Membership Update
By Tony Inglese - Membership Chair District 5490
 
Last month I laid out some of the goals that we have as a District for membership growth.  I discussed Retention, New Members, Emerging Leaders, Young Professionals, Baby Boomers, and New Clubs.
 
The first month of the Rotary year has come and gone.  Club Boards and Committees are starting to get their feet wet in their new positions, and maybe even discussing Membership.
 
Therefore, this month I wanted to discuss some ideas aimed at Member Retention.
 
Members leave Clubs for a lot of different reasons.  One of the main reasons a Member leaves a Club is that they may not be receiving value for their time.  A couple of ways to really understand why someone is leaving your club is to do an exit interview. Ask the member questions, such as “Is there anything we could we do differently?”  “Is it the cost?”   “Is it the location?”  “Is it the time or length of the meeting?”  
 
These are a few questions to consider.  For a more detailed and formal questionnaire you may want to take advantage of using the “Exit Survey”. This is a great tool and can be found on the Zone 25&26 website under “Membership Assessment Tools”.  The tools outlined in this Membership Update are suggestions that your club may want to consider in relation to Member Retention.
 
I am not suggesting that you change your club’s culture or the way your club has done things since its inception; however, take their comments under consideration as it may prove to be successful in keeping other Members from leaving.  Just because the club “Always Did It This Way”, may not be what your current membership wants or needs. 
 
Another valuable tool that is available to Club Leadership & Membership Committees is the Club Survey. This survey can also be found on the Zone 25&26 website under “Membership Assessment Tools” and I highly suggest that each club have their Leadership Team complete this survey.  It will identify some areas you may want to consider implementing to help with Retention, and Recruiting of new Members.
 
The other options you may want to consider suggesting to a Member that may be leaving the club are:
  1. Suggest another club in the area that may meet their needs and objectives.
  2. Propose an E-Club Membership. This maybe a relief for a member that doesn’t have the time for that hour and a half “Traditional Meeting”.
  3. Another option is if you have a common denominator such as time, length of the meeting, or even the location you could suggest to those Members that may be leaving the option of starting a Satellite Club.If you have 8 people that have a common time and location they can meet, you have the making of a Satellite Club.
Next month we will be discussing some recruiting ideas.
For any questions, thoughts, suggestions or if you require help of any kind please contact your Assistant Governor, Membership Coordinator or Myself.
Yours in Rotary Service,
Tony Inglese