Rotary clubs are in the business of advancing the Object
of Rotary. They have done it by satisfying
the networking, friendship, and achievement needs of local People of Action. Effective Rotary
clubs, those that have stable or increasing membership, satisfy these personal needs.
What about the districts and clubs that are losing members? Too often they waste time, treasure and
talent on convenient diversions rather than examining the more difficult issues
that sometimes require systemic and attitude change. Perhaps this brief analogy will encourage more
critical thought and discussion about membership development.
The Analogy
A
successful organization is, or was, an entity of dynamic growth. It aggressively adhered to core principles, attracted
customers and grew by satisfying their customer’s needs.
An effective Rotary club is, or was, an entity of dynamic
growth. It aggressively adhered to core
principles, attracted members, and grew by satisfying their member’s needs.
General Motors, for seventy-five years, was an entity
of dynamic growth. It started out
aggressively producing low cost transportation, buying competitors, and
developing a dealer network. General
Motors dealers attracted customers who could afford to advance their personal
transportation needs.
Rotary, for ninety years, was an entity of dynamic
growth. It aggressively advanced the
Object of Rotary by starting Rotary clubs throughout North
America then around the world.
The clubs attracted PEOPLE OF ACTION by
advancing their networking, friendship, and achievement needs.
Then
General Motors leaders, with good intentions to maximize profits, made what may
be a fatal mistake. General Motors
executives centered their energies and resources on maximizing efficiency in
car and truck production. Years later,
sales and profits began declining.
Corporate leaders decided to concentrate their expertise on factory and
labor processes to produce vehicles at lower costs while investing in advertising
campaigns; all in hopes of attracting more customers.
Then
Rotary leaders, with good intentions to emphasize the impact Rotarians have had
worldwide, made what may be a fatal mistake.
Rotary leaders centered their energies and resources on maximizing the
wonderful programs and projects Rotarians accomplished through their desire to
achieve. Years later, membership began
leveling out, then, in many areas, declining.
Rotary leaders decided to concentrate their expertise on more programs
and projects while investing in membership drives; all in hopes of attracting
more members.
The Mistake
With
good intentions, General Motors inadvertently switched from being in the
business of advancing personal transportation needs to that of creating efficient
factories and producing vehicles – vehicles that no longer satisfied their
customer’s transportation needs.
With good intentions, many Rotary clubs inadvertently switched
from advancing the Object of Rotary to being volunteer service organizations –
organizations that no longer satisfied their customer’s networking, friendship,
and achievement needs.
General
Motors began, grew, and became a giant in the personal transportation industry. Their customer – all levels of the
public. Their industry – not cars – not trucks
– not aircraft – not trains – but satisfying personal transportation needs.
Rotary clubs began, grew, and became a giant in the
personal satisfaction industry. Their customer
– PEOPLE OF ACTION. Rotary’s industry – not service projects –
not volunteerism – not educational programs – but satisfying personal
networking, friendship, and achievement needs.
Fishy Fantasies
(Author’s note – A fishy fantasy is a slang statement
representing a deterrent that hinders addressing paramount issues.)
Fishy Fantasy One – By getting better at what they are
doing, they believe their customers will continue to demand their product or
service. Organizations, believing
that they are the best at what they are doing, tend to become arrogant, lazy,
and gravitate toward mediocrity. These
conditions will become their enemy because customers will eventually find a way
to achieve higher levels of satisfaction.
As the famed psychologist Abraham
Maslow concluded, “Humans are needy, achievement oriented organisms.”
Fishy Fantasy Two – It costs too much. A fundamental principle of any successful
marketing campaign is that if the product satisfies the customer’s needs, they
will find a way to pay for it. Obviously
there has to be a reasonable cost/value ratio, but price is seldom the primary
reason people do not buy what an organization sells. Customers are lost primarily because they do
not believe they will receive, or are not receiving, satisfaction proportional
to what they are being asked to contribute in time, treasure, and/or
talent. (Author’s note: Between 1930 and
1950, Rotary membership more than tripled.
From 1995 through 2007, years of tremendous economic expansion and
increases in personal wealth, North American Rotary club membership declined
more than 10%. The cost of Rotary is not
the primary reason clubs cannot attract or retain members.)
Fishy Fantasy Three – An increasingly affluent society will
ensure the organization’s growth. In
this type society, organization’s leaders often assume that they do not have to
be creative about their business or industry.
Instead they tend to concentrate on improving what they are already
doing. What actually happens is that
they get better at what they are doing rather than improving the value of what they are doing for their
customer.
The United States Government bailed out General Motors. What is going to happen to Rotary International if it continues being a volunteer service organization that wants members?
The United States Government bailed out General Motors. What is going to happen to Rotary International if it continues being a volunteer service organization that wants members?
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