I don’t know about you, but this Rotary year is flying by for me. It seems like yesterday I was attending the International assembly, conducting our District team training, President-elect training and One Rotary Summits.
Governor-elect Roxy Orr and our training team are now working on this year’s training for our incoming District leadership team, Club Presidents-elects and will be conducting District Team Training on February 22, 2020 and President-elect Training on March 14, 2020. So, as we begin to prepare for the year coming up, let’s look at how we are doing through the first 7 months of my term as Governor.
Membership (my favorite topic)
Membership growth continues to be an issue in North America and in our Zone. 13 of the 16 Districts in Zone 29 are negative this year in membership growth, thanks to all of the hard work you are doing, we are not one of them. Our current membership as of 1-31-2020 was 1,908 members up a net 33 members from 1,875 at the start of the year or 1.76%. While this may not sound like much, to put this in perspective we currently lead all districts in Zone 29 in percentage of membership growth, percentage of members under 40! and the highest percentage of membership retention in the Zone at 94.63%. Fantastic! Congratulations and thank you for all you are doing to grow Rotary. A special shout out goes to Omaha Suburban Rotary who have taken the membership lead and have added 11 net new members so far this year!
Here’s your Top 5 clubs:
| Omaha Suburban | 11 |
| Lincoln Giving Spirits | 9 |
| Lincoln #14 | 9 |
| Red Oak | 6 |
| Lincoln East | 5 |
| Lincoln South | 5 |
Why do members stay in Rotary?
In the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean:
· to positively impact their community (18%)
· to connect with other people in my new community (10%)
· for friendship and fellowship (9%)
In Latin America:
· to positively impact their community (15%)
· to have a positive impact globally (14%)
· for personal growth and learning opportunities (9%)
In Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands:
· to positively impact their community (14%)
· for friendship/fellowship (13%)
· to have a positive impact globally (9%)
Why do members leave Rotary?
In the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean:
· Cost and time constraints (40%)
· Club environment and organizational culture (29%)
· Unmet expectations (16%)
In Latin America:
· Cost and time constraints (32%)
· Club environment and organizational culture (27%)
· Unmet expectations (22%)
In Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands:
· Club environment and organizational culture (44%)
· Cost and time constraints (33%)
· Unmet expectations (10%)
Rotary doesn’t have a problem generating interest in membership. However, as new members join, almost the same number leave each year. One-third leave during the first two years, or after five years, of membership. The challenge is providing a positive and engaging experience for people at all stages of membership so that they either stay or, if they have to leave, later return to Rotary.
Has your club lost members this year? Do you wonder why and just can’t put our finger on it? I encourage you to go to Rotary International’s website and click on “Learning and Reference” then click “Membership”. You’ll find numerous resources that can help you assess your club, engage your membership and connect with prospective members.
The Rotary Foundation Giving
The District is in good shape regarding Foundation giving. Through January we are at 76.64% of our goal of $166,000 and have raised $127,220.26 in annual fund contributions. Additionally, we have raised $35,698.81 towards Polio Plus and $5,649.00 in endowment funds for a grand total in contributions of $168,568.07. Thank you for your generosity and let’s keep up the good work and hit our annual fund goal!
Thanks again for all you do for Rotary, our District and your club.