The Rotary year has resumed and there is no better time to check in with your members to make sure this is a great second half of the current Rotary year.

Article by PP Jodie Lowe, Assistant Rotary Coordinator (Membership)

An important goal of Rotary membership is to give our members the best experience, so they enjoy it, so they feel they have impact and to build community as a team. We also want to bring more people into our clubs to ensure Rotary has the greatest impact possible.

For new Rotarians, ensure they have a thorough introduction to Rotary and the club. One way can be to match the new Rotarian with an experienced Rotary buddy who can show them the ropes and provide support. Make sure you understand what they are looking to get out of their Rotary experience and that you’re aware of their availability in terms of demands on other aspects of their life. Supporting new members is everyone’s responsibility though so even if you’re not the assigned buddy, sit with the new member at a meeting or take them out for a coffee so they get to know everyone in the club well.

Check in with all your members about what they thought worked for the club last year, what didn’t, what they would like to do more of and what they would like to see less of. This could be done on sticky notes at a club meeting (different colour sticky notes would be used to show the various categories).

One thing I advise clubs is to try something new. You can have a trial period. An example could be moving to fortnightly meetings, trying a new venue or simply relaxing formalities. So, you can try something different and see how it goes. You could select an idea by asking your members through the process mentioned above.

With the cost of living soaring in Australia and all over the world, it is vital clubs keep Rotary affordable. Also make sure you set time aside to have fun together! Our clubs work so hard for their communities and do such a wonderful job, but Rotary is also about friendship so make sure you have family friendly social events too. Have a wonderful second half of your Rotary year.