Learning about membership best practices at the membership seminar (Photo credit: Rotary Club Chula Vista Eastlake)
In his Presidential Message, new Rotary International President Mark Daniel Maloney emphasized his theme for Rotary Year 2019-2020: Growing Rotary. One of the principal goals for the year is to expand membership to include new quality members who can help carry out Rotary’s mission. Representing Rotary Club of Del Mar, Jim McClellan and Sharon Schendel joined more than 70 other Rotarians from clubs around District 5340 at the Membership Seminar held August 10, 2019 at University of San Diego. Seminar attendees heard from District 5340 Membership Chair Diane Crawford and District Governor Marta Knight about strategies to increase membership, and from Rotary Clubs of Old Mission, Coronado, Rancho Bernardo and Escondido about how they realized significant increases in membership. Two themes were clear from their presentations and breakout group discussions: (1) personal contacts are the most effective way to introduce potential new members to the benefits of being a Rotarian; and (2) increased flexibility, both in terms of meeting times and member costs, are important considerations for attracting, and, more importantly, retaining new members. Think about ways that you could help grow our club by bringing in new members who could make valuable contributions. Also, log in to My Rotary to explore the resources under the Member Center tab, especially the Learning Center, which hosts a range of online courses about Rotary clubs and membership.