3 meeting formats that increased our member participation

By Rotary International

Members of the Rotary Club of Rochester, Minnesota, in front of a display of some of the club’s core values.

By Stacey Vanden Heuvel, The Rotary Club of Rochester, Minnesota, USA

As one of the largest clubs in our district, we knew we had to do something to address our declining attendance and meet the needs of our diverse membership. Beginning in 2015 with a club visioning exercise, we began looking for ways we could be flexible and innovative. Here’s what’s worked for us.

One of the first things we did was revise our attendance guidelines to stress that attendance is more about participating than attending meetings. We ask members to have 50 percent attendance. But taking part in any of our club’s many service activities qualifies, as do our club’s leadership or committee meetings, other Rotary club meetings anywhere in the world, or any Rotary activity. We know Rotarians will benefit more from membership when they participate more regularly, so we ask our members to consider the many ways they can participate.

We also introduced two new meeting formats beginning in January 2017. During Service First Thursday on the first week of each month, we gather at the Rochester Public Library to volunteer. …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog