Rotary Club of Oak Bay
2009-2010
Membership Director’s Initial Report
Submitted by Jim Force

“Eighty percent of success is showing up.” Woody Allen

As we know from Woody Allen’s quote and Bill Gates Senior’s article in the July 2009 issue of the Rotarian, showing up is the key to success in any endeavor. With this in mind, I would like to see “showing up,” not only for club initiated activities and projects but also for weekly meetings, as one of the club goals for this year. As this year’s RI President, John Kenny, tells us “The future of Rotary is in your hands,” then perhaps we can have a club slogan of “show up and serve,” or some such thing.

Below are ideas I have for maintaining and promoting club membership.

1. Given our vision goal of 70+ members by 2014 and our current membership of 58, we need to increase our total numbers this year by at least 3. Given that on average 8 members leave the club each year (25 in the last 3 years), this means that we need to recruit 11 new members or nearly one new member every month.  Over the last three years we have lost 59% of our new members. See items 9 – 11 for stats on membership for the last 3 years.
2. The onus of recruitment is on all club members, particularly on the club’s board of directors. With this in mind, I propose that each board member recruit one new member during this Rotary year or at the very least support a club member in doing so. If we do this we can easily meet our target goal.
3. Retention, particularly of newer members, is also an important aspect of club membership. The key critical factor in club retention is the relationships people develop with each other. With this in mind, I recommend that we, as members of the board, make a particular effort to connect with newer members by personally inviting them to be on committees with us and to join us in various other club activities. It is also our responsibility to go out of our way to connect with newer members on a regular basis at club meetings and encourage others to do the same. If we want people to stay in the club, we need to create a friendly, inclusive atmosphere that gives people a sense of belonging.
4. The third aspect of membership is engagement. In order to have a healthy, sustainable club we need involve members in regular hands-on activities, committees, and social events. With this in mind, I propose that we, as a board, map out a schedule of activities for the year making sure that each month we have at least one hands-on event.
5. Given that recruitment, retention and engagement of members is the responsibility of all club members, I suggest that the membership committee work closely with other club committees in promoting the above three aspects of club membership.
6. I propose that we continue with Club-in-a-Pub monthly make up meetings on the last Thursday of each month at the Penny Farthing on Oak Bay Ave from 5 to 6 pm. These meetings are great fellowship opportunities. In the first 3 meetings we have had a total of 17 members (nearly 30% of total club membership) attend at least one of the meetings, with an average of 9 members per meeting and a total of 16 make-ups. We have also had a total of 6 different guests, two of whom are potential new members. Dates for 2009-2010: 30 July, 27 Aug, 24 Sept, 29 Oct, 26 Nov, 28 Jan, 25 Feb, 25 Mar, 29 Apr, 27 May, 24 Jun. Perhaps the Dec meeting could be on Tuesday the 29th if no regular meeting is planned.
7. I also propose that we adopt the business partner membership proposal as a way to increase membership – details to be forthcoming.
8. Education is another aspect of developing membership. While I have recently introduced the Club Resource Library, I suggest that we continue to develop and promote it throughout the year.
9. 12 New Members who have joined since July 2006 and are still members:08-09: 3 new; 07-08: 6 new; 06-07: 3 new
10. 17 “New” Members, those who were members for less than 3 years (Range 2-33 months; Average 11 months; 6 within 6 months), lost since July 2006: 08-09: 4 lost; 07-08: 10 lost; 06-07: 3 lost
11. 8 “Long-term” Members, those who were members for more than 3 years, lost since July 2006:08-09: 4 lost; 07-08: 3 lost; 06-07: 1 lost.
12. In order to attract younger members to our club, I suggest that we consider discounting annual dues by 50% for members under 35. As well I’d like to suggest that we waive the annual dues for members under 30.

            LINK TO 08-09 Report