Membership Digest - July

Membership Digest - July

Region 36 (Zones 25B & 29)

The Membership Digest

July 2021
   
The Membership Digest is your one stop read for the latest Membership news in Region 36 brought to you by Assistant Rotary Coordinators from Zones 29B and 29. We highlight Rotary Membership success stories and provide helpful tools and resources to assist District Membership Chairs and anyone else who wants to Grow Rotary!
Monique Hodges, ARC and Jeff Reed, ARC, Region 36
 
Suzi's Corner
  
Each One, Bring One
Update from Suzi Howe, RI Director, Region 36
 
My thanks to each one of you; you've shown leadership in a unique and challenging time in Rotary.
 
The new connections via technology and innovation have allowed our clubs and members to stay together in ways we could not have predicted! You kept in touch with one another and your clubs and stayed focused on doing the business of Rotary.  This helped to keep our current members engaged and even attract new members at a time many feared that could not happen. 
 
You used your creativity and the creativity of those around you to find ways of starting New and Innovative clubs so that we can continue to GROW not only Rotary… but to GROW ROTARIANS! I could not be more proud of the Rotarians in Zones 25B and 29. 
 
As we return to in-person meetings and activities, you have the opportunity to make a lasting impact in your District, in your Communities, and in Rotary. You've continued to keep members engaged over the past year.  Now it is time to take advantage of the technology and innovation that have allowed our clubs and our members AND US to stay together over the past year and combine them with our in-person activities to GROW ROTARY in the coming year as we Serve to Change Lives! 
 
Suzi
Suzi Howe
Rotary International Director 2020-22
Regions 32 & 36
  
The dream of RI President Shekhar Mehta is to reach a goal of 1.3 million Rotarians by July 1, 2022.  It is a big goal.  To reach that goal, he challenges Rotarians to Each One, Bring One.  As every Rotarian brings one new member to Rotary, they will join us as change makers in the world.  Those new Rotarians will become partners in service.  They will help with our water and sanitation, disease prevention, education and literacy, community economic development, maternal and child health, peace and environmental stewardship projects. 
 
And, during 2021-22, as we go about serving others, Mehta wants Rotarians to focus their efforts on empowering girls and ensuring their access to education, resources, services, and opportunities so that future generations of women leaders will have the tools they need to succeed. Mehta askes members to use Rotary’s belief that diversity, equity, and inclusion is critical in all we do as a compass to guide this work. 
 
He asks us to live for others, care for others, serve others and to change lives of others.  He suggests that “a ship is safe in the harbor, but that is not what ships are meant for.  They need to go out in the high seas.”  And so, let us be like those ships leaving the harbor, forge beyond our clubs into our communities and the world, as people of action, making a difference, serving to change lives. 
 
 
  
Emily's Space
    
Success Stories
Update from Emily Tucker,
RI Regional Membership Officer
 
Membership Sponsor Recognition – Emily Tucker
 
As recognition to those who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment and success in growing our membership, we have launched the Membership Society for New Member Sponsors virtual gallery on My Rotary. Sponsoring a new member means being responsible for bringing a new member into your club, including proposing to someone to be considered by the club board for membership. When a new member is reported to Rotary, a sponsor can be named. To be included in the Membership Society for New Member Sponsors, an individual has to have sponsored 25 or more new members, and have reported those sponsorships to Rotary. New member sponsorship can only be between active members in the same club and does not include charter members of a new club. The number of new members that someone has sponsored is tracked in Rotary’s database.
 
Emily Tucker
Regional Membership Officer | Membership Development
Tel 1.847.866.3258
 
RI Learning Center
 
Check out courses in the RI Learning Center.  More than 20 courses are available to help you expand your knowledge of Rotary Membership.  Courses include:
  • Building a Diverse Club
  • Building a Welcoming Community for People with Disabilities
  • Building Strong Intergenerational Relationships
  • Designing an Inclusive Plan for Your Organization
  • Online Membership Leads
  • Your Membership Plan
  
REGIONAL HIGHLIGHT  (from Emily Tucker, RMO)
 
While the last year+ has been challenging, for many clubs it has meant surprising successes. The Rotary Club of Wausau Early Birds in District 6220 has had a record-setting year in spite of the pandemic, thanks to a multi-pronged approach and clearly defined goals.  …  To expand their reach and tell the club’s story, they launched a new website and weekly bulletin, increased their weekly social media presence, and were featured through several local media channels.  Guided by a comprehensive Club Action Plan with clearly-defined and measurable goals, they established work groups to implement goals and monitor progress. They also strategically leveraged the COVID-19 environment to provide high-engagement, yet safe, service opportunities for people to get involved.
 
 
By the Numbers – Region 36
New Clubs (Region 36)
 
District with most new clubs
D5950 (n=5)
New Satellite Clubs
6
New Cause-based Clubs
9
Anti Human Trafficking Clubs
2
Environmental Clubs
2
Literacy Focused Clubs
1
Veterans Clubs
1
Women’s Empowerment Clubs
1
New Passport Clubs
4
New Rotaract Clubs
8
Total New Clubs
26
Clubs in Formation
15
 
Members (Region 36)
 
Zone
# Districts
7/1/2020 Members
7/1/2021 Members
Gain/Loss
25B
7
16,116
15,431
(685)
29
16
34,424
32,510
(1,914)
Region 36
23
50,540
47,941
(2,599)
 
 
More Success Stories
Rotatact to Rotary Success Stories (from Emily Tucker, RMO)
 
Here are a few examples of Rotaract alumni who took the lead and created their ideal Rotary experience:
  • Sabine Thiel in District 1880 is a charter member of her innovative Rotary Club Nürnberg-Connect, Germany, of which 16 of the 42 members are former Rotaractors. Learn more about their club here.
  • Lisa Jayne Hunter of District 1090 is a charter member of the Rotary Club of Maidenhead Bridge, England. The club, comprised of many former Rotaractors, is flexible and family-friendly and has grown to 28 members since chartering in 2012. Read more about their club here.
  • Jenna Buscemi in District 5890 was a charter member of the Rotary Club of Houston Energy Corridor, while remaining an active Rotaractor with the Rotaract Club of The University of Houston.
Reach out to your District Rotaract Representative and/or District Rotaract Chair to learn more about how you can support their efforts and strengthen the Rotary-Rotaract connection.
Tools & Resources
7 Tips on Growing Membership
Dave Rhylander, president of the Rotary Club of Collierville, Tennessee, USA
From:  Rotary Voices, May 6, 2021
 
Is it possible to grow your club in the midst of a pandemic? We have found the answer to be a resounding yes. Despite all the challenges that COVID-19 has presented to Rotary clubs and the entire world, really, there are ways to excite members, engage in service, and through creativity attract people who are interested in joining us as people of action.
  1. We started corporate memberships
  2. We set a goal of attracting more women and young professionals
  3. We created an online application
  4. We organized service projects that built awareness of the club
  5. We told our story via social media
  6. We provided meeting options
  7. We embraced diversity
  
DEI – 6 part Webinar Series
 
This explores diversity, equity, and inclusion has attracted more than 3,000 attendees so far from all over the world.
Rotary Webinar Series on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)
 
Build a welcoming community for people with Disabilities.  (recorded 27 May 2021)
 
Building Strong Intergenerational Relationships. (recorded 29 April 2021)
 
Exploring the Black Experience in Rotary.  (recorded 25 February 2021)
 
  
All Things Rotary
 
The Club & District Support Americas Team recently launched a podcast titled “All Things Rotary.”  Episodes are released monthly.
 
Recent episodes addressed:
  • But Like, What Does CDS Actually Do?
  • But Like, Why Aren’t More People Talking About Satellite Clubs?
  • But Like, Does Setting Club Goals Matter?
  • But Like, Which Comes First: Club Attendance or Club Engagement?
  • But Like, How Do I Actually Start A Rotary Club? (featuring Regional Membership Officer Dian Edwards)
  
Zone Institute 2021
 
Don’t miss it! 
Keynote Speakers include: 
  • RIPE Jennifer Jones
  • TRF Trustee Dean Rohrs
  • NASA Astronaut Brian Duffy
  • Past RI President Ian Riseley
Training, House of Friendship,
Houston Space Center Tours, more …