Happy September, Fellow Rotarians!
Having had the honor of serving as the Club President for two full months, I feel more confident about how things are rolling along, but I am just one small cog (See what I did there?) in the wheel of our club. Full engagement in Rotary, by all of us, is needed to keep the gears running smoothly and our mission and projects moving forward.
In fact, Participant Engagement is so important that Rotary International has set it forth as one of the priority areas in their five-year strategic plan. “People of action strive to understand the needs of others. Rotary is a great organization because we create meaningful relationships across decades and continents. But just like the people and communities we serve, our participants need to feel seen and heard.”
Rotary International acknowledges that when members don’t experience their membership as personally and professionally relevant, they will not stay engaged, and, to back it up a notch, when visitors and speakers don’t feel welcome or see Rotary as a place where their skills and knowledge are needed, they will not even seek to learn more about the organization, let alone consider joining.
The current Rotary International strategic plan asks clubs to consider if their programs, learning and service opportunities are attracting new people of action. Also, when our District Governor, Doug Lind, visited Brookings recently, he emphasized the importance of retaining current members. We must do both: attract new members and retain current ones. Silver and Gold.
What role will you play to help our club increase Participant Engagement? Might you tell others about the service, learning and professional development opportunities that Rotary offers? Will you invite someone to a meeting? Can you suggest new programs that our current members will find valuable and meaningful? What will you do to reach out to fellow Rotary Club of Brookings’ members that we haven’t seen in awhile--to let them know they are missed, and to invite them to return? And, finally, if you are a member who is currently feeling unseen or unheard, will you please call me and let me know how we can engage you again?
It takes us all to create a vibrant, engaged membership. Let’s work together to keep the wheel rolling forward another 100 years!