Membership Mantra

Posted by Debi Bush, D5450 Membership Chair and Denver Cherry Creek Rotary membership@rotary5450.org 
 
Satellite Summit Is In Sight

The countdown is on for launching the first ever Satellite Summit in our District and probably in all of Rotary. Due to increased interest and intrigue in this membership growth initiative using the satellite model, the District Membership Team (DMT) and the Satellite Summit task force are delivering a forum (or summit).
 
Mark your calendars and register now for Monday, November 10th at 7:00pm at the Daniels Fund in Cherry Creek business district in Denver! The Summit will have limited seating capacity of 45 and we plan on filling up the room.
 
At the Summit, there will be representatives from clubs who have successfully launched and maintained their satellite groups. From these clubs we will have Rotarians who initiated the satellite and act as mentors to the Rotarians who are part of the satellite group and leadership from the satellite. There is no better way to learn about satellite groups than from those who have planned, implemented and sustained the group. Best practices and lessons learned will be gleaned that will benefit the existing clubs with satellites AND clubs like mine who are so
 
Questions that Rotarians in our district have been asking the DMT:
  • What is a satellite group?
  • Why is there a need for a satellite?
  • What needs to be done to have a successful launch of a satellite? And what are the early signs of success?
  • How have clubs with their satellites done with this new format?
  • Benefits and potential drawbacks for a club with a satellite group?
  • How should a club determine if a satellite group is the right membership growth initiative for them?
  • Should our satellite remain part of our club or should it separate and become its own Rotary club?
  • Why is it called a satellite? (Hint – we’ll give a quick history of how this came about)
The questions are endless regarding satellites as well as attracting new members in general and engaging existing members. Something that we have seen with many of the satellite groups is that the Rotarians are often young professionals (but not always and that’s something to hear about at the Summit) and they understand the importance of vocational mentorship. This ties in nicely with this month’s Rotary theme of Vocational Service. For young professionals or any Rotarians there are opportunities if leveraged for mentorship, professional development and making connections in your local business community.
 
Let’s make membership the flame to attract new Rotarians and engage our current Rotarians and light up our district to continue to be at the forefront of membership initiatives and growth.
 
Exemplary Membership Growth (in alphabetical order)
  • Aurora Fitzsimons
  • Boulder Flatirons
  • Breckenridge-Mountain
  • Broomfield Crossing
  • Denver Southeast
  • Denver Tech Center
  • Grand Lake
  • Highlands Ranch
  • Kremmling
  • Longmont St. Vrain
  • Mountain Foothills
  • Northglenn - Thornton
  • Westminster 7:10