Membership
The Chair of the clubs Membership Committee, Wayne Shillington gave an absorbing and fact filled presentation of efforts by his committee to promote membership in Rotary generally and our club in particular. Wayne held the attention of all members throughout his excellent presentation, which was agumented by a slide show. For the benefit of those members not in attendance today, the text of Wayne's slide show is reproduced here:
Harbourside Rotary Membership Committee
Russ Cape
Laurie Hurst
Andrew Bekes
Jim Warr
Wayne Shillington
Our membership efforts are intended to sustain and strengthen the capacity of an already vibrant and successful Harbourside Rotary Club.
That capacity depends on:
• Number of Members – Harbourside is currently at 82
• Member Engagement
Engagement is Mutually Beneficial and Mutually Accountable
Interdependent Perspectives:
"What's in it for me?" - Why am I involved in Harbourside Rotary?
"What's in it for them?" - Why does the Harbourside Rotary Club value me as a member?
How do we measure Engagement?
Rotary International is changing:
• Meeting attendance is recognized as a limited one-dimensional measure of member engagement
• New membership models are being developed that focus on a broader understanding of member engagement
Engagement questions for each of us to assess your own engagement:
Do I …. Participate in service projects?
Participate in meetings and social activities?
Actively support the club with time, effort and $?
Feel valued and included in the club?
5 Engagement Strategies in our 2013-14 Workplan
- Increase members’ understanding of and involvement in service projects and social activities
- Explore new models of membership and other options to make Harbourside membership more attractive and feasible for different circumstances
- Nurture the engagement of former members and supporters of the club
- Establish a formal orientation & mentorship process for new members
- Active monitoring of members’ wellbeing
#1 Increase Understanding of and Involvement in Club Projects and Social Activities
• Mary’s Harbourside 5 (minutes) slot helps to inform members about projects and activities
• Occasional meeting speaker slots provide in-depth information about projects and activities, for example:
o Robin’s presentation about all our community service projects
o Speakers about specific projects and activities, e.g. Members’ trip to Guatemala, Honduras, and Antigua
• Project leaders are encouraged to pro-actively seek out volunteers and not just call on the same people all the time
• Social Committee is organizing and actively promoting a variety of social activities
• #2 Explore new models of membership and other options to make Harbourside membership more attractive and more feasible for varied circumstances
ü Corporate Memberships – 2 or 3 individuals from the same company/office share 1 membership
• 1 or more attend each meeting
• 1 or more participate in service and social activities
• Target circumstances:
o Difficult for 1 individual to sustain regular meeting attendance so this is shared among colleagues
o A team leader involves team members as a developmental opportunity
• Harbourside is watching the Saanich Club’s experience with corporate memberships and could try an example if opportunity arises
ü Satellite Group – a subset of members meet at an alternate time/location:
• Harbourside’s “Members with Babbies” Group are recent members who resigned due to their very young families making it unfeasible to attend regular meetings.
o Tanya Sterling is facilitating the informal group to stay involved with each other and with Harbourside
o All continue to be very interested in Harbourside and plan to return when circumstances permit.
o Interested in service and social activities that are suitable for involvement by the entire family
o Will this evolve into a formal satellite group of members or will it remain an informal group? The answer will depend on what structure meets their needs.
ü Flexible invoicing for meetings/meals
Situation to Date:
• Harbourside invoices members quarterly for monthly dues and weekly meals on pre-paid basis
• Members who meet an 85 threshold (age + years in Rotary) have the option to Pay at the Door for meals.
Increased Flexibility:
• Any member can now apply to change from the quarterly invoice meal payment model to the Pay at the Door model.
o Meets the needs of members who travel extensively and are absent for extended periods
o Can reduce the financial burden of membership if that is an issue, e.g. Rotaract transition to Rotary
ü Future Evolution of Flexibility
• More models and options can be explored
• Flexibility does not mean a loss of engagement
• The principle is: be as flexible as possible to meet members’ needs while ensuring and sustaining their engagement
#3 Engagement of former members and Harbourside supporters
• Russ has updated ClubRunner to ensure past members are receiving information and invitations
• May 7 is our second annual Alumni breakfast meeting
• Many of you invite former members out to meetings or social activities
• Should we create more honorary members to recognize major supporters in the community? Presently 1 – Michael Potter
Mentorship for new members
• Several clubs in the district have formal orientation and mentorship programs. Those models have been shared with other clubs.
• Experience shows that new members appreciate having a formal program
• Would Harbourside benefit from implementing a formal orientation and mentorship program?
• A volunteer is needed to lead the project.
Active Monitoring of Members’ Wellbeing
This is working very well.
• Jim monitors and follows up
• Members share information about health/absence issues
• Members personally follow-up and provide assistance when needed
• Members returning from an illness or extended absence are recognized and their return is celebrated
Recruitment Strategies in our 2013-14 Workplan
• Use the Harbour series and invitation cards to introduce new people to Harbourside
• Use members’ professional networks to approach specific individuals
• Targeted recruitment to diversify classification categories and ensure members come from a variety of ages and backgrounds
• A process of follow-up on prospective members has been developed but more work is needed.
• This effort would benefit from a committee or work group … Volunteers?
New member process
interest à application à review à approval à induction
• First visit is free on the club – invitation cards
• Subsequent visits are encouraged
o the individual pays at the door or the sponsoring member pays for them
o Membership committee is made aware of a potential member and maintains a soft follow-up
o Individual applies for membership if/when they are ready
• Application triggers formal review/approval process
o Meeting with a senior member to discuss mutual expectations and ensure fit
o Board reviews application
o General membership has opportunity for comment
• Induction
Member Recruitment and Engagement are essential to sustain a vibrant club now and into the future. All of us play a role