Special Feature Including The Rotary Club of Westlake Village, Rotary Club of Carpinteria Morning, and Rotary Club of Nipomo
At the beginning of the Rotary year District Governor Savi Bhim gave all the club’s a new member goal for our district - 1000 new members during her year of service! This worked out to 14 new members per club in District 5240. Membership growth is the engine that powers the vehicle of Rotary. Growth of our members is important because new ideas and new interests reinvigorate clubs – bringing in new energy and future leaders.
This past quarter, four clubs achieved the highest Retention and Membership growth for their respective regions. Reading more about their success might just give other clubs new ideas of how to share the gift of Rotary with new members.
The Rotary Club of Westlake Village
New Members: Malati Baker, Dwight Brown, Chris Clark, and Denise Arledge, and not pictured Rob De Geus, and Colin Doyle
The Rotary Club of Westlake Village’s commitment to making sure each of their current and new members feel special starts with the day potential members show interest in joining Rotary.
Potential members and guests feel the vibrant and warm culture of the Club because each Club meeting includes a welcoming of their “Family of Friends.”
Emphasis this past year has been placed on looking at what each of their members can not only offer to the Club, but what they want to get out of being a Westlake Village Rotarian. One of their goals has been to encourage that each member brings at least one of the 3 W’s to their organization; Work, Wealth, or Wisdom.
By using the 3 W’s as a guide, they ensure that each member gets involved in some capacity. This assists with members feeling connected and a sense of belonging so that as an organization they can continue to do the good work to the benefit their community.
Rotary Club of Carpinteria Morning
In order to meet the District goals and be a thriving club, Carpinteria Morning established a steering committee to reduce their membership package cost without meeting less than four times per month or sacrificing programs and trainings.
Their plan included reducing meal costs and no longer meeting on the 5th Wednesday of any month, designing new membership forms, creating a new approach, and rolling out a new membership package to invite people to join Rotary. Key objective: Invite people!
Inviting people is now an active conversation in their meetings and weekly newsletter. Invite someone to Rotary!
The new members are people who have been volunteering for their events all along, volunteering in other organizations in town, and people who liked to participate in their events.
They also invited back members that had left in the past and let them know they are always welcome. Several former members returned and are actively participating on committees.
One of their secret ingredients for being an attractive club is having fun events that people can dress in costume. (See photo below!) This may be something as simple as a “Halloween Hat” bonfire, our “Spaghetti Western” themed annual casino night or the “Oh So Royal” stepdown dinner. They found that everybody loves to dress up and be outrageous. Their ever-changing themes for playing dress up is part of their club culture and including everyone who wants to participate has been a winning formula to attracting new members.
Their plan seems to be a good one since Carpinteria Morning club has won this award for two quarters straight!
Rotary Club of Nipomo
Though they meet early, you won’t find them half-asleep! At their meetings potential members and guests enjoy a lively and friendly atmosphere where they feel welcome to join in the fun. While members like to joke and riff on one another, they also keep it lighthearted, with an approachable warmth for guests and new faces.
Their members are some of our most engaging speakers and during the Member Spotlight segment of the meeting members are encouraged to share their stories of how they joined Rotary or how their lives have brought them to the Central Coast. Instead of fining members, they pay for the “bragging rights” to tell the club about exciting events and celebrations of milestones within their families. It is in this sharing of themselves that they learn about each other’s experiences and interests, creating true bonds of camaraderie and long-lasting friendships.
This fun and engaging environment encourages their members to invite their friends to join their club – a strategy that has achieved great success. It can be that simple. Your friends know of Rotary through your acquaintance. You have been that example of Rotary’s service and fellowship to them. Your friends enjoy spending time with you; why not spend that time with you and in Rotary?
Remember to invite family and friends to your clubs’, social, fellowship and community events and activities. (See photo below.)
It is in this giving of themselves, by sharing their activities, events and experiences, that the Rotary Club of Nipomo has become something much larger than just the trappings and routines of their weekly meetings. It becomes a family, with kinship forged while committing to “Service above Self.”
Rotary Club of Wasco
The club had lost significant membership over the last ten years, but the club has incorporated these keys to their stability and growth:
- They still have a large number of long-time members (15 + years). These members take great pride in the club and it's infectious. Long time members keep their influence in mind as newer members come in and want to carry on the legacy of the club.
- They take a "it never hurts to ask" approach when it comes to prospective members. They really try to reach out and make contact with members of the community and some members seem to be especially good at this.
- They give both time and resources, and believe the community has an even stronger appreciation of their support.
