So, I use one of those blotter pad calendars on my desk as a first draft of my availability. Iwrite in the days of the month in the blanks and then fill it up with (and not in any particular order of importance) - work, play, Rotary, family - meetings, notes, and activities.
There has never been a more busy month nor a less riot of scribbles. Thanks March and your 31 days.
Many, many excellent club visits and conversations with friends, old and new. All worthwhile.
So, hello April! Beat that!
District Conference in a few days! Great Lakes Watershed Cleanup as part of Rotary’s Environment Month. And more activities, meetings, and visits on the scratch pad schedule as I head into the final quarter of my year as your District Governor.
Okay, then. April has a chance.
Read more... about Friends of Rotary and a CONTEST!!!
The one thing that has been riding on the hamster wheel in my head is this Friends of Rotary idea. It is not the same as the Friend of Rotary program where someone pays to sort of belong, but instead it is your club’s active network - your customer relationship management or CRM program. As I discuss it more it seems that this resonates with people as an important and even vital aspect of your club. This is a carefully maintained list that gets some regular information into circulation into your ‘community’ about your club, but who it consists of is equally important and includes your Paul Harris Fellows, those you have given money to, award winners, presenters, alumni and former members, local businesses and business leaders, a broad swath of groups in your community, board members, elected officials, and others your club members have met. These are folks who are interested in your events and activities, and can do a few simple things like activate their grapevine or put up a poster, or use their social media to amplify your message. They may not be willing to join Rotary for various reasons, but they like your club and can be asked to invite their friends to join the list. Furthermore, by understanding the people on the list better you can tailor specific activities and funding to meet their (and your community’s) needs, or convene a meeting of a segment of the list on a particular topic, or ask them in a timely manner what they are interested in that would help them (not just you). Does your list promote networking? - an important matter to a young professional. Does it promote business opportunities? - something that a corporate Rotarian might value. Does it promote opportunities for friendship? - a value that might be surprisingly essential to many. To continue this conversation, I wonder if we could feature a club or two in our District who would like to present their approach in a webinar. Let me know if your club is that club.
Another notion is the idea that we can form a District Awards and Recognition committee. This group would promote and track awards plus support the efforts of clubs. I also think this group could support opportunities for Clubs and individual members to get recognized by their own community. I am keen to know if anyone might be willing to work on this fun and meaningful opportunity.
Finally, CONTEST TIME! I would like to know if anyone has an idea to form a new Rotary or Rotaract club in our District - either by community or by cause. This will be a focus of DGE Aaron’s year. I don’t care how off the wall the idea is for a new club, but in a way we want to create unique opportunities for a group of like-minded people to hang out once a week or so and do the good work of Rotary. Check out Rotary’s club types here. The responses will be featured next month. It could even be a rebirth of a ‘retired’ club or a new direction of a club like a satellite club. And for existing clubs…you might want to check things out to help with your own appeal…or to be a new club sponsor - likely one of the most meaningful ventures your club could do.