Anne Bermingham, Governor-Elect

WORRIED ABOUT MEMBER ENGAGEMENT?

It has been “a long go” as my late mother would say.  Virtual this… and virtual that fill our calendars.  Not quite the Rotary experience we all are used to - that is for sure.
 
Well if you are worried about member engagement, you are not alone.  We held a fireside chat event in January with President Elects and it was a very consistent theme that emerged.  How can we keep our members satisfied with their Rotary experience in these COVID times?
 
Well here are two ideas that your club might want to consider. 
  1. Reach out to the other clubs in your area and together pick three different service projects - one to do in February, March and May.  Our club, the Rotary Club of Hamilton AM, is teaming up with the Rotary Tonic After Five club to offer “speed networking” and “mock interviews” for young adults who have struggled with securing long-lasting employment.  It is something we can do on our laptops. 
Governor Frank Adamson has been encouraging us to go to blood donor clinics - make it a challenge within your club to give X amount of blood.  Other clubs are cleaning up laneways and highways.  
 
Ask each club to pick one activity and ask the other clubs in the area to join you.  That is time effective and as the Rotary International action plan encourages us to do - more clubs means more people doing good which means more impact!  Ask your Assistant Governor to help you to collaborate with other clubs if you are not sure where to start.  We at the district want to help you collaborate more with each other.
 
 
  1. Want to find a way to engage more potential members?  Start planning how your club is going to get involved in the Great Waterways Cleanup.  From April 17 to 24, Rotary Clubs all around the great lakes as well as down the Erie Canal and along the St. Lawrence Seaways are going to be cleaning up shorelines.  It is our way of celebrating Earth Day but it is also our way of shining a light on meaningful actions we take together.  Your club needs to decide what day and where you want to focus your club's efforts. 
More importantly, you need to decide how you can mobilize 10-30 other community members to volunteer with the Rotarians that day.  There is more information coming out but this is a key event to help you engage your members and potential members in our new area of focus - the environment.  Yes, our meetings are great but you catch the real Rotary spirit when you are taking action.
                                               
If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to any of us at the district level.  We are volunteers happy to help you and your clubs.
                                               
Anne Bermingham, Governor-Elect
905-719-1225; email: anne@d7090.org