Often, we focus on service and fellowship as membership drivers but Rotary is in a prime position to deliver on this other key driver.

Article by Barbara Mifsud, Regional Membership Officer

When we talk about membership drivers – both for joining and staying in Rotary - we often focus on the two heavy hitters: service and friendship/fellowship. We sometimes forget that at the heart of Rotary there is a very powerful tool for growing Rotary: professional and personal development.

Professional and personal development is the third most important reason people join Rotary: 25% of people worldwide joined because of it and 11% in our region.

This percentage is even higher when we look at the motivations for younger people to join Rotary. Close to 30% of members under 50 worldwide said they joined for professional and personal growth.

This is also coupled with the fact that when we asked Rotarians in the last member census what areas they felt strongly about, 40% of Rotarians in our region identified their careers. Worldwide that rose to 65% and for members under 50 worldwide, that rose to a whopping 80%.

There are many opportunities in the Rotary experience for members to develop both professionally and personally. When we take on a club role, give a speech at our club or get involved in a project we are learning experientially to be leaders, better communicators, and change makers in our community.

Vocational training and development are embedded in both the objects of Rotary and in the 5 avenues of service. As Rotarians we are committed to advancing our professional skills and guiding and training others.

Here are some ideas for using professional and personal development as a membership tool:

• Encourage members to take on leadership roles, join committees, work on projects, be a guest speaker at a meeting
• Create a mentoring program (either internally or externally) using a member skills inventory as a basis
• Host business networking and professional development events
• Create a Professional Development Chair or committee
• Encourage opportunities for getting involved in the bigger Rotary family: Rotary Action groups, Rotary Fellowships, Vocational Training Teams (VTTs)
• Promote the wide range of personal and professional development courses (outside of Rotary courses) available on the Learning Centre – including conflict resolution, public speaking, adult training, leadership basics.

Check out a list of professional and personal development resources here.