Happy Holidays my friends! Happy Hanukkah for my Jewish friends beginning on December 10. Happy Kwanza (‘first fruits in Swahili) beginning on December 26. For my British and Canadian friends, Boxing Day greetings to all of you on December 26th as well. New Years Eve is an “unofficial” holiday for many, likely as celebrated as New Years Day the next morning. And for my extended Youth Exchange family in Japan, I wish you a wonderful Omisoka on December 31st as well.
People step more lively. We find ourselves more often in a state of gratitude – it is a season to receive and recognize the gifts all around us. Allow me to celebrate each of you – and your gifts to our beloved organization, Rotary International.
You provide Rotary the gift of your energy and effort. I am grateful for your ideas. For your ability to embrace the environment that we find ourselves navigating. Your gathering remotely and keeping sprits bright in fellowship.
As we close out November and our celebration of Rotary Foundation Month I want to share with you some thoughts on one of the great under tapped resources of the Rotary Foundation, the inventory of “recognition points” that have accumulated in club and personal accounts.
From the time that we make our first contribution to the Rotary International Foundation, whether the donation is to the annual fund or to the polio fund, two entries are made in our account. The first reflects the dollar amount of the contribution and is entered as the Recognition Amount. The second entry, which runs in parallel to the Recognition Amount, is to Recognition Points and it is the same amount, not expressed in dollars but as points.
Rotary Books for the World is coordinated by the Madison Breakfast Rotary Club, They accomplish their mission of improving global literacy and education by collecting used school and library books and sending them overseas to developing countries where the books are needed.
DeForest Rotary Club helps out in small groups at Books for the World with Madison Breakfast Rotary. From right to left front row, Collin Robinson, Ashley Reigstad-Pilarowski and her daughter Anna, Jacob Vehring and his spouse Jessica, Steve Strumbris and his daughter Mary. Back row, right to left, David Grove and Blake Hart.
District Member Count: 2590
Member Growth Success 7/2019 - 6/2020: Sun Prairie +7, Mayville +5, Beaver Dam +4, La Crosse After Hours +3
While recruiting new members to Rotary is key to growing your Club, retaining existing members is equally important. People join Rotary for all kinds of reasons. The reasons they stay may be entirely different. The key to retaining members is building their connection to the Club, its members and project, so that leaving is just not an option!
What are the ways your Club connects new members to the Club? How do you make them feel a part of your Club? Is there an “onboarding” plan to introduce them to the vastness of Rotary, its opportunities and programs? Do you have a plan to get them involved in District events and activities? Do you assign a mentor to be the new Rotarians first Rotary buddy? What are ways you encourage your existing members to bring the new member in? How do your Club members get to know the new member?
Before your Club embarks on a membership drive, take a look at your retention history and develop a retention plan for your Club to keep that valuable new member. My Rotary has an excellent tool for assessing and improving your Clubs membership retention. The assessment will help you determine at when and why your Club is losing members: is it new members, those who have been in 3-5 years, or long term members? And, then provides your Club with strategies to improve retention in your Club’s most vulnerable group, based on Rotary research. Check it out at My Rotary by searching for document 801D_retention_assessment_en.pdf or clicking the link.
Finally, now is the time more than ever to engage with Rotary. We need to create fun and vibrant meeting environments. I encourage you all to go to https://rotary6250.org/clubdirectory/ and find a club that you can visit virtually. Also, please make sure you have your virtual meeting information updated on the District’s Club Directory. What a great opportunity we have to meet new friends in Rotary across the district!
John Locke
Membership Chair
NEW! Videos Added to Rotary's Public Service Announcement Campaign
Rotary's newest PSA video, Rotary Responds, shows how Rotary members take action in times of crisis. Visit rotary.org/brandcenter to download and share Rotary’s latest PSA video. Get more information on how you can get involved in this exciting campaign at the U.S. Public Service Announcement Campaign Learning Topic on the Learning Center.
Youth Programs - December is Disease Prevention and Treatment month for Rotary, but for all of us, it kind of seems that all of 2020 we’ve been thinking about preventing a disease. While we’re closing in on the end of a year of masks, hand sanitizer and social distancing it’s a perfect opportunity for us to reflect on what we accomplished in these uncertain times.
Youth Programs for the District had a busy year, even though they didn’t pan out the way we anticipated. We’ve been preparing for upcoming years and making necessary adjustments to remain active however possible.
There are a team of Rotarians working together to formulate a Crisis Management Plan, so that we’re equipped for future situations if needed. Rest assured that we’re considering all possible “bumps” that could come up on the Youth Exchange and Interact roads. Once this plan is finalized, all clubs that have Youth Programs will be trained on so you’re informed and know what steps to take.
Carol Herman and Andy Bakkum are doing an amazing job with keeping our Interact Clubs as active as they can across the district. Now is a great opportunity to reach out to your local Interact students and share their awesome work with your club. Applaud them for the work that they’ve achieved and let them know that it doesn’t go unnoticed at the District level. They are the future of Rotary and it’s important to keep them feeling fulfilled by their role in Rotary.
Soon, the overarching decisions surrounding next year’s Youth Programs options will be made, and we’ll need to be prepared for those and be ready to act quickly if needed. If your club has questions or is looking for ways to interact with youth in your area, reach out and let me know, I’m happy to connect with you or get you connected with the right person in the district.
