MEMBERSHIP: WHAT MESSAGE ARE YOU SENDING?
Posted by DG Mary Kay Hasz (Highlands Ranch) marykayDG15-16@marykayhasz.com
Members who feel valued are less likely to leave.
Rotary International's theme for August is "Membership and Extension". I invite all District Rotarians to take time this month to stop and consider how we are encouraging our current members and what message we are giving prospective members in our communities.
The District's Public Relations Committee stands ready to help Clubs promote themselves within their communities. PR Chair Peggy Halderman has visited and will visit Clubs and assist in ideas on how to attract new members. Public Relations and Membership go hand in hand. A prospective member is more likely to be moved by a personal story as to what Rotary means to its members rather than how many Rotarians there are in the world and in how many countries.
Over the years our District's membership has ranged from 3,100 to 3,200. Over the years new Clubs have been formed and chartered, satellites are finding a home in our District, and yet our membership still remains relatively constant. Why is that? We add members yet stay the same in number? It is because our current members are leaving for a variety of reasons. I would like to discuss some ideas I have on this matter as a result of being the membership chair of Highlands Ranch Rotary for most of the last 20 years.
As those in sales know, it is easier to keep a customer than to acquire a new one! We can apply that same principle to Rotary membership. Members who feel valued are less likely to leave.
Let's each look at our membership and identify those members who attend but do not participate in club service projects. Let's also be aware of those members who are falling away in interest and attendance. I would bet that the majority of these two categories of members joined our clubs to be of service - to give back to their communities and to the world.
A warm greeting each meeting; a conversation to discover those members' areas of interest, and encouragement to participate. All are starting steps to engage those members. Invite members to sit next to you at a meeting; put aside the desire to always sit with the same close Rotarian friends at the same table; always be aware of any member not involved in a conversation; and contact those members who have missed several meetings. In summary, observe and react!! Let us all practice the Gift of Inclusion.
Mary Kay Hasz
District Governor 2015-16