Your voice, your solution for encouraging fellowship among new members

At 3:24PM on 17 December 2008, John T. Capps III, RC of Morehead City-Noon, USA wrote: We provide immediate fellowship opportunities for friendship development that provide the foundation for lasting Rotary relationships. These are: 1. Each member is a member of a Team and the new member becomes a member of the Team of their proposer. Teams are responsible for weekly meetings, Harley Fund enhancement and being a Ring-a-ding for The Salvation Army in December. 2. "Friendly Friday's 59 Minute Breakfast" at 7:01 'Talking Rotary." 3. "Monday's Motivational Power Lunch" at 'One Minute After 12 Noon' Everybody Talks Rotary, Nobody Listens!" 4. Yes, Red Badge sometimes.

At 9:22AM on 15 December 2008, Marjorie Macy wrote: At a time when service clubs of all types are struggling with membership, helping newer members feel welcome and valued is more crucial than ever to support the club's vitality. The club I belong to is undertaking membership development as a primary focus. We now have greeter at every meeting who will ask tenured members to sit with new members. We are also using a mentor program that pairs longer term members with new members and guarantees a thorough orientation. We recently held a membership development event separate from our weekly meeting and had 6 prospective members attend. We are following up to invite them all to future meetings.

At 10:29AM on 15 December 2008, Richard Kreps wrote: Our club has a "buddy system" whereby every member has a Rotary "buddy". It's your job to know your buddy's whereabouts if they are not in attendance at a meeting. One of the first steps with new members is to assign them a buddy. Also, at each meeting our club takes out 3 to 5 minutes for "Family of Rotary" announcements. This conveys to new members that they have joined a true "family" organization.

At 9:27AM on 9 December 2008, David L. Cooper wrote: As the co-founder of "my" current club, I try to go out of my way to sit close to, speak with and ask questions of new members. In other words, I take personal responsibility. As a 31 year Rotarian, it is easy for me to tell stories to the new persons--if they appear receptive--and little bits at a time. Also, being a Paul Harris fellow, several times over and a member of our district's Paul Harris Society, I'm able to demonstrate that I put my money where my mouth is. I also print out the subjects of any of my e-Rotary club make-ups because they usually make good reading for our other members new or old. Rotary has to be one of the things of which I am most proud of having participated in when I look back over 60 years--way to go, Rotary sisters and brothers all over the world!

At 1:43PM on 8 December 2008, RTN.M.Rafiq.Qureshi wrote: If a new member feel isolated , i think it as a failure on part all members.As being a Rotarian means a good fellowship.

At 9:12AM on 8 December 2008, Jim Lowry, PP Simi Valley, CA wrote: If your club uses the Red Badge program for new members, form a small committee within Club Service to get those Red Badges changed over to Blue Badges as soon as possible. The interest shown by tenured members towards the new members goes a long way towards bringing the new folks into the fold. Besides that it's fun for both new and old members.

At 9:26AM on 8 December 2008, Jason Frazier wrote: I am a new member of of Rotary Club, and I feel like our club has many was of making us feel welcome and apart of the Club, one is by making each of us participate in many different task at our weekly meeting, which caused interaction between the members and making us familiar with each other, I feel interaction is the best way to find our niche.

At 10:48AM on 8 December 2008, Rtn Nwokoye, Chima P. wrote: As the President-Elect of Rotary club of Trans Amadi Nigeria, Am the Membership chairman and I make sure that a new member fill at home and have full interaction with old rotarians and more especially past Presidents. Seating with Past Presidents gives new member know that He/she is a potential President.

At 10:50AM on 8 December 2008, Rtn Trevor Taylor wrote: I am the Club Service Director of the Rotary Club of the Glass House Mountains on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia. Obviously, the same situations come up all over the world. I believe it is vital to have one of your members at the door each night, they will greet everyone comming in. If it is a new member, or a visitor, they will be greeted warmly, and introduced or passed on, to another member to take them to the bar, shout them a drink, and make sure that person is not left alone at all, but has interested people around him or her, and is made welcome at their table. They also need to be involved in one of the committees so they are immediately doing something worthwhile in the Club.

At 10:56AM on 8 December 2008, sundararajan wrote: As the secretary of the club I have called the new members to address our club meetings about their interest in Social Service. In all the meetings it has been decided to give them one minute. All are happy

At 10:57AM on 8 December 2008, Abraham I. Gordon, PRIVP wrote: At the time of the new member's orientation into Rotary, it is a good time to suggest the wider world of Rotary in the 80 plus Rotary International Fellowships. By this means the new member can not only connect with her/his club members, but with other Rotarians around the world with a common interest, either vocational or recreational. The broader the new member's opportunity to connect with fellow Rotarians, the more likely the new member will become an old member.

At 10:57AM on 8 December 2008, George Todd, Rotary Club of Barrie, Canada wrote: This year our Club introduced a "Passport" program whereby new members attend a different committee meeting each month. They are invited by the committee chair, have the opportunity to meet members in a more relaxed environment and learn about the work of each committee. Their Passport is 'stamped' at the meeting. New members are also assigned a mentor. The mentors are provided with a guideline and work sheet to ensure both are actively engaged.

At 1:34PM on 8 December 2008, Mark Acres wrote: New members need to have a 'Club job' as soon as possible. Perhaps I can explain my story. I joined in early 2008. As soon as I could I took part in service activities.This worked quite well but it was hard to remember 40+people's names, understand the events the Club runs etc. I really started to find my feet when I took the lead in updating the Club web site - this became my defined role in the Club. I then had to know people's names, the events being planned and more importantly understand the whole purpose of Rotary. New members could be asked to conduct a thorough review of the Club web site e.g. are the names shown correct?, write new content, add interesting pictures etc.

At 1:36PM on 8 December 2008, UMAPRASAD DATTA wrote: Club administration in Rotary centers around the President, who for the sake of establishing her / his achievement in a short period of less than a year (Leave out days totaling a month for handover, elections, AGM and sum of days to another month for attending / sponsoring district and RI events) she / he tends to associate senior members. Importance of involving new members, therefore, takes a back seat. New members become mere numbers to meet growth target and to ease fund crisis of club. Most of them eventually leave to propagate their discouraging experience. Club administration procedure should, I feel, need urgent and immediate revision, as we need to accept that all club leaders are not wise men to take care of long term objectives of Rotary even at the cost of her / his achievement as club president.

At 1:38PM on 8 December 2008, PP Walfrido "edu" Manzano wrote: Improper assimilation of new members of the Club is a common cause of drop outs. In order that Rotary Clubs will increase their membership with strong and quality members, it is necessary to have proper orientations of Rotary and acceptance in the Club by way of involvement in Club Committee works. PP Walfrido "edu" Manzano, RC Davao D3860 (Philippines).

At 9:05AM on 8 December 2008, 'Wunmi Oyewole,President ,RC Agege ,D 9110 Nig. wrote: This situation where a new member isolates him or herself, can hardly happen in my Club because the Club is ever so lively.Once a new Rotarian is inducted,he/she would have no option than to fuse into the system immediately.He /she has a mentor who will always be monitoring his/her attitude. Infact,by the time a new person is inducted,he is already a member of the family.

At 4:26PM on 5 December 2008, Greg Krauska wrote: Good idea to get this kind of interaction going. One suggestion - change the name. We are not focused on problems. We want to create results. The difference is more than semantic.

At 10:12AM on 2 December 2008, Bob Higgins wrote: Thankfully all Rotarians are different individuals who bring to Rotary the wonderful gifts of their vocational skills and life experiences to benefit others. All new members need to be welcomed and encouraged to be part of the club's activities through a mentoring process that allows them to blossom in their own way and in their own time so that they have the freedom and where-with-all to pass on their gifts. This together with an involvement in the club’s social calendar will integrate them into the club. If the club members are happy to let a new member sit alone then there are some serious questions to be asked about the quality, or existence, of the mentoring and orientation processes and about the inclusivity, from a diversity perspective, of the club members. Make sure the sponsor is covering his/her role effectively and likewise the mentor. If there is not such a person appoint and brief one quickly. Finally have a discussion with the new member to check if there are any undisclosed issues, which will need to be dealt with, and give reassurance and encouragement. Maybe it’s time to take the membership through some diversity training.

At 10:09AM on 2 December 2008, Rtn PP P.R.Aruloli, Technical Advisor, TRF of TRI. Club-Chennai Phoenix. wrote: As a past president of the club, in the interest of the club on watching a new member trying to find his space, will first confide with him at the time of fellowship and share my experience as a new rotarian, narrate the great qualities of fellow rotarians to make him curious to know more about them resulting in objective interaction and better understanding.

At 10:11AM on 2 December 2008, Marilyn Karp wrote: I'm the Service Director for the Rotary Club of Gainesville-Haymarket, Virginia and I make a point of getting our new members involved in a service project as soon as possible.. This makes them feel a part of a group. We also have a fellowship event at least once a quarter. We get together at someone's house or do things like go to a baseball game. As part of the event we usually do what we call a "Done In A Day" project. This might be everyone bringing school supplies that we donate to a local school.

At 12:06PM on 1 December 2008, RTN. SYED AZMATULLAH RC: CHENNAI PHOENIX RD: 3230 wrote: The first object of Rotary is the development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service. Therefore, the Club Officers particularly Club Service Director should take care that the new member feels at ease and is not isolated. Programs involving family participations will also ease the situation.