Page 3 - 2019-11-Rotary-on-the-Move-Newsletter-Zone-8

‘LET’S STOP DIGGING OUR GRAVES’

Article by Euan Miller, Secretary and Director, Partnerships. Rotary Club of Norwood Inc

At the Rotary Regeneration Conference in Christchurch last September we learnt the depressing

news that we are continuing to lose members across the Zone at an alarming rate. The combination
of ageing members (average age is 71) and our inability to retain members because of lacklustre
clubs means we are losing two members for every member inducted.
Over the last 5 years 127 clubs handed in their charter and 45 new clubs were formed. Last year only one of the 27
districts in the Zone (9640) increased its membership. All the others continued the steady decline.

Despite all the efforts of Rotary Coordinators and District Membership Directors we have failed to turn membership
around.

It is time to take stock, find out why clubs are not growing and develop a new strategy to address the problem.
The problem is not with new clubs. Where we see growth, it is coming from new clubs. RI is to be commended for
facilitating this by offering 7 different versions of Rotary. The popularity of these new ways of serving through
Rotary suggests every district should plan to open one new club each year. This would go a long way to slowing the
decline.
However, if we are to grow, we have to transform existing clubs. The majority of our clubs are now small (20 or less
members). They are recycling Presidents and Directors because there is little new talent to take on the roles. Most
of the members are now in retirement and their business networks have reduced substantially. Age has also meant
less ability to carry our projects and appears to be a major barrier to new younger members. As a result we present
an image of frustrated clubs meeting regularly as a friendship group but lacking the skills to claim our current
moniker of People of Action. Last year only 61 clubs in our Zone achieved a Rotary Citation – the basic measure of
an effective club. That’s just 5.6% of clubs in our Zone.

It is unfair to blame the clubs if we don’t have the structures in place to provide the pathway to transformation.
Most club, especially small ones, don’t have the skills to do it themselves. Existing clubs are crying out for
inspirational Rotarians to lead strategies for dynamic new projects, new partnerships with business and government
and a public image that shows Rotary can transform communities as well as itself. Clubs have the personnel – it is
just sitting there latent, frustrated and disillusioned.
We need a new approach to leadership development. PETS and DTAs are not achieving this. In every club we need
to challenge existing cultures and barriers, focus on developing leaders of volunteers, strategic planners and
disturbance handlers and promote an outward focus to the community. We need to use the experience of existing
clubs members and match that with coaches and mentors who are professionally qualified to achieve these
outcomes. The matter is so serious clubs may need to put on hold some of their projects for 12 months so they can
focus on the issue. If they don’t transform, they will die.
Second, we need to change the role of AGs. Being a figurehead and a conduit from the DG is not enough. AGs need
to be selected well and charged to focus on the struggling clubs in their group to coach and mentor them to help
them transform. We need to give AGs the skills to do this and in Australia, a national approach to training (as done
in NZ) would be desirable to ensure all get the coaching and mentoring skills required. Districts should also be
giving them increased allowances because some clubs will require many visits to guide them to the transformation
required.
Success will be measured by the number of clubs transformed into effective growing clubs worthy of a Rotary

Citation.

‘ROTARY INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT FOR 2021-22’
From Rotary weekly, 11 October 2019

On 2 October, RI President Mark Maloney officially declared Shekhar Mehta the president of
Rotary International for 2021-22. The Nominating Committee for President of RI selected
Mehta, a member of the Rotary Club of Calcutta-Mahanagar, West Bengal, India, in August.
He will be formally elected at the 2020 RI Convention in Honolulu, Hawaii, and will become
president on 1 July 2021.

Mehta says he will encourage clubs to use action plans and reinforce the core values of Rotary.
Mehta says Rotary needs to become more contemporary and adaptable by focusing on partnerships with
governments and corporations, expanding partnerships with organizations that specialize in Rotary’s areas of focus,
and investing in technology.

Rotary on the Move November 2019 Page 3