Page 5 - 2020-12-Rotary-on-the-Move-Newsletter-Zone-8

‘MEMBERSHIP AND PUBLIC RELATIONS - WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?’

Article four by PDG C. Ross Carlyle, D9830. Articles one, two and three appeared in this

Newsletter in the August, September and October 2020 editions
Several years back (2016-17) Rotary International changed the look of the Model Club.
Instead of structuring clubs along the Avenues of Service model with a Club Director for each Avenue
of Service, the Model Club now structures strategically, and clubs are being asked to align with Rotary
International’s strategic goals and objectives.
Under the new model a standard club looks like this:
President
Secretary (Club Administration)
Director - Membership
Director - Service Projects
Director - The Rotary Foundation
Director - Public Relations (generally the club’s Executive Secretary)
Larger and/or very active clubs may choose to enhance this model through the addition of others on club boards
and/or management committees - President Elect, Past President, Vice President, Treasurer, specific Avenues of
Service Directors and/or Chairs of Committees. Details regarding club models are available in the following Rotary
Publications via My Rotary:
w Lead Your Club - President w Lead Your District - Assistant Governor
The take-away message from this change is that Rotary International is asking clubs to focus on four priority areas:
w Membership w Service Projects w The Rotary Foundation w Public Relations
Membership and Public Relations each have their own discrete focus and should not be treated as one and the same
within clubs and districts. Let’s look at how they differ.

Membership deals with strategies and action plans - It’s the process of gaining and retaining members.
• building actions plans for membership development and enhancement
• measuring performance
• developing and nurturing the club culture
Public Relations deals with attitudes, behaviours, branding, marketing, and how we appear to others -
It’s dealing with perceptions of our organization and the value people associate with it.
• managing the overall communication effort - print, TV, radio, social media etc.
• all communications to Rotary International standards - consistency in branding and presentation
• interpreting and managing perceptions relating to the type and style of causes and events club(s) take on -
putting a positive spin on all things related to Rotary
• interpreting and managing the tone of communications, behaviours and events, and the impact such may
have on the perception of Rotarians and our brand within the wider community.
• getting good news stories into the public domain and onto My Rotary
In Membership and Public Relations, we have two quite distinct and interrelated roles. Both are important. Each
one focuses on a specific strategic priority as set out by Rotary International, one being membership growth and
retention and the other brand recognition and awareness. Also, it is a given that overlap may occur. A
Membership campaign, for example, may rely on Public Image support for effective and correct branding of
communication material.
Both roles have an important place in clubs and districts as we seek to grow our membership and advance the good
news stories involving Rotary.

Rotary Zone 8

NEW STYLE ROTARY CLUBS FORUM

'C a u s e - B a s e d' & S a t e l l i t e C l u b s

Thursday 17 December 2020 6pm (AEDT)
You’re invited - Meeting Registration, click HERE
Chris Bloore - Inaugural President - Rotary e-club of WASH - District 9980 NZ
Josephine Bell - District 9640 Chair Nominee 2021-22 - RC Stanthorpe Satellite Flexitime
Matt McLeod - District 9910 NZ - Satellite Club Champion

Rotary on the Move December 2020 Page 5