We hear a lot about the need to increase membership, but do we ever stop to ask ourselves WHY we need more members?
We hear a lot about the need to increase membership, but do we ever stop to ask ourselves WHY we need more members?
More members are great! Membership dues are how we pay our bills. Membership numbers are how we measure so many things in Rotary... but does it really matter how many members we have?
Yes! and No... I have been to clubs with less than 10 members who are creating incredible impact on their communities, and I have been to clubs with 10 times that number who rest on their laurels and do nothing. (Not in our district of course!) But the reality is, it is really hard for us to be "People of Action" without the people side of things. Every guest that we invite to join, every new member that joins our clubs, is a seed that is just waiting to burst to life and change the world!
So do we need more members so that we can get more dues and keep our organization solvent? Sure. That is a reason, but that doesn't get people in our doors and it doesn't get people excited about Rotary. So let me give you my WHY when it comes to membership...
I want to change the world, and I can't do it by myself.
When we start reframing why we want our membership numbers to grow, it starts making a lot more sense for potential members to join. We are PEOPLE OF ACTION. Let's start acting like it and our clubs will be bursting at the seams!
Yours in Rotary Service
Isaac McNary - DG 26-27
The Kilt Guy