Rick King -- Wither Rotary Do We Grow ... or Die?

John Blount, Institute Assistant General Chair presided and introduced Richard King (Past Rotary Director and since nominated to be the President of Rotary International for the year 2001-2002). A summary of his speech:

By Richard C. King

Richard King began his remarks by calling our attention to the funeral of Frank Sinatra at the end of which a mourner sang �Put Your Dreams Away for Another Day�. Richard then indicated that should Rotary put away its dreams, it would wither!

There have been only two times in the history of Rotary that membership has diminished----during the great depression and for two years during World War II. Yet in the last two Rotary years for which we have complete records, Rotary has lost approximately 25,000 members worldwide. You can blame some of it in Asia on the economy, but how can it be that during a period of the greatest prosperity the world has ever known in the West, Rotary is losing membership?

�How is it,� he said, �that we are successful in very business except the service business?�

King reviewed a recent article in the �Chronicle of Philanthropy� that featured Rotary and the work it does throughout the world. The article focused on some of the changes in Rotary which have been brought about by technology, referencing a web site designed to recruit and train new Rotarians. It discussed the fact that prior to the technology revolution, Rotary membership consisted largely of small business owners, but that has now given way to a world dominated by large corporations.

The article pointed out that all Service Clubs are facing declining memberships in spite of research that indicates more than 50% of adults in the U.S. have done volunteer work (1996 poll). The largest age bracket of those involved in volunteer work was between 25-54 years of age and the issues being addressed were environmental concerns and the homeless, issues that required large amounts of both time and money.

King reminded the audience that it was 35 years ago that RI President Stan McCaffrey started Rotary Institutes on the West Coast in an effort to strengthen Rotary with the aid of Past District Governors. This effort grew from the idea that if Rotary did not build strength internally for the future, it would become a relic of the past.

� What is wrong that this kind of loss could occur in a period of such prosperity?�

The lack of better publicity to let Rotarians know of their collective good work and the sharing of this news with the world is one cause. Better publicity would not only help attract new members, but also help retain current members. It was Past President Richard Evans who asked ��What is life all about? Life is about learning�The problem is people and the greatest solution is, likewise, people.� �

We�ve all heard about the problem of membership development and retention,� King said, �but we don�t do anything about it.� Rotarians have repeatedly heard ideas and proposals for keeping membership, but they don�t put them into practice! Rotarians don�t ask people to join Rotary. We must talk to people about Rotary and ask them to become members! We can�t insist that others help obtain and retain members if we haven�t done our part to find and bring a member into Rotary.

King outlined procedures and listed ideas to can help build membership and retain club members. While many of these suggestions already are being pursued, others are possibilities that can assist in this critical membership effort.

P Create and maintain retention committees to find out why members are not continuing their memberships. Have them call on people who are missing meetings.

P Induct ten new members all at one time as a club �rechartering night� activity and celebration.

P See that every member is given a club service assignment of bringing in a new member.

P Set a goal for increasing membership. Richard challenged Zones 23 & 24 to bring in 700 new members this year.

P Allow Rotarians to transfer their membership to other clubs. This would allow those who move to continue serving Rotary in their new location with a minimum of delay and paperwork.

P Create �family memberships� by developing a classification of �Homemaker� for wives of Rotarians who wish to use it.

P Provide recognition of existing Rotarians on the basis of merit rather than a political �ole boys club� attitude.

P Require new members to complete outlined activities before becoming full �active� members.

P Cultivate youth for future membership through activities in conjunction with Rotaract and Interact Clubs. �We are in competition,� he said, �for the hearts and minds of young people.�

King asked us all to consider why we come to the Zone Institutes? Is it not because of our love of Rotary, he asked, the desire for fellowship and the continuation of friendships? If so, we need to keep Rotary healthy and we need to be diligent with our continued attention to membership renewal and retention.

Richard concluded with a story of a 90 year-old Rotarian he encountered being escorted on a tour around the headquarters of Rotary International in Evanston. Here was a man who had witnessed the chartering of his Rotary Club in Prague three different times. The first in the mid 1920�s shortly after Rotary made its appearance in Europe, the second following six years of World War II, and the third at the end of the Communist occupation of Prague.

During this period of time, this gentleman along with other Rotarians continued to meet in secret under the threat of great physical harm. They pledged to continue to meet �underground� until that day when they could meet again publicly in a recognized Rotary Club in their beloved Prague. During this period of over 48 years, this Rotarian�s dream was to see the World Headquarters of Rotary, which meant so much to him. And it was here Richard encountered him, enjoying the fulfillment of his dream.

This example should embolden us all to rise to the challenge of membership development and retention, Rick said. The challenge of the future of Rotary is ours! The organization needs the best we�ve go.

Editor�s note: Reporting on one of Rick King�s speeches is not the same as hearing it. We�ve endeavored to report, however inaccurately, the facts of the talk but, likely, have not come close to capturing the spirit of it. Suffice it to say that Rick touched our hearts and started our minds with his talk.

Institute Luncheon�Saturday, September 4, 1999

By Richard C. King