Was just one of the questions asked by Past RIBI
President John Hockin at the District Membership Seminar held at
Swinton Park Golf Club on 2nd August to launch Membership Month.
District Governor Graham welcomed close to 50 delegates
representing 21 clubs from the district by reminding them that
Rotary is a Service organisation and that all Clubs should look
to their local community to fulfil their service obligations. “Successful
clubs” are recognised by the local community and attract
members who wish to be part of that success. All our clubs
should conduct a self-appraisal to make sure they meet the requirements
of Rotary in today’s environment.
 “Is your club ready for the challenge?” was
another searching question posed by John Hockin. In today’s
environment Rotary has to compete with a host of leisure time activities,
not to mention family commitments, so if we are to survive we need
to change our attitudes and activities to attract new members.
For the second half of the seminar, we split into
discussion groups to debate our clubs’ position. Four
key issues were raised
1. Meal and Venue
- Is the venue and quality of food up to standard
- Is the cost of membership prohibitive
2. Fellowship
- Are our members friendly and do they mix with visitors or do
they stay in their own groups
- How are new members integrated and involved in the club
3. Service Programme
- Are our service projects reviewed and updated annually and
is every member involved
- Do committee members change
- Are projects reported locally
4. Weekly Meetings
- Are meetings interesting and well organised
- Are speakers given enough time
- Is your club available to all or do outdated prejudices restrict
new members.
- Are visitors made welcome
- Would you want to join your club if you were not a Rotarian
and visited your last meeting
Challenging questions for every Rotarian and Club
to consider. Everybody recognises that something needs to
be done but solutions are not easily found.
Rtn. Tony Cotton, RIBI Extension (New Club Formation)
Officer completed the presentations with a justification of why
new clubs are needed.
- Areas of population where no club currently exists
- Areas where existing clubs fail to meet the needs of the community
- Where the profile of an existing club is not attractive to
new members because of
The seminar succeeded in raising awareness and generating
debate. Of course, not everybody agreed with every sentiment – our
job would be easy if that was the case – but it is hoped
that the members present would take the message back to their clubs
and begin the process of re-evaluation.
The District Membership Services Team would like
involvement with all the clubs in the District. We acknowledge
that some clubs are very successful at recruitment while others
tend to struggle. Sharing the best ideas from successful
clubs will help the smaller clubs to develop and we are there to
help spread the message. Similarly, smaller clubs may feel
that they have limited resources to address this issue - again
we can help.
Having gained new members, retention and development
are equally important. 80% of new members leave within the
first 3 years. Every club needs a new member development
programme to integrate new members in to the club and give them
every opportunity to fulfil their potential in Rotary Service. A
New Members Seminar is planned for the new year. It will
be aimed at mentors and new members and if you would like any specific
topic included in the programme, please let me know. Details
of the date and venue will be announced well in advance.
For those clubs that were unable to be represented
at the seminar, a video of John Hockin’s presentation will
be made available. If you would like a copy, please contact
me.
Finally, my thanks go to everybody who participated
in the seminar and contributed to its success. If anybody
has a particular interest in membership, the District Committee
would welcome some additional members to support clubs during this
period of change and development.
Nigel Danby
Membership Services Chairman |
Nigel
Danby