A brief summary of a District Assembly session on membership and recruiting from April 30, 2005
 

Did you know that the average Rotary Club will lose 10% of its members each year?

Did you know that the average Rotary Club will lose 40% of its new members in any two-year period due to lack of involvement and poor programming?

Rotary International has set a goal for each Club to gain one new member on a "net" basis this year.  District 7080 has set a goal for each Club to have 25 or more members.  (25 is widely seen as the minimum number required for a Club to sustain itself in the long term.)

How do we accomplish that goal?

Even though I am not a part of the Membership Committee, I wanted to share some highlights from a District Assembly session on membership and recruiting that I attended:

- One the greatest challenges in attracting new members is the public perception of Rotary.  While almost everyone in Centre Wellington will have heard about Rotary, it is often perceived as a businessmen's club that has strict membership rules.  Many people self-screen and assume that they will not be allowed to join because of their gender, job classification, religion, etc.

- While a lot of Clubs think that a membership drive is a good way to get new members, the secret to success is often much easier than you might think.  Ask yourself how you became involved in Rotary.  Chances are that you were asked to attend a meeting as a guest or were asked whether you were interested in joining a Club.  The biggest reason why people get involved is because someone asked them to get involved.

- At the same time, prospective members want to know what the costs are, what the commitment involves and how Rotary can benefit them.  These kinds of questions need to be dealt with openly and honestly and they need to be answered before the prospective member will make a commitment.

- In order for existing Club members to be good ambassadors for Rotary, they need to be informed themselves.  Club "firesides" can be a good way to talk about Rotary and keep new and old members informed about what Rotary is all about.

- Clubs need to develop and maintain a "welcoming" culture.  If there is someone new at a meeting, do you make it a point to introduce yourself and to introduce the new person to other club members?

- Do you always sit beside the same people at meetings?

- Most "new" Rotarians will admit that their introduction to Rotary could have been better.  Some Clubs appoint "mentors" to help integrate new members into the Club.

- Some Clubs have developed specific brochures or cards to explain to prospective members what Rotary is all about and what the Club does in the local community.  The Rotary International website is a great source of information, but new members also want to know what the Club is doing locally.

- It is easier to keep existing members than to recruit new members.  Yet most clubs focus exclusively on finding new members.  If someone has not been to a meeting in four weeks, it may be a good idea for a senior member of the Club to call that person just to check up in a non-intrusive way.  By the same token, it is important to keep members active and involved.  Large clubs have consistent issues with "knife and forkers" who come out for breakfast and don't get involved.  These people are at high risk for leaving Rotary.

- Having a written membership plan is key.  The District has created a template (which I have a copy of) that can be used to set goals.

- Every club needs a membership "champion".  This person does not have to be on the membership committee.  But without someone who is constantly promoting the idea of membership and recruitment, there will be little energy in the Club.

- Some clubs are experimenting with "pods".  Everyone is assigned to a group of four of five members and this group is tasked with running meetings for one calendar month.  Everything from organizing speakers, greeting guests, collecting meal money and selling 50/50 tickets is controlled by "pod" members.  The idea is that everyone gets a chance to be involved in running meetings.  This format may not be perfect, but as a Club grows in size, it can be a good way to keep people involved.

If you've finished reading this posting, you probably care quite a bit about membership.  There is a book called "Frank Talk" by the former Rotary International President.  Maybe that would be a good investment for the Club to make.

 

 
Sponsors