DISTRICT MEMBERSHIP GOAL - NET 200 NEW MEMBERS
MEMBERSHIP
– IT’S ABOUT RETENTION
At a
glance:
- The
problem: stagnant
membership in Rotary, particularly in North America.
Why?
- The
opportunity:positive brand allows strong recruiting numbers.
- The
negative: high dropout
rate, especially among newer members.
- The
reason: members aren’t
getting what they want out of Rotary.
Identifying,
then correcting our mistakes:
- failing to learn why people join Rotary and
what members want out of Rotary;
- failing to train new members about Rotary;
- failing to immediately engage new members in
significant service and club activities;
- failing to know the Object of Rotary and to
base all club activities around it;
- failing to understand what is central to
Rotary’s mission and what is simply tradition that can be changed without
compromising the Object of Rotary;
- looking at membership as a numbers issue and
not as a whole club/whole Rotary issue!
In our businesses we put all
our efforts behind learning what our customers want and giving it to them. Why do we check that attitude at the door of
our Rotary clubs and nor realize Our Members are our Customers!
Team
approach:Membership growth and retention requires a team – it’s a whole district
and whole club effort.
a. The
district team – Membership growth and retention committee; public relations
committee; assistant governors
b. The
club team – the whole club! Membership
is not just about numbers, it’s about making a club that satisfies the
members. Everything about the club
should be under the microscope.
Networking: It’s a big – if not the biggest – reason
people join Rotary.
a. Guess
what – it is the reason Paul Harris started Rotary!
b. Guess
what #2 – the only thing that distinguishes Rotary from other service
organizations is Vocational Service – which includes networking!
Changes
in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes
a. The
District Governor and other district leaders must communicate at all times that
membership is the #1 priority in the District.
b. District
leaders must emphasize the "whole club” concept – membership involves a top to
bottom, brutally honest look at ourselves and what we must do to remain
relevant and attractive.
c. The
District Governor and all district leaders must cultivate an atmosphere of
optimism, excitement, high energy, and enthusiasm. This attitude must filter from the District
leadership to club Presidents and to the membership.
d. All
members of the membership team must be accountable to each other and to the
clubs!
MEMBERSHIP NET 200