One Rotary Summit – Join Leaders, Exchange Ideas, Take Action.
As I sat at the stoplight, facing the morning sun, I couldn’t help but think what a gorgeous day it was going to be. The sunrise was breathtaking. It felt surreal, being a part of the Edina Morningside Rotary Club (EMRC), on my way to a training day with other Rotarians, and the sunrise. I couldn’t stop thinking about the sunrise.
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A number of people whom I’ve connected with via email introduced themselves to me, to discuss community projects. And, a few people who were complete strangers introduced themselves, to simply be kind. As a person who values true connection, and community building, this day was perfect.
The breakout sessions were a great way to exchange ideas on how to engage members and communities. As a table facilitator, I felt like I had a purpose (something us introverts need), and our group had very heartfelt ideas about moving Rotary forward. The District is going to put out information on the entire day, but I want to share the great ideas that came out of our little group. Although the day was supposed to be about increasing female membership, our table (made up of both males and females) felt very strongly that we need to focus on recruiting “the right people,” and that overarched our entire discussion.
Ideas for Membership, Public Image, and The Rotary Foundation:
- Have a designated Social Media day for Rotary. One day a month that all Rotarians go onto all of their Social Media outlets and share something about Rotary.
- Start an Every Day Rotarian campaign in each club (as the Maple Grove club does).
- Include Family Friendly events. Rotarians want to be able to bring their children, to demonstrate the importance of giving back.
- Take away the financial barriers of joining Rotary. Not all community leaders and volunteers are wealthy. Possibly just have the $30/quarter RI fee. Use volunteer hours to keep membership beyond the dollars. Remember, we are supposed to be a “Service Above Self” organization.
- Engage the at-risk youth, help them to gain voices and connect with Rotarians to help stop their cycle of poverty and everything else that comes from it.
- And so much more!
Wow. That is a hefty list of ideas to help spread the word, increase community engagement, and recruit community volunteer leaders. And to think, this was just 8 people brainstorming!
What did your tables discuss? Every table in our room seemed to bring their conversations somewhere totally different. So please comment, like, share, and love, to help us spread the amazing work of Rotarians, and to keep this discussion going. So we can TAKE ACTION!
Back to that sunrise. It was amazing, and surreal, AND it turned into an even better day. Now we all need to take action on at least one of our ideas. Our #EMRCRotaryStory has begun with a blog about the Fall 2017 #OneRotarySummit. Check back on a regular basis to read more about the work we do and how we support our community.
Blog Author: Jodi L. Tervo Roberts
Jodi was introduced to Rotary as a young child attending the Hancock (Michigan) Rotary Travelogues. While living in Duluth, she joined the Superior Rotary Club #40, and provided a health and wellness tip each week. Jodi was known as the “Woo-Hoo!” girl, with hands raised high above the head. She has served on the Duluth Parks and Recreation Commission, and is an avid volunteer around her communities. Still in a career and location transition, Jodi (and her husband Randy) joined the Edina Morningside Rotary club in the spring of 2017. On par for course, Jodi quickly became involved with EMRC’s social media group, and has recently taken on the challenge of being the club’s blogger. So please, like, comment, and share, as Edina Morningside Rotary Club becomes a leader in sharing our #RotaryStory through social media. If you would like to be interviewed by Jodi, so you can share your story, please email her at: Jodi.Tervo.Roberts (at) gmail (dot) com.