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BACKGROUND
In September 2014, the Rotary Club of Sioux Lookout adopted Heart and Soul: A Strategic Plan
for the Rotary Club of Sioux Lookout, an aggressive plan scheduled to carry itself through to
June 2017 with the following strategic priorities:
1. Heart: Support and Strengthen our Club
2. Soul: Enhance Existing and Increase Opportunities for Service
In order to achieve the first strategic priority, Membership was one of three areas of focus
identified with four strategic goals being named within it, containing a further 18 actions for
implementation.
As a Rotary club’s ability to serve the community, support The Rotary Foundation, and develop
leaders capable of serving Rotary beyond the club level is directly related to the size and
strength of its membership base, The Rotary Club of Sioux Lookout has developed the following
comprehensive strategy to not only address membership recruitment, development and
retention, but through its implementation, successfully complete the 18 actions for
implementation relating to Membership.
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PAST TRENDS AND TENDANCIES
In order for a club to know where they need to go, they first must understand where they have
come from. To be able to effectively accomplish this, two types of evaluation were completed:
Retention Analysis, and Member Termination Profile. The model for the Retention Analysis can
be found in the Club Assessment Tools, and the Member Termination Profile was composed
from data found in records for our club on Rotary Club Central.
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RETENTION ANALYSIS
Background: Found within Club Assessment Tools: A Companion Piece to the Membership
Development Resource Guide, the Retention Model was employed as a means
to evaluate membership levels over a five year period from 1 March 2010 to 1
March 2015 and how they were affected by termination and induction.
Conclusion: From a starting membership of 29 Rotarians, 51.7% had terminated their
membership by the end of the noted period. While the club had inducted a total
of ten new members in the same period of time, only 50% of these members
continued to enjoy their membership by the end of the period examined. These
rates contributed to a 34.5% net loss in membership throughout the examined
period.
Start Date: 1 March 2010
Members: 29
End Date: 1 March 2015
Members: 19
10
New Members
Inducted
15
Existing Members
Terminated
14
Existing Members
Active
5
New
Members
Active
5
New
Members
Terminated
34.5% Net Loss
51.7%
Existing
Members
Terminated
50%
New
Members
Terminated
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MEMBER TERMINATION PROFILE
Background: The Member Termination Profile is a report available under Club Reports on
Rotary Club Central, which provides the duration of membership prior to
termination, as well as the reason attributed to termination. The period examined
was 1 March 2010 to 1 March 2015.
Conclusion: While durations of membership varied overall, 25% of memberships terminated
within the examined period were for durations of less than 2 years. 35% of
memberships terminated within this period were for durations of 3-5 years. 20%
of terminations were for memberships lasting 6-10 years, and 20% were for
memberships exceeding ten year durations.
Of the reasons provided at the time of termination, only one member cited health
as the reason for termination. Two members successfully transferred
membership to another club, while two members attempted to transfer
membership. The remaining 15 memberships were terminated with either
business pressure, attendance or no reason being cited. These 15 terminations
are considered to be controllable, wherein the Rotary Club could have assisted
the member in question with innovative measures that may have prevented the
termination.
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Terminated <
1 years Terminated 1-
2 years Terminated 3-
5 years Terminated 6-
10 years Terminated
>10 years
3
2
7
4 4
Member Termination Profile - Duration
15
1 2 2
Member Termination Profile - Reason
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STRATEGY MODEL
Through targeted recruitment, and the development of new and existing members, our club will
become more effective in its retention from year to year, improving recruitment and retention
rates.
Recruitment
Development
Retention
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ACTIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION
Recruitment
1. Identify
i. Identify classifications currently unrepresented in club by conducting a
classification survey
ii. Identify specific individuals or organizations whose membership would fulfill
vacant classification
iii. Identify Rotary program alumni currently residing in Sioux Lookout
2. Introduce
i. Hold an event that highlights multiple aspects of Rotary within the community,
district and world, inviting individuals identified through Actions 1.i-iii. to attend
ii. Develop Prospective Member Information kits to be provided to prospective
members upon their first meeting attendance.
iii. Develop and conduct Prospective Member Survey for potential new members
3. Invite
i. Educate membership, present and prospective, on pathway for proposing
membership
ii. Develop script for induction ceremony
iii. Pair newly inducted members with Rotarian Mentors who will help with guiding
through the orientation process
4. Induct
i. Develop list and prepare resources to be presented to new members at induction
ii. Review and/or update club protocol relating to new member approval, induction
ceremony format and script.
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Development
1. Orientate
i. Have New Members complete the New Members Orientation Guide
ii. Assign New Members to a committee, balancing the member’s skills and
interests with the needs of the club.
2. Educate
i. Deliver Rotary-themed programs quarterly
ii. Include program and organization information within weekly bulletins
iii. Promote e-learning opportunities within Rotary Club Central
3. Engage
i. Have existing members assist in recruiting and proposing new members
ii. Recruit existing members to act as Rotary Mentors for new members
iii. Require the Sergeant-at-Arms to set up the meeting room and act as a greeter
iv. Ensure each Rotarian is a member of a committee or subcommittee
v. Encourage Foundation giving
vi. Promote opportunities for meeting make-up
vii. Promote Rotary Leadership Institute and District Training Assemblies among
membership
4. Evaluate
i. Survey members annually, preferably during Membership Month, on subject
areas including, but not limited to: program topics and speakers of interest, ideas
for service projects, overall membership satisfaction
ii. Review member attendance and engagement quarterly, collaboratively
developing solutions with individual members to ensure their retention
5. Re-evaluate
i. Review this strategy, amending as necessary, semi-annually
ii. Conduct a new Retention Analysis to coincide with the Club Strategic Planning
cycle, or at minimum, in three-year’s time
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REFERENCES
This strategy document has been prepared with the aide of the following Rotary International
publications: Club Membership Committee Manual; Membership Development Resource Guide;
Club Assessment Tools; and New Member Orientation: A How-to Guide for Clubs.
