In Gear | Rotary in Southern New Zealand Issue 1 | Page 48

ROTARY INTERNATIONAL

What defines a Rotary club?
You choose
By John Hewko
General secretary,
Rotary International

What Rotary has achieved over the past century
is remarkable. We were one of the world’s first
membership service organisations. Rotary members
have made a decisive positive impact in our
communities and around the world, from helping
to draft the UN Charter in San Francisco in 1945,
to spearheading the most successful global health
partnership in history with the launch of our PolioPlus
program in 1985, bringing one of the world’s most
feared diseases to the brink of eradication.
The list of groundbreaking Rotary projects is too
long to mention here. But as our foundation enters
its second century, we also need to think hard about
how we will continue to have the kind of impact and
influence that has shaped our first 100 years.
Our members, of course, are the beating heart of
Rotary. So membership is a good place to start.
Greater flexibility
Over the past 15 years, Rotary has carried out pilot
programs that have explored new definitions of
membership, classifications, and the club experience.
We have consistently found that when clubs are
given the freedom to determine how to hold their
meetings, the composition of their membership, and
what defines engagement, the club is more vibrant
and better able to grow.
In some parts of the world, the traditional club model
works just fine, but in others, our membership is
flatlining. To be frank, a single club model applied
universally across our incredibly diverse Rotary
communities is probably not sustainable.
To address this, and support Rotary’s future
health, Rotary’s Council on Legislation adopted two

In some parts
of the world,
the traditional
club model
works just
fine, but in
others, our
membership is
flatlining.”
John Hewko
measures that in my mind are critical for our
organisation: clubs now have greater flexibility (see
the video) in when, where, and how they meet and
the types of membership (see the video) they offer.
Also importantly, Rotaractors can become members
of Rotary clubs while they are still in Rotaract.
It’s your choice
While this flexibility is available to those clubs that
choose to amend their bylaws, a club that wishes to
continue to adhere to the traditional requirements
regarding meetings, attendance, structure, or
categories of membership may continue to do so.
Some clubs are already taking advantage of the new
flexibility, as this blog post from a Rotaract member
who is also now a Rotary member shows. Rotary
needs to retain the talents of qualified young leaders
as well as attract members from all demographic
groups. The membership decisions, like many others
at this year’s council, are a significant step for Rotary’s
future.
Learn more about the membership and meeting
flexibility decisions and the impact they will have
on our organis ation’s growth in the years ahead
(download the PDF). I encourage you to share this
information with Rotarians in your club, district, and
region. You can also read a review of the council’s
actions on rotary.org.

Page 48 | In Gear - Rotary in Southern New Zealand - District 9980 | www.rotarydistrict9980.org