How can your club be more attractive to prospective
members, and what can you do to keep your members? How
can Rotary remain a priority when everyone has limited
time? This session will explore club successes and consider
what “flexibility” means. You’ll learn how your club might
benefit from increased flexibility and get ideas for the
coming year. You’ll also hear about changes you may need to
make to your bylaws to accommodate your innovations.
2. MEET OUR PANELISTS
RID Bradford Howard
Moderator
Ryan Clements
Assistant Governor
Danielle Lallement
New Club Development
Chair
Rotary Club of Oakland
Sunrise
California, USA
Rotary Club of Columbus
Georgia, USA
Rotary Club of San Francisco
Evening
California, USA
3. TODAY WE WILL:
Share the impact that the flexibility
changes might have to Rotary and your
Rotary club
Reflect on the needs of your clubs to
determine which, if any, flexibility
models would work best
Identify the resources available for
learning more about flexibility models
and adjusting club bylaws
9. Flexibility is not a trap
Give members a voice in the process
Be clear about your mission and goals as a
club
Change can be scary: start small
GETTING STARTED
14. Needs of club members should drive the
changes
Understand how to reach your target
demographic
Anticipate the potential challenges you
might encounter
Set goals and reassess consistently
MAKING BIG CHANGES
15. RESOURCES DESIGNED FOR YOU:
Whether you are looking to ATTRACT,
ENGAGE, CONNECT, ADAPT, or
GROW, Rotary has resources that can help
you meet your goals and take a fresh
approach.
Rotary.org/Membership
16. DISCOVER ROTARY | 16
GET FLEXIBLE
Rotary.org/Membership
• Membership Assessment Tools
(for club and community)
• Explore Flexibility
• Rotary Club Health Check
GETTING FLEXIBLE:
18. FIVE IDEAS FOR ADDED FLEXIBLITY
1. Change your meeting schedule
2. Vary your meeting format
3. Relax attendance requirements
4. Offer multiple membership types
5. Invite Rotaractors to be members
of your club
19. This presentation and others
from throughout the convention
are available through the
convention mobile app and on
SlideShare at
www.SlideShare.net/Rotary_International.
20. Rate this session in the
Rotary Events app,
available in your Apple or
Android app store.
21. DISCOVER ROTARY | 21
ATTRACT
Rotary.org/Membership
• Prospective Member Brochure
• Discover Rotary PowerPoint (Customizable)
• Club Brochure (Customizable)
22. DISCOVER ROTARY | 22
ENGAGE
Rotary.org/Membership
• Connect for Good
• Be a Vibrant Club (Regionalized)
• New Member Orientation Guide & Welcome Kit
23. DISCOVER ROTARY | 23
CONNECT
• Subscribe to “Membership Minute”
• Join the “Best Practices” Discussion
Group
24. DISCOVER ROTARY | 24
ADAPT
Rotary.org/Membership
• Membership Assessment Tools
(for club and community)
• Explore Flexibility
• Rotary Club Health Check
25. DISCOVER ROTARY | 25
GROW
Rotary.org/Membership
• Connect to Membership Leads
• Understanding Membership
Reports
• Creating Your Membership
Development Plan
• 9 Steps to Starting a Rotary Club
26. DISCOVER ROTARY | 26
LEARN MORE: IS YOUR CLUB HEALTHY?
Learn.rotary.org
Editor's Notes
13:00
General notes on the council, understanding what the council brought, general comments about flexibility and freedom
13:10
What does "flexibility" mean? - strictly speaking, characterized by a ready capability to adapt to new, different, or changing requirements, but in Rotary terms, clubs simply have the autonomy to change, for example, their particular attendance requirements or types of membership
YES, you can actually make these types of changes; it's not a trap
BUT, changes shouldn't be made without understanding the needs and wants of the membership
My example - a large, 101 year old, southern club that has and values many traditions including some that we're not quite sure we do them any more BUT we love our traditions
A few years back, before flexibility became a formal charge by the Council on Legislation, my club, like many others, decided that we needed to survey our membership to understand what we were doing right and what might need to change
Survey options - Membership Satisfaction Survey in Club Assessment Tools, available at rotary.org/membership, online tools like Google Forms and Survey Monkey
Members will appreciate being asked their opinion
After surveying, consider taking the next step to take what you learned and strategically identify what flexibility options your club may need to explore. This sort of planning is sometimes cumbersome and lengthy, but it can also be done in one session, maybe a club assembly.
Main points are to define what is important to your particular club (mission), where the club wants and needs to go, and how you plan to get there.
There is a good chance that everyone in the club won't connect with or appreciate a move towards flexibility, and some, in fact, may really dislike it
It is incumbent on club leadership to reach out to long-standing members and those that adhere and identify with traditions, engaging them in the discussion.
Change is a scary word and hard for most of us - try new activities in small doses and consider making them part of a pilot program to test how members connect with them
Remember that Rotary is different things to different people - just because something is seen as traditional doesn't mean that is needs to change, but if no one can remember why you're doing something, it's probably OK to let it go
Finally, be sure to update your by-laws
Ideas for a more traditional club
13:20
1. What did you notice, hear or observe that drove the changes?
I will focus on our community assessment and need in the city for an evening club. We also wanted to create a different type of club culture with more of a 'cocktail' type club experience. Once we began, the demographic that was attracted to our club was more of a young professional demographic, so we then began to focus our marketing on that demographic.
2. Who did you involve? What steps were taken? What did the results show you?
I will mention and expand on our use of social media, professional networking with other organizations, and referrals from other clubs. Also as we crafted the club, we listened intently to our members needs and maintained our flexibility.
3. Were there any friction points/resistance to this process?
I will discuss a few of the challenges that we faced from other clubs for their fear of losing 'younger' members, the limitations we faced in the community from a lack of knowledge of Rotary's existence in our community, etc.
Additionally, I will also speak to how our club has transformed in the last 5 years and the direction/change we will take due to our members needs. We have consistently done membership/club surveys throughout our years to assess our opportunities and challenges. We have recently completed a club visioning to re-visit our topic of flexibility and how our club will work with our members. From this, our club may possibly offer an online type platform for members to stay engaged with us.
I will close speaking a bit about keeping the clubs the same or making changes according to your members' needs.
13:30
We’ve added three resources into the app, which you can download directly.
13:35
ACTIVITY SET UP:
When you arrived, there was a 4 page handout on your seats. Use this worksheet to consider not only what changes you might want to make, but WHY your club might want to make those changes. Page 3 contains examples of updating your club bylaws.
We’re going to take the next 5-8 minutes to work through this worksheet, so consider:
Why you want to offer other types of meetings?
Why you want to change your meeting frequency?
Why do you want to offer different attendance requirements?
And as Ryan mentioned, change can be scary. So another important question so to consider is whether there are any drawbacks to making a change that could effect the engagement and experience of your members.
Q&A
13:55
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END
Your feedback is valuable so remember to complete the brief session evaluation in the convention mobile app. To download the app, search for “Rotary Events” in your Apple or Android app store.
Reference only, no need to cover content during session.
When your club is vibrant, innovative, and making a difference in your community, it will attract prospective members. Bringing in new, qualified members diversifies your club and increases its impact. Because this may be the first contact a prospective member has with a club, be sure to make it a positive one.
Membership Assessment Tools include surveys and exercises to help you assess classifications, diversity, membership satisfaction, and why people leave your club.
New e-learning course added to the learning center:
Just as regular visits to the doctor can identify potential health risks that could worsen if left unattended, clubs are at risk of losing members to outdated practices if they don’t step back and assess what’s working and address what’s not, and do something about it. This course helps club leaders pinpoint opportunities for growth and sustainability, offers strategies to help remedy problem areas, and advises on how to manage change.