Since August is “Membership Month” on the Rotary calendar, it’s the perfect time to kick off a discussion around our plan to support our membership in regards to retention and growth for our District 5030. Ultimately, our desire is for our clubs’ members to have vibrant and relevant experiences in line with our district’s strategic goals.
One of the exciting trends we see developing is people searching for meaning in their lives. In fact, one survey shows that 65% of those polled are highly motivated by this need for meaning outside of work. This is where Rotary can help them, as we offer opportunities for our members to give back to their communities through service, combined with a healthy dose of fellowship to boot!
Our district leadership is proposing a three-year strategic plan that the Governor Line has developed. It will focus on a mission that elevates our clubs value by 1) accelerating our growth, 2) expanding our reach, and 3) evolving our core capabilities. The heart of this mission is to grow our membership. This will be accomplished by reversing the decline in our key clubs, while focusing on new clubs to drive growth.
The activities that we will be focusing on are:
- Continue to pursue the creation of new clubs to help us remain relevant and in tune with the changing dynamics across our communities
- Focus on the largest clubs to stem and reverse their membership decline. Over the last five years, 85% of our membership loss in 5030 comes from this segment. Critically, working with these clubs and their membership to adapt to the shifting environment within their communities, so they can maximize their impact and service in response to these changes.
- Focus our resources in areas that add the most value for retaining and attracting members through engagement, personal/professional development, leveraging our transportation hubs across King County with the purpose of driving Rotary’s value and opportunity for its members.
With our focus on the new clubs, we can combine the efforts of (1) and (3) above with support from the district that ensures the sustainability of these new Rotary endeavors. It brings a fresh and contemporary approach and, ultimately, relevant perspective to our Rotary experience that will attract a wider audience who are looking for meaning in their lives.
As for (2), we will be reaching out to our larger clubs to discern the future and how together we can develop strategies and tactics to support their membership engagement and goals. The simple truth is that all our clubs in 5030 benefit from the massive spillover from these large clubs and they remain a critical aspect of the district’s ecosystem well beyond just their existence.
Our district strategic plan is the coordinated approach in generating growth over the next three years. We will expand our reach through public image, engage our communities through service, grow our membership, embrace our vocational legacy, and transform by innovating with the goal that we will accelerate our increase across our clubs, expand our reach as a result and continually improve our core capabilities to remain relevant to the communities we serve.
