Rotary Membership

Rotary Membership When it comes to recruiting new members, it’s important to illustrate your club’s ongoing efforts to

This page Rotary Membership blog is written and edited by Bill Wittich (Rotary eClub of District 5180) and his e-mail is [email protected] if you would like to send him your thoughts. The blog entries here at Facebook.com/rotarymembership are the personal opinions of Bill Wittich (and those who comment on the posts). The opinions here may or may not reflect the official positions of Rotary International or Rotary District 5180.

I presented for the Auburn Rotary Club in Auburn, Washington last week via ZOOM. My presentation was "Stop Recruiting ...
10/12/2021

I presented for the Auburn Rotary Club in Auburn, Washington last week via ZOOM. My presentation was "Stop Recruiting / Start Attracting".

If any of your clubs or districts would like a presentation , just ask. It is for Rotary and therefore at no charge. Just contact me at [email protected]

The advantage of using ZOOM even if you are meeting live now is that you can invite a wide variety of speakers from around the world.

I presented for the Columbia Center Rotary Club in Kennewick, washington last week via ZOOM. My presentation was "Stop ...
10/03/2021

I presented for the Columbia Center Rotary Club in Kennewick, washington last week via ZOOM. My presentation was "Stop Recruiting / Start Attracting".

If any of your clubs or districts would like a presentation , just ask. It is for Rotary and therefore at no charge. Just contact me at [email protected]

The advantage of using ZOOM even if you are meeting live now is that you can invite a wide variety of speakers from around the world.

09/27/2021

SERVICE IS CRITICAL
Fostering a sense of community is possibly one of the most influential plays a club can make to garner some younger membership. Truly building community goes beyond just holding events or connecting over LinkedIn.

Think about how your club can directly benefit the surrounding community. Create programs where people can get out there and make a positive impact within their community and connect with other members and your club on a deeper level.

97% of young members said community service was vital, with 76% of young African Americans citing it as very important in their decision to join an organization.

A thought today…
These young professionals may not want to be isolated or thought of as just “the young people.” Circle back to that R-E-S-P-E-C-T and recognize that, if you want to reach and retain those young members, you’ll need to face the truth: they likely want similar benefits to your older members, like engaging with your organization, advanced training, mentorship, volunteering, and extra experience to put on their resumes.

Sure, your young members may want and expect those things in new, digital ways – the point is, the time is now to adapt and deliver.

So, let’s put generational hazing aside and start to focus on how we can collaborate effectively since your attraction and retention depends on it.

09/16/2021

I prresented this week for the 3M-Membership Matters Morning Forum for Rotary District 5020 which is located in Canada.
It included the follow topics:
Grow membership, grow capacity.
Tools to make it all happen.
Want to grow your clubs’ membership?
Post COVID we have an opportunity.
People are looking for US. For community.
How do we find them? Keep them? Motivate them?

They had 105 attendees.

If any of your clubs would like a zoom membership program, just e-mail me at [email protected]

08/30/2021

Make that Renewal Phone Call…START THE CONVERSATION

When we pick up the phone to call non-renewed members, I want to find out what was motivating them and offer to help. After introductions and telling them we were sorry they weren’t renewing their membership, I use the following question: “How likely are you to recommend the club to a friend or colleague?” Then I went on to ask where the club fell short, to identify motivations upfront. The most common answer came down to value.

I saw a lot of people give a high score in the initial question, indicating they would likely recommend the club to a friend, but they still said they wouldn’t renew. I took the answers about their motivations and our shortfalls and went into a follow-up conversation.

Most clubs either stop the efforts, or follow up with non-renewed members by email. But I decided to invest my time by instituting another round of calls a few weeks later to keep the contact direct and personalized.

I then asked this question: How can we help you be more successful and find value in Rotary? It took time, but everyone we called got engaged in the conversation. We achieved a realistic goal through this time investment.

Is your club having a difficult time attracting those young professionals aged 20-40 years old?I am offereing a 20 minut...
08/16/2021

Is your club having a difficult time attracting those young professionals aged 20-40 years old?

I am offereing a 20 minute Zoom talk for clubs on this topic. Of course it is at no charge and should interest all of your members.

Just e-mail me to find my available times and dates.

[email protected]

08/12/2021

How does your Rotary club attract and engage younger member’s.

Hang on. What is a “younger” member, anyway?
Let’s think, young members might be in their 20s, 30’s or 40’s.
Most Rotary clubs have a membership that skews quite a bit older. Each club will have to define “younger” members for themselves—

If your club hasn’t started yet, it’s time to start aggressively recruiting millennials and engaging with these young professionals.

But how and why?
If you’re at a loss for an answer, don’t feel bad. Your members have been just as stumped over the years. And with good reason. Stereotypes about millennials abound: they’re entitled, obsessed with themselves, and lack loyalty. But this generational hazing has been proven to be largely debunked myths, and let me tell you why it’s time to start paying attention to millennials.

Clubs need a compelling value proposition for millennials to join: what will these young professionals gain from paying dues, attending your events and engaging with your community?

To develop or redefine a compelling value proposition for millennials, it’s important to understand what motivates these young professionals. We know, for example, that millennials are attracted to clubs and brands that are trustworthy, transparent and come by way of a friend’s referral.

We also know that millennials are interested in working with (not for) organizations that embrace technology, that aim to help society, and that foster personal and group relationships… I believe that is our Rotary.

Millennials are beginning to enter their prime earning years and they crave meaningful work and community.

I presented for the Rotary Club of Emerald City in Seattle yesterday via ZOOM. My presentation was "Stop Recruiting /...
08/12/2021

I presented for the Rotary Club of Emerald City in Seattle yesterday via ZOOM. My presentation was "Stop Recruiting / Start Attracting".

If any of your clubs or districts would like a presentation , just ask. It is for Rotary and therefore at no charge. Just contact me at [email protected]

The advantage of using ZOOM even if you are meeting live now is that you can invite a wide variety of speakers from around the world.

07/28/2021

How does your Rotary club attract and engage younger member’s.

Hang on. What is a “younger” member, anyway?
Let’s think, young members might be in their 20s, 30’s or 40’s.
Most Rotary clubs have a membership that skews quite a bit older. Each club will have to define “younger” members for themselves—

If your club hasn’t started yet, it’s time to start aggressively recruiting millennials and engaging with these young professionals.

But how and why?
If you’re at a loss for an answer, don’t feel bad. Your members have been just as stumped over the years. And with good reason. Stereotypes about millennials abound: they’re entitled, obsessed with themselves, and lack loyalty. But this generational hazing has been proven to be largely debunked myths, and let me tell you why it’s time to start paying attention to millennials.

Generational hazing has always been a part of our cultural narrative. “We need to unite generations to focus on moving forward together.” Says Kim Lear, a Keynote Speaker for Higher Logic…

Millennials — who include anyone born between 1981 and 1996 — currently make up the largest generation in the U.S. workforce. By 2030, they’ll account for 75 percent of the labor market.
To date, Rotary clubs have largely been comprised of baby boomers and Seniors — and while they make up a majority of membership, they only account for roughly 25 percent of the U.S. workforce.

I'm speaking for the Wilsonville Rotary Club in Oregon on July 29 via ZOOM. My presentation will be "Stop Recruiting ...
07/28/2021

I'm speaking for the Wilsonville Rotary Club in Oregon on July 29 via ZOOM. My presentation will be "Stop Recruiting / Start Attracting".

If any of your clubs or districts would like a presentation , just ask. It is for Rotary and therefore at no charge. Just contact me at [email protected]

07/20/2021

Diversity in the Club

Achieving diversity and inclusiveness in Rotary is a fundamental part of fulfilling the mission of any club. Working to achieve diverse and inclusive environments has numerous demonstrated benefits, including enhanced programs and services to members,

Making the commitment is the first step.

Educating ourselves about how deep the commitment must be over time is a big hurdle and Understanding that the work is not linear is also important.

There is no beginning and end on a checklist.
Achieving diversity and inclusiveness in your club is a process for creating change through education, collaboration and vigilance.

Each new level of insight can result in growth and new experiences for individuals and the club. The work itself can be uncomfortable, and the territory unfamiliar.

The question is:
Are we willing to live with that discomfort for a time in order to achieve healthy, whole communities—with parity for all?

Membership is critical for all Rotary clubs. These new members must include a mix of younger, middle aged and older memb...
07/15/2021

Membership is critical for all Rotary clubs. These new members must include a mix of younger, middle aged and older members. It is this variety in age that increases the quality of a club’s membership.

This is a book about membership and change. Many clubs overlook the fact that the majority of their members will be retiring in the next decade and that the generations to follow are radically different from the generations of the past. It is critical for all Rotary leaders to understand that what brought them into Rotary may not be the same thing that will bring this next generation into Rotary.

While the current excitement is finding young people to bring into Rotary, there is a large group of retiring Boomers that could help to increase our membership. They are a vital group of healthy, wealthy and wise potential Rotarians. They are very different from those young prospects in many ways and the attraction process is different for both groups.

This is a thought from my book "Stop Recruiting/Start Attracting which is available on Amazon.

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