Membership Ideas from the Presidential Membership Conference in Denver August 3, 2007 – August 4, 2007
1. Help prospective members get to the meeting
2. Purge your roster when necessary
3. Have an exit interview for members leaving the club either through resignation or transfer of membership
4. Some members may join as a resume builder, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing…They see the value in being a member of your club and may become more committed over time.
5. Make the meeting fun. Have great programs.
6. Keep the meetings within one hour, so time/meeting conflicts don’t start occurring.
7. Have a buddy system for accountability.
8. Choose community service projects and activities that members are passionate about participating.
9. Consider making a status change for a member that is having a hard time with attendance or financial requirements, such as making them an honorary member instead of purging them from the club.
10. Have a special red badge completion ceremony
11. Ensure that all members can hear everything being said from the lectern. The Boulder Rotary Club made their meeting site work through a video system that allows everyone to see and hear the meeting.
12. Ask…Ask…Ask
13. Consider changing the format of your meeting up. One club changed their format to the following. Members only pay for meals as they go. Great for members with young families: 5:30pm – 6:30pm Social meet and greet time 6:30pm – 7:30pm Meal and program
14. 4+1 Membership Drive or 3+1 Membership Drive-Divide your club into teams of three, four, etc. Challenge each group to bring in at least one new member by the end of the year.
15. Have a cocktail party or an ice cream social
16. Encourage diversity through race, religion, cultures, etc.
17. Check out the Rotary prayer book
18. Talk about membership at every Rotary meeting
19. Have a membership night…make it fun! Get some great ideas from Past President Tim Mabe, Garland Rotary Club [email protected]
20. Groom the next membership chair
21. Go through your club’s classification list. What classifications is your club lacking? Let your club members know that your club needs professionals from x occupation…Helps members think of a specific person they can invite.
22. Have a membership program. Ask every member to write down the name and contact info of at least one prospective member. Send each one an invitation in the mail to attend your Rotary club. Follow up with a phone call to that person.
23. Send email invitations each week along with the current week’s program info.
24. Have a fun new member orientation that is taught by the past presidents
25. Write down your club’s miracles, successes, etc. Share it with your members, so everyone can learn it/remember it to pass along to prospective members. Facilitates club pride and ownership.
26. You can invoke the rule of 80 for those members who are over 80 who are having difficulties making the attendance requirements or are having a financial hardship. If their age + years in Rotary = 80
27. Have members complete a club survey, so the leadership can better determine where members’ interests lie, learn of any problems, etc.
28. Members temporarily having trouble with their attendance or financial requirements may need to be placed on honorary status just for a temporary time period.
29. It’s easy to get make-ups…Don’t let that be an excuse!
30. Encourage your members to make-up. It’s a great opportunity to meet new people and reinforce their commitment to Rotary.
31. Take a step back to really determine why a member is leaving
32. Get new members to the District conference
33. Have attending the District Conference one of the requirements to completing the red badge program. 34. Have a membership development banner at your club
35. Get your club’s five year membership history for your club. You can get this info on the RI website with the District Governor’s password.
36. Have a membership trophy. Present it to the person in your club who brought in the most new members. You can even do it monthly.
37. Invite the parents of Interact members to your club. Invite parents of Rylarians to visit your club.
38. Wal-Mart is now encouraging its managers and assistant managers to join civic organizations.
39. Check out www.zones25-26.org for more great ideas
40. Invite past Group Study Exchange members and previous Rotary Scholars to visit your clubs. Focus on GSE members and Rotary Scholars from the past five years.
41. Encourage a broader self-interest. Inspire others to lift themselves up and improve their situations
42. AwarenessAcknowledgementAccountability
43. Check out Rocking the Ages by Yankelovich for understanding the different generations.
44. Check out Mind Your Xs and Ys by Lisa Johnson a book about Generation X and Y.
45. Redefine your club’s brand. Make your club relevant. 46. Have the District Membership Team send a thank you letter to each sponsor for bringing in a new member.
47. Have the District Membership Team send a welcome letter to each new member.
48. Touch the heart of your members through friendship and service.
49. Think about what kind of energy your club has and projects to visitors.
50. Have past presidents take prospective members and/or new members out to lunch.
51. Form a Family of Rotary Committee that recognizes birthdays, illnesses, deaths, etc. within the club or from former members
52. Have a union of happy people
53. Create a feeling within your club that Rotary is the Mount Everest of civic clubs. Make it a universal philosophy.
54. Consider making your prayers inclusive to everyone. A suggestion to start your prayer is “Let’s Give Thanks to Our God.”
55. Have pictures on your website. Have short bios on each member.
56. Send club presidents and other officers to attend Rotary University.
57. Have a featured business of the week, month, etc. 58. Have a Rotarian of the month. Can focus on a Rotarian that made a significant contribution to the club.
59. Order and distribute Heart of Rotary pins
60. Award a Paul Harris to the Rotarian of the Year
61. Encourage mentoring of new members.
62. Encourage all members to become Paul Harris sustaining members
63. Create an business card for your club. Have club meeting info on back along with a few statistics about your club on the back of the card.
64. Create an invitation to your club on club stationery
65. People often join Rotary for different reasons including business, the integrity of the organization, for friendship, to take part in community service, to network, etc.
66. Have quarterly potluck/happy hour socials, etc. Socials allow members to get to know one another outside of the usual club meeting.
67. Have club t-shirts
68. Take a look at the other community service projects in which other members in the District are involved.
69. Partner with your local chamber
70. Talk with the District Alumni Chair and get a list of your club’s past alums. Alumni have their own classification, so there won’t be any overlap. 71. The attendance requirement has been reduced by RI to 50%.
72. Each one…Reach one…
73. Talk with the District Publicity Chair for info on getting a PR grant for your club or check out PR Grant on the RI website.
74. Smaller/Rural clubs-Invite your bankers, attorneys, manufacturers, ranchers, local merchants, service providers, accountants, community leaders, clergy, dentists, insurance salespeople, chiropractors, satellite dish tv providers, exterminators, pharmacists, and realtors. Make your club the place to be each week. For great ideas email Royse City Early Bird Rotary Club President and Royse City Mayor Pro Tem Mary Johnson or Immediate Past President Royse City Early Bird Rotary Club Carolyn Thumann.
[email protected] Mary Johnson [email protected] Carolyn Thumann
75. Take a look at your local telephone book.
76. Choose a service project that your entire community is really passionate about
77. Ask the mayor to speak and then invite him/her to join after he/she gives the program.
78. Encourage members to put the Rotary wheel up in their businesses.
79. Talk about membership at each meeting.
80. Have members set a goal and make a plan. 81. Get buy in from your club to make membership a focus and then go for it!
82. Have every member of your club complete the following questionnaire.
83. Send a weekly email to your club members. Highlight one member each week via email.
Name: Classification: Name of Business: Your Title: Best way to describe your business:
Spouse or significant other’s name: Member‘s Birthday-Month and Day: Spouse’s Birthday-Month & Day: Anniversary-Month and Day: Education and Degrees Earned: Hobbies: Other Civic Organizations: Foreign Languages: Children’s Names: Grandchildren’s Names: Pets-Names, # of, Breed Name: Favorite Vacation Spot(s): Favorite Music Genre: What you like best about Rotary: Favorite Sports: Favorite Restaurants: Miscellaneous: Email: