live beyond each of us.”
Posted by Rotary Club of Twinsburg on Jul 01, 2017
The club has fundraisers and service events coming up!
Give our Club all the support you can to make it successful. We need all cylinders firing!!! Please do what you can to serve our club. If you not being asked to serve the club, ask where you can help!
Participate in Every Rotarian Every Year. Any amount you can contribute will help the success of Rotary International in your community and around the world. Let's try to become a 100% EREY club, where every member contributes something to the Rotary Foundation, either directly or through the club.
Think of another way in which you could serve our club, or help a committee chair with some of their responsibilities. Abby and Kathy are assembling the team for this Rotary year. Help them in any way that you can, even if you have not been asked.
Posted by Rotary Club of Twinsburg on Jul 01, 2017
Things you can do to promote Rotary
1. Wear your Rotary pin daily. 2. Tell someone something about Rotary daily. 3. Invite a friend or co-worker to our next meeting or event. 4. Stay in touch with alumni. 5. Sponsor a new member to the club. 6. Give to the Rotary Foundation.
If you have any photographs or pictures of Rotary events both recent and in the past, please forward them to Philip Weiss for posting on the website. If you like we can also show you how to post them in the website yourself.
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