What a Thanksgiving! I hope you enjoyed time with your family.
November has been Foundation Month. It’s now time to think about year-end TRF contributions. I am a Paul Harris Society member, committed to a $1,000 annual contribution. Paul Harris Society Chair Carolyn Pratt shared that District 5950 has topped 250 Paul Harris Society members! Thank you!
Our district is working toward earning a District Citation.This is a new award this year and, as DG, it would be an honor if we achieved this RI recognition for all the good work we do.
To receive this prestigious award, we need three core achievements: 1) Increase membership by 3%. 2) Increase annual giving by 5% over last year. 3) Have at least 51% of clubs achieve the Presidential Citation.
Will your club earn the Presidential Citation? A club needs to satisfy 16 different items, many focused on young members. As Jennifer Jones said in her remarks earlier this month, we need young thinkers. And whether young or older, young thinking knows no age. (See article below with link to criteria.)
Involving New Generations can mean starting an Interact Club and mentoring high school Interactors. Starting an Interact Club is no small task, but the right Rotarian and the right high schooler (think 10th grade class president) and enough energy can put it together by February.
Three Interactors spoke to 169 Edina Rotarians and families about their second annual Skate-off to End Polio where Interactors will close out a high school hockey game by taking to the ice to skate for polio. They hope to shine a red light on the ice that says End Polio Now. This is a great project for the kids to participate, and to get Rotarians and community members working in a spirit of harmony toward a common goal to serve humanity. To get more information on staring an Interact Club, please contact Anne Voas, our District Interact Chair, at 612.619.5256 or anne.voas@ridgeviewmedical.org.
Inducting new members under the age of 40 and starting an Interact Club (or mentoring existing Interactors) are citation criteria that clubs can still complete. Go for it!
Do you have ideas for making District 5950 more vibrant?
All Rotarians received a November 22 email inviting them to complete an online survey about why we join Rotary, why we stay, and what can be improved. Your responses are confidential. District leaders will use this information to improve our membership approach and public image.
If you haven’t completed the survey yet, please follow this link and spend 5-10 minutes sharing your opinions: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WLPWJTJ. The survey is available until December 30.
Data will be compared to similar questions from the October 2013 survey when 1,205 Rotarians responded. Results will be shared with members on the District 5950 website, DG newsletter, and at District gatherings such as Mid-Term Assembly and Pre-PETS. Clubs can also request a club-specific compilation of responses.
District leaders sincerely thank you for investing your time and thought in this survey.
At the beginning of Rotary Foundation Month, Annual Fund giving was up 11% and giving to the PolioPlus Fund up nearly 22% from this time last year.
The Rotary Foundation (TRF) earned top marks from the Association of Fundraising Professionals, named World’sOutstanding Foundation. The award honors organizations that show philanthropic commitment and leadership through financial support, innovation, encouragement of others, and involvement in public affairs.
As 2016 winds down, we remind that:
Individuals age 70½ and older can make tax-free charitable gifts directly from a traditional or Roth IRA.
Online contributions via Rotary.org need to be authorized by midnight CST on December 31, 2016.
Credit card contributions made via fax (847-328-5260) or phone (866-976-8279) must be received prior to the close of business (5 p.m. CST) on Friday, December 30, 2016.
Check contributions made via standard mail must have a postmark and check date no later than December 31 and must be received by January 5, 2017.
NOTE: From December 3-5, Rotary.org is implementing website enhancements; users may experience interruption.
Are you your club’s President-Elect? PETS (President-Elect Training Seminar) is March 9-12, 2017, in Ames, Iowa. This star-studded training brings together PEs from four neighboring districts in an agenda focusing on instruction, networking, inspiration, collaboration and resource awareness. Yes, it is mandatory for PEs! Fortunately, it is also open to your President-Nominee (2018-19) so your club can have two upcoming leaders trained and ready to implement goals.
District Governor-ElectBob Halagan (Buffalo) shares PETS leadership with the DGs from Districts 5960, 5970 and 6000. Contact him if you have questions.Registrationopens soon!
RI President John Germ and DG Mark Hegstrom encourage each District 5950 club to earn a Presidential Citation, a highly sought award for achieving goals that strengthen Rotary and the club.
To qualify for the Presidential Citation, clubs must complete two mandatory activities and additional activities in the categories of:
- Membership attraction & engagement
- TRF giving
- Online tool adoption
- Humanitarian service
- New Generations
- Public image.
For the first time ever, clubs will have the entire Rotary year — from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017 — to achieve their Presidential Citation goals. Most of these activities are verified automatically through RI’s data; some will be verified by information clubs enter in Rotary Club Central. District Governor Mark will be able to track clubs’ progress online and offer support so that more of our clubs achieve a Presidential Citation.
Every club celebrates new Paul Harris Fellowships that recognize members' $1,000 gifts to The Rotary Foundation (TRF). During this 100th Anniversary Year of The Rotary Foundation, DG Mark Hegstrom has been encouraging Rotarians to commit to a $1,000 annual contribution.
DG Mark's home club is the Rotary Club of Edina Morningside. Under 2016-2017 President Tom Gump, the club has taken the $365 per member per year contribution goal seriously. On November 15, The Rotary Club of Edina Morningside became a 100% Paul Harris Fellow Club. DG Mark Hegstrom (center), President Tom Gump (l) and TRF Chair Jim Warner (r) proudly display the club's recognition flag. Congratulations to all the club members and the District Governor on this one-time Rotary honor.
While the Edina Mornginside club has a history of generosity, some multiple-PHF members used "points" to add to the cash contributions of newer members to ensure that each of the club's 79 members became a PHF. Contact DG Mark if your club wants to be a 100% PHF Club.
In early November, Rotary International Vice President Jennifer Jones visited District 5950 and spoke at several gatherings, presenting her vision of The Future of Rotary.
Jennifer’s warm, affirming, and inspiring visits celebrated that Rotary’s success is upheld by Rotarians' participation. RI's newly relaxed attendance requirements recognize that serving takes various forms – forms beyond weekly club meetings. That participation is valued.
So how do we, as Rotary, differentiate ourselves from other groups and community clubs?
Abide by high ethical standards including the Four-Way Test.
Promote that we are both a service organization and a humanitarian organization.
Jennifer shared three key findings at the heart of Rotary’s strategic vision. She shared emotionally touching stories and powerful examples that demonstrated those findings.
#1 Young Thinkers, whether in their 30s, 40s or 70s, have a young mindset that keeps us fresh and different. We are leaders. Participation in Rotary makes better leaders, and the tools we learn by leading in the local club setting are applicable to other areas of our lives and businesses. Rotarians are leaders by mindset, not by title. We can share insights with the younger leaders and we can learn from them.
#2 Rotary is about connectivity. We are a quality network.
#3 We are about community service scaled globally. We are people who basically have “no extra time on our hands” yet are committed to doing amazing work around the world.
Everywhere Jennifer visited, she welcomed questions. Here are some examples:
What is the biggest challenge to Rotary?
Recruiting and retaining members. RI brought in 1.2 million members...and lost 1.2 million members. How do we engage members and what is our value proposition? Engage new members quickly.
After polio, what is the next big opportunity before Rotary?
We won’t announce polio's eradication until we have finally served all the children at risk for polio. Rotary leaders are split on whether it will be best to announce one Rotary project or multiple individual projects around the five areas of the Rotary strategic plan.
Jennifer's final presentation was to a group of New Generation Rotarians, as well as Rotaract and Interact members.Their comments confirmed RI's research of why young professionals join Rotary. Several noted that Rotary is a “quality” networking organization for young professionals that offers all the aspects they are seeking.
We were honored by Jennifer’s willingness to make herself available to so many groups. A big thank you to past District Governor Tim Murphy for making her visit possible, and for District Governor Mark Hegstrom's encouragement throughout the district.
When customers shop on AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation donates 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the charitable organization selected by the customer. Choose The Rotary Foundation and each holiday gift you buy will generate a second gift -- to TRF.
ew Generations can mean starting an Interact Club and mentoring high school Interactors. Starting an Interact Club is no small task, but the right Rotarian and the right high schooler (think 10th grade class president) and enough energy can put it together by February. 
At the beginning of Rotary Foundation Month, Annual Fund giving was up 11% and giving to the PolioPlus Fund up nearly 22% from this time last year.
DG Mark's home club is the Rotary Club of Edina Morningside. Under 2016-2017 President Tom Gump, the club has taken the $365 per member per year contribution goal seriously. On November 15, The Rotary Club of Edina Morningside became a 100% Paul Harris Fellow Club. DG Mark Hegstrom (center), President Tom Gump (l) and TRF Chair Jim Warner (r) proudly display the club's recognition flag. Congratulations to all the club members and the District Governor on this one-time Rotary honor.
"The Future of Rotary" 
