During the Rotary convention in 1921 up in Scotland, Paul Harris stated: “The motive power of Rotary Is friendship”. Over 100 years later this is still endorsed by Rotarians today.
In the most recent annual survey of Rotary members, 45% of respondents cited friendship as the reason they remain in Rotary.
Meanwhile, 42% of respondents cited the opportunity to make an impact on their communities as the reason they remained in Rotary.
Gathering this kind of information is one of the reasons that Rotary surveys Rotary members every year.
The 2021 all-member survey was conducted last Autumn by Rotary International and drew 70,000 responses from Rotarians and Rotaractors.
The key takeaways from this research are that to engage with new members, Rotary needs to include them in club meetings and allow them to meet current members.”
It also ensures that Rotary responds to the expectations and experiences of newer and older Rotarians.
On a more local level, clubs and districts can use this information to attract and engage new and current members.
The survey showed that 61% of Rotarians who joined Rotary in 2016 had terminated their membership by 2020, but why?
The reasons varied, however, the most popular reasons were that the club does not represent the members’ values and that there is a limited community impact.
Other reasons included cost, personal circumstances and conflicts within the club as well as time constraints.
The survey also considered new members and showed that 82% of new members have found their clubs through friends and family who are already members.
It also ensures that Rotary responds to the expectations and experiences of newer and older Rotarians.”
The key takeaways from this research are that, to engage with new members, Rotary needs to include them in club meetings and allow them to meet current members.
This in turn will create a sense of involvement and open opportunities for teamwork and matching the right members together.
Clubs should also reach out to individuals outside of the immediate social circles and create more diversity in the groups creating a space with more ideas.
All in all, as a member’s comfort level increases, so does their satisfaction as a Rotary member, so ensure that members feel welcomed, respected and valued for who they are.
