District Leadership Seminar
Your 2013-14 District 5790 Membership Team*
David Hurt
Arlington
817-821-0326
Ross Paterson Keller
817-874-6161
Nancy Smith
Abilene
325-232-2505
Dave Hodges Wichita Falls
940-322-8575
Lance Winter
Weatherford 818-594-9902 (102)
Don Ferrell Past District Chair 817-401-2500
District Assistant Governors & District Governor
*This committee identifies, markets, and implements membership
development tools and strategies that will result in membership growth.
Where Are We Now?
History of
the GrowthGrowth
of Rotary
Membership
Membership Trends
®
Membership Retention
Percentage of Rotarians lost within 3 yrs.
Area of
Rotary
Existing
New member % Lost After
member
retention rate <3 years of
retention rate
membership
Rotary
Worldwide
73%
78%
50%
North America
70%
73%
50%
®
R.I. Regional Membership Webinar
Key Points 3/20/2013
 Rotary is in declining numbers, both in new
member growth and retention rate.
 3 year RI goal is to grow 3%...1,300,000 members.
 Encouraging members is not enough.
 A “How-To” implement plan is needed.
Membership Retention
Why do you Stay with Rotary?
To positively impact my community
Friendship and fellowship
30%
Professional networking/
business development opportunities
To have a positive impact globally
20%
Potential for personal/
professional recognition
Development and
training opportunities
10%
0%
Membership Retention
Why did you initially Join Rotary?
To positively impact my community
Friendship and fellowship
30%
Professional networking/
business development opportunities
To have a positive impact globally
20%
Potential for personal/
professional recognition
Development and
training opportunities
10%
0%
How Do We Improve
District 5790
Three-Year Membership Plan
August 13, 2013
District 5790 Three-Year Membership Plan
Highlights:
1. Fully documented plan for the new Membership Chair
2. Addresses both retention and new member development
3. Specific easy-to-implement tactics
4. Logical and practical long-range membership plan
5. Training tips to improve skill level in “Telling Your Story”
6. Sample “club information” page for the membership packet
7. Example of “invitation-to-join letter
8. Quick 1-page summary of plan and team leader job
9. Successful track record
10. Electronic copy: [email protected]
Membership Retention
Four tactics to improve retention.
1. PUT THESE IDEAS TO WORK
Important:
• Find leadership roles
for new members
right from the start?
• Open service projects to
prospects at least 4 times a year?
• Look beyond title to a prospect’s mindset
for membership potential?
2. Use Charts to Retain Members
Charts have a proven impact on gaining new
members and keeping existing members!
Display 2-3 Charts at Every Meeting
1. Telling Why One Joins Rotary
2. Telling Why One Stays in Rotary
3. Welcome to Each New Member
3. Tell “Your Story” At Club Meetings
At least on Visitor Day, have someone tell their story!
Practice to “Connect” with the Visitors….
1. Why you joined Rotary
2. Why you stay in Rotary
THINK ABOUT HOW YOU COMMUNICATE
BE INSPIRING OUR VOICE
Convey hope, enthusiasm,
goodwill, and passion.
SOUND:
Upbeat
Hopeful
Visionary
BUT NOT:
Hyper
Zealous
Impractical
4. The Buddy System
Slowing down our exiting membership
Improving Retention
With this three-year plan, the primary strategy for club retention
is the use of the “Buddy System”…..a group of 4
members….staying in touch and supporting each other.
Members will be paired up with one close buddy…and the
membership chair will assign a minimum of two or more other
buddies to make a team, and appoint one as the team leader.
The team leader puts together an occasional get-together,
coordinates joint calls on business leaders, and tracks
performance.
Remember to establish a visitor focus day each month to bring
visitors to our club. Visitor dynamics are much improved with
multiple visitors.
Implementing the “Buddy” System
• Have “Buddy” Teams of at Least Four Members*
• Survey Members Top Two Buddies
• Membership Chair Finalizes Team & Selects a Team Leader
• Buddies Stay in Touch With Each Other and Report Illnesses
• Team Leader Organizes a Get Together Every 3-4 Months
• Team Members Work Together To Get New Members
* Number of Teams to Equal Club Goal for New Members
Adding New Members
A Five Step Process
1. Buddy pals: Qualify Candidate, Connect, Tell Your Story, and
Invite potential Rotarian candidate to a Club Meeting
2. Membership Team: Provide Rotary/Club Membership Packet
3. Board of Director Meeting after club meeting to screen
potential member
4. Club President: Within 10 days, send formal invitation-to-join
letter
5. Phone call follow-up
The Presidential Citation
Required Activity:
“Attract and/or retain members to
achieve a minimum net gain of at least
one member between July 1, 2013 and
march 1, 2014.”
SURVEY RESULTS
Never Heard
of Rotary
Know
Name Only
Some
Familiarity
Identifying Qualified Candidates
•
•
•
•
•
•
Experience as a professional position
Community leaders
Live or work in the club area
R.I. Foundation Alumni
Owners of service companies
Club classification not over-represented
The KEY: Sharing Your Rotary Story
• Why did you join Rotary…Why do you stay?
• Feel It….Practice telling it:
1. within the club to other members
2. when inviting guests to “a free meal”
3. to club visitors
THINK ABOUT HOW YOU COMMUNICATE
BE INSPIRING OUR VOICE
Convey hope, enthusiasm,
goodwill, and passion.
SOUND:
Upbeat
Hopeful
Visionary
BUT NOT:
Hyper
Zealous
Impractical
Recent Training
• I have attended two International Webinars
on this subject in the last two months…..
• August 3rd I was in Round Rock for a MultiDistrict Multi-State Training Program…..
• I have listened to past district membership
chairs and other brilliant minds and have
concluded….
Rotarians could learn from Fishermen
about how they land a fish!
Fish Cupcakes
Secrets for Catching Fish
1. You have to want to go fishing.
2. You must be smarter than the fish.
3. You have to put your hook in the water.
4. You get a fishing buddy to Share the
experience.
A Rotary “Go Fishing” Plan
First you need to visualize what you are going to do!
Then develop a plan…What is the best time to get there?
What kind of fish do you want to catch?
What equipment will you need?
Know “how to” fish a body of water so you don’t spook a fish
Know “how to” attract, play, and land a fish.
Tips for Handling Objections
• Concern: I just don’t have time:
• Response: Other than eating Rotary asks for
about 2 minutes a day…1 hour per month
• Concern: I just don’t have the money:
• Response: Other than meals, Rotary cost less
than a dollar a day.
Be Opportunistic & Ready to Share Your Story
Share it with a
Meal Invitation!
Tell Your Vision of Rotary
Add Your Experience
Communicate Membership Value
or
“What’s In It For Me???”
Proposed
Visualization…tell your story
Current
Ideas…What to do
or
Informative, but passive
Life related parallels, active, passionate
I’d Like To Tell You A Story
• This true life amazing story is about one of the most successful
humanitarian efforts in the last 100 years.
• It is about 4 businessmen, who had little time because of their
business, getting together over a meal and becoming friends.
• Along the way, as their bond grew stronger, they saw a need in
the community and acted on it…and asked others to join in.
• Today there are over 1,250,000 business and professional
leaders from all walks of life and in all parts of the globe doing
the same thing…developing friendships, doing good in their
community, and in the world.
• I’d like to offer you that opportunity…To break bread (meal is on
us) and learn some more about Rotary.
Telling “My Story”….
I can only say being a Rotarian has changed my life and
I feel good about being involved in a world-wide
humanitarian effort to help others.
I never in a hundred years thought:
I’d have this much fun giving back…
I’d make so many good friends…
I’d be part of a team effort to eradicate a global disease..
I’d learn so much about local community activities…
I’d have an opportunity to dine with a UN Ambassador…
I’d have Bill Gates join my Rotary team…
I’d feel so good being a part in addressing global issues.
In the Process of “Giving Back”…
Rotary adds joy to your heart….
peace to your mind…..
added purpose to your life.
KEY ELEMENTS FOR SUCCESS
1. Think & be prepared for membership “opportunities.”
2. Invite a qualified candidate to a club meeting & follow-up.
3. Don’t try to explain the details about Rotary.
4. All members make visitors feel welcome.
5. Don’t let visitors leave without a membership packet.
6. Send a timely invitation letter to join within 10-14 days.
Summing it Up!
In a nutshell, most people join Rotary to give back and to add
purpose to their lives. Networking should be a secondary
reason.
Rotary creates that opportunity…and in the process of giving,
we receive more than the recipient…that’s our value of
Rotary!
Our job…every single one of us…is to tell our story about
Rotary to a community or business leader in such a way as to
encourage them to take a look at Rotary and receive the gift
of giving back.
One Last Thing to Remember……
Thank You!
Your District Membership Team
Questions?