Rotary Membership will Multiply if District Membership Chair Ideas are Stimulated to have Sex!

 Rotarians from Florida, Minnesota, and Massachusetts, and from the Caribbean, Australia and India have recently communicated ideas to the Angry Rotarian.  Not all supported his opinions, but all did center on the importance of retaining members. As Matt Ridley states in his book, The Rational Optimist, and in his TED TALK, ideas getting together, having sex, and giving birth to other ideas have substantially improved our world.   Perhaps similar orgies would improve membership.

A few typical comments: 

• "To me the most bothering issue that Rotary is facing today is membership and its retention."
• "Rotary International has many tools, but they seem to be at such a high level that they just are not all that useful on the ground." 
• "One hat does not fit all clubs."
• "Service projects can destroy clubs."
• ". .members left because of too much fundraising."

     District 7910 Membership Chair, Tom Sturiale, created his own Membership Minutes, his means of addressing membership. It can be viewed or downloaded from this link.

     So why not get district membership chairs together in two-day Zone Membership Seminars and stimulate them so their ideas can have sex and give birth to applicable ideas? Seminar expenses, including travel and lodging for qualified attendees, could come from the Zone Director's Membership Development budget.  

Typical Day One

Plenary Session            7:30 - 8:30   Keynote Speaker

Breakouts should center on discussing and reaching consensus on the business Rotary clubs are in; who clubs' customers are; what the customers' value; and what differentiates Rotary.

Breakout Sessions        9:00 - 11:45 Min - 10 Max -15 Attendees

Lunch                            12:00 - 12:45 (no speaker)

Breakout Sessions        1:00 - 3:30

Break to edit/revise/prepare individual responses to the question:  What is Rotary?

Breakout Sessions        4:00 - 5:30 Each attendee present and defend response.

Social                            6:00 - 6:45

Dinner                           7:00 - 9:00 (Director or Coordinator comments optional)

Typical Day Two

Breakouts center on ways and means to communicate fundamentals to clubs, how the district could analyze potential locations for new clubs, AND what support is needed from Rotary International and why.

Plenary Session          7:30 - 8:30   Keynote Speaker

Breakout Sessions      9:00 - 11:45

Lunch                          12:00 - 2:00 Director or Coordinator comments and Panel with Q/A.  Main topic to be on quality R.I. support.

Keynote speakers are required to present one or more ideas that stimulate critical thinking such as "Service above Self is a motto for Rotarians.  If clubs or R.I. use it as their motto, it will destroy them."