Page 2 - 2020-03-Rotary-on-the-Move-Newsletter-Zone-8

‘REGIONAL MEMBERSHIP UPDATE’
Article by Barbara Mifsud, Regional Membership Officer, Membership Development, South

Pacific and Philippines Office, barbara.mifsud@rotary.org,

https://www.facebook.com/barbara.mifsud.1

Club vibrancy and tips for a successful year
At this time of the year, enthusiastic presidents elect around the world are learning about strategies
and resources for a successful year ahead. No doubt they are considering goals and priorities, with
‘membership’ at the top of the list.
President Elect HolgerKnaack in his theme address at International Assembly encouraged clubs and districts to think
about growing Rotary in a ‘sustainable and organic’ way, rather than solely focusing on increasing membership
numbers. But what does that actually mean? To me it means focusing on ‘vibrancy’.
A vibrant club is one that: engages its current and prospective members; conducts meaningful projects; builds
awareness and tries new ideas.
The more vibrant our clubs, the more relevant and visible they are in the community, which means more resources
to help communities flourish. This helps strengthen our membership. A strong, fun club, doing good in the world is
infectious!
In fact, each of the above four characteristics strongly align with Rotary International’s new strategic priorities:
enhance participant engagement; increase our impact; expand our reach; and increase our ability to adapt.
If you are a president elect here are some strategies to consider for creating a vibrant club in your year and some
helpful resources:
· Take stock: Whether your club is struggling or thriving we need to regularly check in to help us see where
our strengths lie as well as areas for us to build on. Ask questions like: what is that your club does well? how
do you and others feel about being in your club? what are some areas that you think the club could improve
on?
Resources: Rotary Club Health Check; Is Your Club Healthy? (online course); Membership Assessment
Tools; review data in My Rotary and Rotary Club Central.
· Create a vision: Your club’s vision should define your desired future and provide direction for what you
want your club to be. Ask questions like: what do you want your club to be known for? what is your club’s
unique ‘value proposition’? what do you want your club to look like in the immediate future and the next 3-5
years?
Resources: RI Strategic Plan; RI strategic planning guide
· Have a plan: Research shows that clubs that follow a strategic plan are stronger than clubs that don’t, as
they have more satisfied members who view their club and Rotary in general, more positively. Ask yourself:
how can we achieve our vision? what are our 3 main strategic priorities? What are our long and short-term
goals?
Resources: RI strategic planning guide; Strengthening your membership; Be a vibrant club; Rotary Club
Central (online goal setting tool)
· Consider flexibility: Research also shows that clubs that have more freedom to determine how they hold
their meetings, who they invite to membership and what defines engagement, are more vibrant and have a
greater ability to grow. Ask: do our current practices allow us to reach our full potential? How
Resources: rotary.org/flexibility; Club flexibility - Frequently asked questions; Practicing flexibility and
innovation (online course); Rotary club models; Guide to satellite clubs; Guide to corporate membership;
Guide to passport clubs
2020-21 Rotary Citation
Beginning in 2020-21, each club president will be empowered go into Rotary Club Central and select at least 13 out
of 25 goals they wish to apply toward Citation achievement. This flexibility allows clubs to choose the goals that are
most relevant and most achievable. To achieve the 2020-21 Rotary Citation:
• Go to Rotary Club Central
• Review the 25 available goals
• Select at least 13 goals (more than 50% of the available goals)
• Achieve those goals
• Report achievement in Rotary Club Central
Click here for an overview of the goals available in Rotary Club Central from which clubs can select.
Membership statistics as at 31 January
The end of January saw a climb towards more positive numbers after the dive we felt at the end of December when
clubs were fixing up their membership lists in time for RI and district invoicing. 11 districts are back in the black with
D9640 remaining at the top of the leader board with +79.

Zone 8 Comparison to 1 July Zone 8 Demographics Worldwide Comparison to 1 July

Rotary on the Move March 2020 Page 2