MembershipClub Extension

For District Leadership

October 24, 2009Rick Benson, PDG D-7980, CT

All Rotarians share the responsibility of ensuring membership growth and development through three key components:

Recruiting new members Retaining existing members

Organizing new Rotary clubs

As Club Leaders you will play a critical role in your communitiesAnd in growing Rotary

And as of June 30, 2009, Zones 22 -34 (USA and Canada ) had only 385,683 members, a loss of 48,289 Rotarians

30 June Membership Trends by RegionZones 22 - 34 (USA and Canada)

410,000

415,000

420,000

425,000

430,000

435,000

440,000

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Let’s look at the sad facts in North America

Membership

Humanitarian Needs

The “GAP”

This membership loss in North America threatens our ability to meet humanitarian needs: the gap is growing in

our own communities

Rotary’s Critical

Point

Ignore

Growth

Take Action

Business as Usual

Rotary is at a cross roads

The Future of Rotary is truly in your hands

Membership

Humanitarian Needs

The “GAP”

Rotary International Zone Membership Conference

Charter Members' & Net Members in Existing Clubs'Contribution to Membership Growth in Zones 22 - 34

-10,000

-5,000

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

1996 - 97 1997 - 98 1998 - 99 1999 - 00 2000 - 01 2001 - 02 2002 - 03 2003 - 04 2004 - 05 2005 - 06

Charter Members Net Members in Existing Clubs Net Growth

• Extension Goals• Identify communities that are not served by a

Rotary club• Identify communities where another club could

prosper without hurting the existing club• We must not ignore those in our communities

who want to serve, but who can not or choose not to attend existing clubs in the area

• More Rotarians = More service

Why should we organize new Rotary clubs?

• Meeting facilities may not be able to accommodate a larger group

•Too many Rotary clubs have found it impossible to continue increasing their membership as they have aged

• The meeting time may be inconvenient for large numbers of potential members

• Prospective members feel precluded from joining some clubs because of their gender, age or cost

•More Rotarians mean more resources to help the community

Why should we organize new Rotary Clubs?

To provide an opportunity for more people to participate in Rotary by offering more options for membership in your community

•Different time of day

•Different day of the week

•Different location

•Offer different club size

•Offer different club culture

•Offer different types of meeting conditions

Why should we organize new Rotary Clubs?

•To attract, accommodate and retain ethnic or minority members that make up part of the community

• To hold a meeting in a language other than the dominate language in the community

•To make it easier to form lasting partnerships that can sustain projects to serve minority or ethnic communities in need

Your District Successes

Which Communities in your DistrictsHave the most Rotarians?

Why?

Our 7980 Successes

Westport – 2 successful clubs; 150 Rotarians; 26,000 population

Norwich– 2 successful clubs; 135 Rotarians; 36,000 population

Milford – 2 successful clubs; 165 Rotarians; 55,000 population

New London – Largest club in district (114); 26,000 population 2 meeting times: Lunch & Sunrise; different days

Two new Provisional clubs – both young members / cocktail clubs

Your District Opportunities

Put Your Extension Committeeto work

Communities where there are no Clubs:

Communities with Underserved Minorities: Korean, Chinese, Latino, Spanish, Black, …

Communities where more than 1 club is a possibility:Separate joint clubs – 1 per communitylarge corporate parks Few other service clubs, but a culture of service

Do a demographic study- Rotarian Community Coverage Analysis

The keys to organizing a new Rotary Club:

•More Clubs are not a threat to existing clubs

•Requires a dedicated District Special Representative, see 808 – New Clubs

•Needs a supporting Sponsoring Rotary Club

•Must Recruit quality individuals – who want to join Rotary for the “right reasons”

•Must identify and attract several “spark plugs” for club leadership

•Must educate the club members on Rotary

•Must involve members in club leadership (the club leadership plan) and worthwhile projects

Now You Have a Listof Prospective Communities

You are the Key to Extension!

And your District’s Growth

How do you physically start a new club?