In Gear | Rotary in Southern New Zealand Issue 1 | Page 11

TECH TALK
with John Barton,
District ICT chair

Simplifying
everything
techie

Have you been hearing a bit about
“ClubRunner” over recent months and
wondered just what it is?
Well, ClubRunner is the brand name for the website
company that’s providing new, easy-to-use websites
for all Rotary districts in New Zealand, and for 23 clubs
to date in District 9980.
These 23 clubs are now busy setting up their new
websites; choosing photos and writing stories that
tell about the difference they’re making in their
communities; inviting people to learn more about
Rotary and join them; creating great bulletins, and
learning how the new website can help with their club
administration.
Some clubs are still considering their options now that
the old Rotary New Zealand websites are on the brink
of being closed down. We hope that they’ll see a value
in these websites as a powerful part of their work to
get the word out about the good their clubs are doing
in their communities, and as a useful tool to make the
admin tasks involved in running their clubs easier and
less time-consuming.
At a busy, full-on training day in Dunedin on July 9
more than 50 Rotarians from 22 clubs spent the
day learning how to set up and work with their new
ClubRunner websites. We had everyone there from
complete novices prepared to jump in at the deep end
and give it a go to those with a bit of experience under
their belt who quickly found their way around the new
system. It was great to see people helping one another
as they explored the new website, and getting ready
to go home with a to-do list for setting up their club
websites.
For those who worked on the old Rotary South Pacific
club websites, the new websites come as a bit of a
surprise; so much easier to work with, with a much
more modern look and feel, and new features to help
you with the tasks involved in running your club.
Already some of the new club websites are looking
good with great photos and stories of club activities
out there for the whole world to see. Have a look at
the Alexandra Club’s website, and, while you’re there,
check out their new e-bulletin.

TRAINING + TIPS
You can learn more about how to spread the
word about Rotary’s work by joining one of the
Communication, Public Relations and Media
Training workshops planned for Dunedin
(Saturday, September 10), Timaru (Saturday,
Sept ember 17) and Gore (Sunday, September 18).
Register here for workshops here.

Help us plan training and support
There’s more training and support in the pipeline.
Click here to go to the survey that will help us plan
the type of training and support you want on the
topics you’re most interested in.

Get a domain name for your website
ClubRunner websites come with a web address
like portal.clubrunner.ca/Alexandra. For around
$15 per year, you can have a “personalised”
website address (it’s called a “domain name”) like
www.alexandrarotary.club
Click here to order a domain name for your club.

Apologies and leaves of absence
How about adding an online form to your
ClubRunner website so members can record their
apologies and leaves of absence?
Click here for examples of these forms and stepby-step instructions for setting them up.

Problems? Tech helpline on hand
We have a district support team happy to help you
with your club website.
Click here to visit the district website for contact
details - you will need to log in.

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