Rising Above Membership Challenges
In the 2019 - 2020 year, 145,000 people joined Rotary internationally... and 142,000 left Rotary. Membership growth and retention is an ongoing goal for most clubs, not just in this District but all over the world. Our club is in the same position. Anna walked us through many interesting stats and challenges, including the fact that 71% of prospective new membership leads are never contacted! (We certainly believe we do much better than that and work at engaging prospective members... but then they meet Gary.)
Anna spoke of the value in determining what your club wants and regularly surveying/consulting members to keep goals and activities relevant. A clear focus and ongoing activity help a club stay vibrant and encourage an engaged membership.
Some aspects to increasing and maintaining members are simply common sense. Touch base with prospects and maintain a healthy flow of communication with existing members. Anna emphasized the importance of collecting emails from beyond the actual membership and keeping "Friends of Rotary" in the loop.
With the ebb and flow of members, Rotary International maintains a membership of approximately 1.2 million. That's a significant force of good in our world, and you can feel good knowing that you're part of that strength.
There is a wealth of information on the Rotary International website. The blue button above (I know, some of you would choose the red one) leads to a great page with helpful information, links and tools.
Anna gave an informative and much appreciated presentation. Below are several slides with interesting stats on Rotary District 7040 membership.
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