The Club Forum at our dinner meeting on August 11th gave us an opportunity to do something every healthy Rotary club should do from time to time: stop, listen and ask ourselves where we are going. I was encouraged by the level of participation and by the ideas members contributed. There was plenty of enthusiasm for new fellowship, fundraising and service activities, and some thoughtful suggestions about membership, both attracting new members and keeping our existing members engaged. These are not simply matters for the Membership Committee or the club board. They are challenges for all of us.
For me, one message from the Forum stood out. Our club has plenty of ideas and plenty of opportunities. Our challenge now is to turn that enthusiasm into action.
Membership growth must remain a priority. Our involvement in the recent Swinburne Volunteer, Casual & Part-Time Employment Expo was important not simply because 55
students stopped to talk with us, but because it reminds us that Rotary needs to keep reaching beyond its traditional circles. If we want a strong club in five or ten years’ time, we need to be introducing Rotary to younger people today, and giving them meaningful ways to become involved. Thank you to the Youth Service Committee for this initiative and to Teresa, Paul and Geoff for representing the club and Rotary so well.
The same applies to member engagement. The success of our Farmers Market, the Bread Run, our work in Sierra Leone, our support for
RIMERN and our many other projects depends on members being willing to participate. Equally the dedicated work of those engaged in club administration, our Club Secretary, Treasurer and the hard working Club Service team is essential to the strength of Rotary and the ability of us to continue good work. A strong Rotary club isn't built by a handful of people doing everything. It is built when many people contribute what they can. We need 'All Shoulders to the Wheel"!
And we should continue looking beyond our own club. Collaboration with other Rotary clubs gives us access to more ideas, more skills and greater capacity to serve. We don't have to do everything ourselves, nor should we.
The Forum has given us some useful directions. The important part comes next: what we do with them. I hope every member will think about where they can contribute an idea, an introduction, a story, an hour at a working bee, or perhaps simply inviting someone to discover Rotary.
That is how we keep the Rotary Club of Glenferrie active, relevant and growing. Thank you for all the great work being done.
Club Forum - The Ideas Factory
Categories we require ideas about.
- Fellowship Activities
Flim Night (fundraiser as well-Lido then the Glenferrie Hotel), Trivia Night, Bowls/Croquet, State Library visit, restaurants, Interesting outside speakers, Presidents Cocktail Function, Hobby night at our Club, Tour of Pentridge, Gala Ball, Black Tie event
- Fundraising ideas
Major Raffle, Xmas trees at the farmers market, cycling event, golf day,
Bunnings BBQ, pickleball, wine tasting, trivia night, afternoon tea (special) Car Rally, Bequests, Flea market
- Membership
How to we increase membership, especially younger members?
“Member get a Member”, Every member should attempt to bring a new member-/More emphasis on mentors/ In the bulletin there should be more information about those members who have resigned and thank them for their service/Reengagement of members who don’t attend/ Social Media/Do a “Rob Winspear” bump into anyone & invite them to Rotary/Networking events/Make it more about service than meetings/Tik Tok- dance & song marketing rotary
How do we improve member engagement?
- Greater variety in meetings
- A compulsory commitment to the Bread Run
- Speakers
Member’s views about attendance at Dinner Meetings. What determines attendance?
- Topical speakers and also ones that attract partners to come along to
- Flexibility in speaker scheduling
- Alex has been a great Club Service Director this year
- The guest speaker is a key to improving member engagement
- Good speakers - qualities
- High variety of speaker content
- Interesting & Relevant speakers
- More “Behind the Badge”
Are speakers relevant to us with their content?
- Sometimes
- I think this year they have been excellent
- Need a mix of speakers & topical subjects
- Use Ted Baillieu to find potential Rotary speakers that are relevant
- Some are, some not
Suggestions for other types of speakers.
- Sportspersons
- Fun & topical
- Charles Tran after the election
- Roger Godliebsen (finance journalist)
- Shifting politics globally (also how USA is driving change)
- CIA
- AI
What speakers this year have you enjoyed?
- Ted Baillieu
- Graffiti lady
- Charles Tran after the election
- Gastro Speaker
- ShelterBox
- Mark Howlett’s brother-in-law
- Reconstruction of Port Philip Bay
- The Bulletin
Is the content relevant?
- Yes informative/Yes/Yes/yes
Is the frequency, right?
- Fortnightly is fine
- Yes/yes/yes
Why do so many members not bother to read it?
- Hard to navigate
- Upgrade of website needed
- People have their other commitments
- We need a Club App that is for communication outside of ClubRunner
- This is not unusual
Should we scrap the bulletin & rely on social media
- No/No/No both have a place
Do we need more than one person working on the bulletin & it’s content?
- Yes
- If available
Club Runner & Dropbox
Lessons?
- Yes/Yes especially for new members