1 of 21

MEMBERSHIP

ENGAGEMENT

Emily Tucker

Manager

Regional Membership Officers

2 of 21

RESEARCH

TELLS US

Club experience matters more than anything else when it comes to both attracting new members and retaining them

Club experience is crucial to member satisfaction

Satisfaction is related to retention, giving, and a club’s ability to recruit

3 of 21

THE CLUB EXPERIENCE IS POSITIVE WHEN:

Members have confidence in club leaders and direction of the club

Members enjoy meetings

Service opportunities make a difference

Members are comfortable with one another

Members develop meaningful friendships

The club experience continues to be the most important factor in determining whether members are satisfied and whether they stay.

When members talk about a positive club experience, they mention five things:

Whether they have confidence in the leaders and the focus of the club, including if they believe they have input on the club’s direction and if the leaders are open to feedback
How much they enjoy meetings, including whether they’re having fun and feel like they belong
That service opportunities are meaningful and make a difference
That they’re comfortable with other members
Whether they’ve developed valuable relationships with others through Rotary

We know that when members don’t find their experiences personally or professionally relevant, they go elsewhere. Let’s consider these five factors and the action that we, as leaders and members, can take to address them.

4 of 21

Create professional connections

Serve their local community

Develop meaningful friendships

Rotary clubs engage multiple generations of people who share the ideals of service, leadership, diversity, integrity, and friendship. They want to make connections while creating lasting change. �

PEOPLE JOIN TO:

5 of 21

Serve beyond their communities

Develop leadership skills

Serve their local community

Rotaract clubs appeal more to younger adults who want to develop service, professional, and leadership skills through a fun, inclusive network of like-minded people who

are closer in age.

PEOPLE JOIN TO:

Rotaract clubs tend to appeal more to younger adults interested in developing their service, professional, and leadership skills through a fun and inclusive network of like-minded people who are closer in age. About 30% of Rotaractors had participated in Rotary programs before they joined, especially Interact and Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, or RYLA.

Rotaractors are a valued part of our organization and our partners in service. You can appoint them to district positions, work with them on Foundation grant projects, and nominate them for awards to recognize their efforts.

We can keep Rotaractors engaged by increasing opportunities for them to build their professional skills and use those skills to serve their communities. We can also increase opportunities for Rotaractors to find mentors and to mentor others.

6 of 21

WHY MEMBERS LEAVE

UNMET EXPECTATIONS

1

2

TIME AND FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS

3

CLUB ENVIRONMENT AND CULTURE

04

PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES

4

7 of 21

LEAD WITH

COMPASSION

Make sure you ask about and understand their needs and how they’d like to be involved in your club.

Create a club environment that adds value to your members’ lives.

�

ROTARY.ORG/MEMBERSHIP

We can start by understanding why members choose Rotary and Rotaract over other opportunities that compete for their time and energy. That means understanding their needs.

Club leaders need to make it a priority to create an environment that adds value to members’ lives. You can do this by:

Resolving conflicts as they arise
Streamlining your club operations so there’s time for other activities
Involving members in developing goals and ideals for your club
Mentoring future leaders
Creating an experience that reflects members’ interests and needs

When we ask what members want and try to meet their expectations in a meaningful environment, we show that we care about our members.

At rotary.org/membership, you’ll find these tools:

The Club Health Check can help you consider your club’s culture and suggest changes to improve the overall experience.
The member satisfaction survey can help determine what people like and don’t like about their club experience.
Several online courses can help you create a welcoming club environment, diversify your club, and more.

8 of 21

Now more than ever, we can connect with each other differently. We can offer more opportunities for people to attend our meetings, support their communities, and grow personally and professionally.

IMPROVE OUR GATHERINGS

ROTARY.ORG/FLEXIBILITY

RI President Stephanie Urchick encourages us to find a balance between continuity and change.

If someone who knew nothing about Rotary came to your club meeting, would they have a positive experience? Would they find a balance of tradition and innovation?  

Now more than ever, we can connect with each other differently. We can offer more ways for people to attend our meetings, support their communities, and grow personally and professionally.

Improving your club meetings can start with managing time effectively, bringing in engaging speakers, and providing more opportunities for members to learn and socialize.

Next, find ways to collaborate with new groups. This makes your club more appealing, encourages a diverse membership, and expands your capacity for service. More diverse voices among our members and leaders helps Rotary stay relevant in a changing world.

We all want a stronger, more effective Rotary. Our ability to adapt is the key to strengthening our future.

9 of 21

CONNECTION

THROUGH

SERVICE

Work with the community to assess what the needs are.

�Together, determine what activities will lead to a meaningful and sustainable result.

ROTARY.ORG/�PROJECTRESOURCES

The opportunity to make a meaningful difference in their communities is one of the reasons people join and stay with their Rotary or Rotaract club.

Well-planned projects are more likely to have positive and sustainable results. Every community has its own strengths and concerns, so the best approach is to work closely with people from various groups that have an interest in the outcome. Involve them in identifying community priorities, designing the project, and continuing the activities after the project is complete.

At rotary.org/projectresources, you’ll find materials to help you:

Assess your community to understand local priorities
Best use the knowledge of experts throughout Rotary to support your club and community through service
Prioritize projects that will be sustainable and make a difference long after the project is complete
Incorporate measurement into your project design so you can assess your progress and make data-informed decisions to improve the project

Rotary’s Service Project Center is a new platform to manage your projects, connect with potential partners, and share your good work. You can learn more at spc.rotary.org.

10 of 21

DIVERSITY

CREATE AN INCLUSIVE �CLUB CULTURE

EQUITY

INCLUSION

Members unite �to address a particular cause

We believe that all people have qualities that make them unique. We strive to create an inclusive culture where each person knows they are valued and belong.

ROTARY.ORG/DEI

At Rotary, we’re committed to treating everyone with dignity and respect, allowing everyone to offer feedback, and providing equitable opportunities for friendship, service, and leadership.

No matter who they are, where they are in the world, or how long they’ve been connected with Rotary, all members, prospective members, and participants deserve to feel valued, respected, and welcomed.

We can embrace this by:

Learning more about diversity, equity, and inclusion in Rotary, including understanding how we use those terms and how to celebrate and respect our differences
Determining how inclusion makes a difference in your club and community and how using DEI principles can help your club grow and become stronger
Removing barriers that may prevent people from joining your club, like meeting at a time or place that isn’t accessible to everyone
Offering new membership options, like corporate membership for employees of the same company or associate memberships for young professionals who want an option that costs less or requires less time
Starting a satellite or companion club that attracts new members who prefer to meet at a different time or location or focus exclusively on service activities

These actions are important because we know that when members feel like their unique contributions and perspectives are welcomed and appreciated, they’re more likely to be satisfied with their Rotary experience.

11 of 21

PRIORITIZE TIME �FOR MEMBERS �TO CONNECT

“The foundation upon which Rotary has been built is friendship, on no less firm foundation could it ever have stood.”

— Rotary founder Paul Harris

ROTARY.ORG/BENEFITS

The final aspect of the club experience is making sure that members have opportunities to form meaningful personal connections.

As our founder Paul Harris said, “The foundation upon which Rotary has been built is friendship, on no less firm foundation could it ever have stood.”

Making sure there’s time for friendship could mean:

Scheduling more informal opportunities to socialize, either before meetings or during other events
Celebrating people’s personal and professional achievements
Organizing activities so they complement rather than compete with family and work schedules
Introducing members to opportunities beyond the club, such as becoming a district leader or joining a Rotary Action Group or Rotary Fellowship
Introducing members to programs that connect them to new people and opportunities, such as sponsoring an Interact club, organizing a RYLA event, creating a scholarship, or participating in one of our exchange programs

12 of 21

Overall Rotarian satisfaction is declining
The club experience has the largest influence on satisfaction and retention
Members leave because of what goes on in the club

Enhancing Rotarian Engagement:

Satisfaction & ReTention

ENHANCING

MEMBER ENGAGEMENT:

SATISFACTION & RETENTION

12

13 of 21

13

On this slide, you can see what inclusion is and what it isn’t.

In section A, you can see an image that helps you visualize exclusion. Exclusion means to keep apart or blocking of an entrance. Exclusion may be deliberate or accidental, but the end result is the same: a person does not have the same access as everyone else.

In section B, we can see that integration incorporates equals into society or an organization of individuals of different groups. It is a concept that provides for programs within the practices of a school or congregation but are still regarded as a defined entity within the whole community.

In section D, we can see that segregation is the separation or isolation of a race, class, or ethnic group by enforced or voluntary residence in a restricted area. As if saying, it’s okay for you to exist, but you can only exist by separation.

And finally, in section C, we can see that inclusion is literally the act of including. Inclusion means that everyone has the same rights, access and choices as everyone else in a community. Inclusion is the act of bringing each of those unique individuals into the whole, where they can contribute. Ideally, this enables organizations to realize the benefits of the potential diversity provides.

14 of 21

NEW CLUB DEVELOPMENT & INNOVATIVE CLUB MODELS

15 of 21

May 2019

When was the last time your district chartered a new Rotary club?

16 of 21

ROTARY CLUB TYPES

Rotary.org/flexibility

ROTARY

CLUB

ROTARACT

CLUB

SATELLITE

CLUB

17 of 21

ROTARY CLUB MODELS�Rotary.org/flexibility

TRADITIONAL

PASSPORT

CORPORATE

CAUSE-�BASED

ALUMNI-BASED

INTEREST-�BASED

INTERNATIONAL

18 of 21

ROTARY CLUB MODELS (CONTINUED)�Rotary.org/flexibility

SERVICE-BASED

LANGUAGE-

BASED

DISTRICTWIDE

ONLINE

19 of 21

ONLINE

RESOURCES

Rotary.org/Membership

20 of 21

MEMBERSHIP ASSESSMENT TOOLS

21 of 21

HUMAN

RESOURCES

Club & District Support Supervisor

Nick Taylor

Nick.Taylor@rotary.org

Regional Membership Officer

Angela Lopez

Angela.Lopez@rotary.org