IT’S ALL ABOUT MEMBERSHIP!!! BARBARA RISHER WELCH, PDG Regional Rotary International Membership Coordinator ZONE 24

“EACH ROTARIAN: REACH ONE, KEEP ONE”

ROTARY MEMBERSHIP  RECRUITMENT  RETENTION  ORGANIZING NEW CLUBS (OVERLAP AREA IS MEMBERSHIP GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT)

DISTRICT YEAR MEMBERSHIP TREND

Membership Goals Minimum of at Least Net One New Member Per Club Minimum of 80% Retention Rate at Club Level Minimum of 1 or 2 New Clubs Per District

DISTRICT 5280 CLUB SIZE DISTRIBUTION

3 YEARS POSITIVE GROWTH

MOST RECENT CLUBS CHARTERED

% WOMEN IN DISTRICT 5280 % women worldwide =15.26% % women in D5280 = 28%

Why is Membership Growth Important? DO WE NEED NEW MEMBERS?

More Members Means Fresh ideas & new energy Increased capacity for service Greater support for TRF Future of Rotary ensured

MEMBERSHIP GOALS WHERE IS THE DISCONNECT ?

ROTAPHOBIA THE FEAR OF ASKING SOMEONE TO ROTARY

Membership….. How important do we think it is?

Less than 1 year 10% 1-2 years 14% 3-5 years17% 6-10 years 19% 10 years or more40% 41% have been a Rotarian for less than 5 years! Percent of Membership (Years in Rotary)

THE PERCEPTION OF ROTARY BY NON-ROTARIANS  BUSINESS MEN  ELITE  SECRETIVE  WEALTHY  LARGELY BASED ON FORMER RULES  NOT “SEXY”  NOT “TRENDY”  INFLEXIBLE  NOT SURE THAT WOMEN ARE ALLOWED IN  ASSOCIATED WITH FREE MASONS

THIS ISN’T YOUR GRANDFATHER’S ROTARY CLUB CHANGING THE FACE OF ROTARY

BE FLEXIBLE !!!!!!

WHAT LOSS RATE IS OK?? 10% per year? 16% per year? 30% over 2 years?

LOSSES Out the Back Door 13 Existing mbrs terminated 74 existing active 16 New mbrs inducted 14 New mbrs active 2 New mbrs term 7/08 88 # members 7/07 87 mbrs 15% Attrition Bring in 16 to grow 1

RETENTION – A GOOD SYMPTOM! TOP 5 REASONS WHY ROTARIANS LEAVE ROTARY: 2. Business pressure 3.Health/Personal 4. Not Enough Value/Disinterest 5. Attendance Requirements 1. Moved/Business Transfer

HOW TO KEEP ‘EM! STEP BACK, TAKE A GOOD HONEST LOOK AT YOUR CLUB

STRONG CLUBS…have Long-range goals Annual goals Assemblies Communication Leadership continuity Engagement Fellowship Training

CATCH AND DON’T RELEASE! MEMBER SATISFACTION QUESTIONNAIRE

SIX RETENTION IDEAS INFORM INVITE INDUCT ORIENT EDUCATE INVOLVE

IS NETWORKING O.K. IN ROTARY?

On Networking……….. “ …if new or increased business comes as the natural result of friendship created in Rotary, it is the same normal development that takes place outside of Rotary as well as inside, so it is not an infringement on the ethics of Rotary membership.” Past RI President Cliff Dochterman, ABCs of Rotary, p.19-20

WHY SOCIAL NETWORKING? C Rotary

HOW CAN WE USE IT? Facebook – fastest growing site – 55+ Twitter – average age 42 90% Adults on-line 73% have read blog 45% started own blog 39% subscribe to RSS Feed 57% have joined social network 83% have watched videos

How Pertinent to Rotary? End Polio NowEnd Polio Now We're on Twitter! Follow Rotary Global History Fellowship (RGHF)

Change The Way We Recruit  Aging has changed (60 is the new 40)  “Age Down & Tech Up”  Engage all ages in club activities, including families  Web site up to date  Emphasis on networking  Deemphasize attendance req.

Do Our Clubs Reflect Our Communities? Profession (Classification Survey) Diversity (Gender, Ethnicity) Culture (New ideas and projects) Age (Future of Rotary)

Generations

Aim for 20% - 50% Membership Increase in 12 months! It Doesn’t Get Much Easier Than This!

We cannot do everything at once, but we can do something at once - Calvin Coolidge -

Club Membership Recognition RI Membership Development and Extension Award (901) – due 5/15/10 RI Recognition of Membership Development Initiatives (421 and 422) - due 4/15/10 to DG Recognition of Smaller Club Membership Growth (416) New! - due 5/15/10 Presidential Citation (900A) - due 3/31/10

JUST ASK……. Barbara Risher Welch, PDG Regional Rotary Int’l Membership Coordinator Zone 26