Satellite Clubs are an opportunity to retain current members as well as developing alternatives in a community to grow Rotary. There is no one set model for satellite clubs and each host club needs to develop a program that works for their community. This is an example of a club that has retained members and is growing Rotary.
The Rotary Club of Windsor (1918) is one of 52 clubs in District 6400 located in Southwest Ontario and Southeast Michigan. D6400 is the home District of RIPE Jennifer Jones. The Club’s approx. 120 members celebrated their centennial is 2018. On May 27, 2019, eight members, including 6 past-presidents, one of them a PDG, got together and agreed to work with the club to establish a Satellite with the purpose of providing an alternate meeting time and place for existing club members and to stimulate club growth. The satellite was approved by Rotary International on October 1, 2019. Today, not quite two years later, the Satellite has 31 members with 2 potential members in the pipeline. Of the 31 members, 11 are new to Rotary, 1 is a transfer from another club, and 19 were existing members of the host club.
The Satellite FAQ from Rotary International opens with the following statement. “Satellite clubs provide another option for creating Rotary clubs. A satellite club functions as a short-term, transitional step on the way to becoming a full, independent Rotary club.” While this idea is the genesis of the satellite concept, it does not preclude other situations. For example, the 1918 satellite club has no ambition or plans to separate from the host club. It sees itself as a permanent satellite and it benefits from an exceptional relationship with the host club. The Windsor (1918) club president and its executive director attend almost all satellite meetings, the host club changed its by-laws to include the chair of the satellite club on its Board of Directors, and the satellite and host clubs have several joint meetings.
The satellite has also adopted Social Justice as its focus. The speakers have addressed topics such as anti-black racism, the challenges faced by indigenous populations, and support for the 2SLGBTQIA community. The satellite is particularly proud of its role in the creation of the Windsor-Essex Rainbow Alliance (WERA) and its formal approval as a project of the host club. WERA’s goals are to institute a method of collecting, preserving, and disseminating the local history of the 2SLGBTQIA community and to establish a permanent public monument that will showcase the struggles, achievements, and celebrations of the local 2SLGBTQIA community for all in Windsor/Essex and beyond to visit, learn from and enjoy. The satellite expects to have exciting success stories to share within the year.
Satellite clubs are an excellent device for increasing membership in Rotary. The Windsor (1918) Satellite was initiated to offer members a different meeting time and location. Since beginning other meaningful differences have developed. Windsor (1918) Satellite meetings are less formal, don’t involve a meal, focus on hands-on activities, and feature excellent speakers on Social Justice typically followed by engaged conversation.
We are happy to work with any club or district in our zones if there is an interest in the development of a satellite club.