Dear Fellow Rotarians and Esteemed Readers,
As we navigate through our journey of service and fellowship, it is my pleasure to announce an exciting advancement for our Rotary District 5030 — the introduction of the Community Benefit Business Network (CBBN). This initiative is a testament to our ongoing commitment to innovation, service, and the principles that have guided us since Rotary’s inception.
The CBBN, powered by the Our Mayberry platform, represents a groundbreaking approach to fostering connections within our Rotary community. It is a business directory with a twist, enabling Rotary-owned businesses to list their services and products. What sets the CBBN apart is its transaction-capable nature, allowing businesses to offer their products and services through the network and, if they so choose, to contribute a portion of their sales to Rotary-supported causes and club foundations.
Our Mayberry is not new to the Rotary community. It has been the backbone of impactful initiatives like Hunger Strike, Lift Up Maui, and the Alzheimer’s / Dementia Rotary Action Group. It’s also supported our efforts in organizations like Harvest Against Hunger and clubs such as Seattle #4 and Vashon Rotary, demonstrating its capability and alignment with Rotary values.
In full transparency, as a co-founder of Our Mayberry, I’m immensely proud of what we’ve built — a platform that embodies the Rotary 4-way test, driven by dedicated Rotarians. It’s designed to ensure transparency, fairness, and mutual benefit, principles that are at the heart of everything we do.
Our Mayberry and the Rotary 4-Way Test
The CBBN through Our Mayberry aligns with the Rotary 4-Way Test in several key ways:
- Truth and Transparency: Our Mayberry ensures that every transaction is transparent, allowing businesses and donors to see the direct impact of their contributions.
- Fairness: The platform is built to offer benefits across the board — businesses gain recognition, causes receive support directly at the point of transaction, and customers can support their chosen causes with their purchases.
- Goodwill: By linking Rotary-owned businesses, customers, and causes, we’re fostering a community that supports and uplifts one another.
- Beneficial to All: Direct contributions to Rotary causes through transactions ensure that our efforts to support our communities are as effective as possible.
This initiative harks back to the vocational roots of Rotary, echoing Paul Harris’s vision of a professional community grounded in integrity and service. The CBBN and Our Mayberry bring this vision to life, offering a modern platform for Rotarians to support one another and our causes.
Moreover, I encourage all of our club foundations to register as beneficiaries on Our Mayberry. My own club foundation on Vashon has been a part of this platform for over three years, generating tens of thousands of dollars for our community causes. The potential for impact is tremendous, and with your participation, we can achieve even greater things.
You can find the new directory on the district website, under “District Network” in the main menu. I urge every Rotarian to explore the CBBN, list your businesses, and consider registering your club foundations as beneficiaries. Together, we can create a ripple effect of goodwill and support throughout our communities.
As we move forward, let’s continue to embody the principles that have guided Rotarians for more than a century, making a lasting impact through our actions and initiatives.
Yours in Rotary service,
Chris Nakea
Editor, Rotary District 5030 Newsletter
