Membership and Public Imaging are Interlocked

At the recent District 6960 Conference, past RI Vice President Mike McGovern said, quote, "Rotary - Evanston - doesn't decide what we do, you Rotarians do."  This is an excellent thought process, but not everyone in Rotary's leadership chain has it.  Not long ago, an email from Evanston announcing home page changes said, quote, "We believe these changes will more clearly show the world that Rotary is making the world a better place. . . "   So is it Rotary that is making the world a better place or is it Rotarians, utilizing attributes created and supported by Rotarians, that are making the world a better place?

    Many Rotarians may consider this nitpicking, but consistency in thought processes and communications is critical.  Without consistency, the Public Image (PI) dilemma is:  Should PI initiatives center on what Rotary (or Rotary clubs) are doing that are making the world a better place, or who the Rotarians are that are making the world a better place?

             Regardless of where RI's over 35,000 member clubs are located, existing and potential Rotarians are a niche* of the general population. Club PI initiatives, regardless of the media, should communicate to its niche* the image of who its members are - starting with its existing members. It is no secret that most people join Rotary clubs to network i.e. to meet the type of people with whom they want to associate.  Club members should have a complete understanding of how their club's culture differentiates it from other local organizations.  Then everything they do should center on projecting that image to the men and women in their communities who share similar characteristics.  Even the over 1.2 million existing Rotarians, compared to the over 7 billion people worldwide, is an extremely small niche*.  Rotary International (RI) must consistently tailor its PI messaging to the few men and women in the world who share characteristics similar to existing Rotarians.

            Creating Public Imaging that consistently appeals to and communicates, verbally and non-verbally, who Rotarians are is not an easy task and should not be undertaken by amateurs.  RI is apparently getting serious about supporting clubs in attracting and retaining members and creating productive PI initiatives.  If so, it must consider paying professionals to educate Membership and PI coordinators on how to project the images of who Rotarians are.  Amateurs can easily project "what Rotary does."  Understanding and projecting who it is that "does what Rotary does" in a quality manner that appeals to clubs' niche* markets is difficult.  RI should encourage, even subsidize the cost of, Directors and District Governors having PI professionals speak at Zone Institutes, District Governor, and President-Elect Training sessions.

            Many clubs have PI slogans that match their culture, but one that projects the culture of each of RI's over 35,000 member clubs is 

Reader, please think about how you, using your profession and/or skills in and out of the realm of Rotary, are helping to make your community better simply because you develop acquaintances and have adopted the ideal of service in your personal, business, and community life.  Then think about how each member in your club, utilizing their profession and/or skills, are also helping to make your community, and the world, better.

*In North America, Rotarians make up approximately 0.093% of the total population.  In the world, Rotarians make up approximately 0.000014% of the world's estimated population.  Even if the numbers were double, it is still a minuscule niche. To develop membership, whether by RI, districts, or individual clubs, PI must do its best to identify and penetrate the niche.