Rotary Membership - we need to keep a strong membership in order to do the things that we do in service! That was the focus of the Lincoln South Rotary Club Meeting on October 4, 2019.
Lincoln South Rotary Club Membership Chair John Herdman and Co-Chair Dave Dietz discussed how to build a stronger Rotary Club.
John's focus was on recruiting - "Get Your Ask In Gear" was a theme several years ago but is still true today.
We discussed how we each ended up in Rotary - someone asked us. When asked who has ever sponsored a member in Rotary, more than half of those in attendance raised their hands. He reminded us that membership is not just a committee responsibility - it is up to all of us to bring in new members.
He challenged us to think about when we asked someone to visit Rotary - what was the reason - what were we thinking - who were our prospective members? We shared:
- - Having a colleague with an interest in service - giving back
- - Working with someone for services - attorney, insurance agent, realtor - you are getting to know them and their interests
- - Getting to know someone through another organization or project
- - Retired individuals that may have time and desire to continue to be active
- - Consider asking a spouse to join
- - Visit other Rotary Clubs - especially outside of Lincoln; John shared a story about meeting someone while in Colorado who introduced him to his daughter in Lincoln who ended up joining our club
- - Our meeting time and location are convenient - you don't have to fight downtown traffic or parking and it is a great way to end your week or start your weekend
We all have opportunities to invite others to visit Rotary. Look around - and ask.
We also talked about our club, events and atmosphere. When people visit, they are comfortable. They feel welcome and want to be a part of the group. So, the ask is where it starts - get them to the club and see what we are all about. We have fun while providing great community service.
Dave's presentation focused on retention - keeping members in Rotary.
Though our weighted average retention is good - 88% for existing members - we can still do more.
Components of Retention are:
- Engagement
- Renewal
- Reinstatement
Engagement is when a member feels they belong with the group. Successful engagement set the state for renewals.
Attendance of Regular Meetings. To engage members, be sure they are a part of:
- Social Events/Fund Raising Efforts
- Projects
- Being asked to be a part of special efforts
Renewal is when a member decides to keep us. Renewals are an important foundation for health and growth of our clubs. The Act of renewal is a vote of confidence in the club.
- When a member does not renew his/her membership mediation is needed
- At the least the club need to know what is causing the member to decline renewal
- Engage club leadership and the member’s sponsor to determine the reason for termination
Reinstatement is when a former member agrees to return to the club. Reinstatement can be a regular component of membership growth.
- The most likely members to return is the one who most recently left
- It may be easier to entice a former member back into the club then to find a new member
- When engaged, reinstated members can provide unique insight that can add to the health of the club