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By PDG Mel Taunt – Rotary eClub of the
Southwest USA
Our Rotary
e-club (is/isn’t) successful because …. ? Maybe now it is up to all
of us who have been with the Rotary e-clubs pilot project to pause,
sipping our favorite beverage, and strive to answer this “because”
question.
But hold on
just a minute ... how do we know if we were “successful” unless we
settle on a definition of success?
One definition
we can all probably agree on is that the Rotary e-clubs that are
still functioning are more successful than the others that did not
survive. But let’s go one step further … is a Rotary e-club with a
large membership more or less successful than a small Rotary e-club
that has been more supportive of the RI Foundation?
Is a Rotary
e-club that does thousands of hours of service projects, more or
less successful than a club that raises thousands of dollars and
puts them to work funding service projects?
Is a Rotary
e-club that has lots of inclusive social activities, because its
membership is geographically localized, more or less successful than
a Rotary e-club whose membership is disbursed around the world but
socializes within pockets of members, and via the myriad of
electronic communication channels now available?
Probably,
there is no clear cut answer to any of these questions, so where
does that leave us? Read on and see if I can possibly add a little
clarity to “Because.”
When Chris Joscelyne (Rotary e-clubs liaison)
asked if I would put together some thoughts on why our Rotary E-Club
of the Southwest USA was successful, I ran into that “because”
block. Sure, we can spout numbers, ideals, individual efforts, and
the likes but so can all the other Rotary e-clubs. So I decided to
take the high road and basically focus on two sets of independently
developed considerations for a successful Rotary e-club; one by
Larry Levenson, past-president of our Rotary E-Club of SWUSA and one
by Chris Joscelyne and the other members of the team that acts as
advisor to the Rotary E-Clubs Advisory Site at
http://www.rotaryeclubs.com. The
similarity between them is interesting. Both are listed in the
perceived priority of the authors.
From the
Rotary E-Club of SWUSA
From the
Rotary E-Clubs Advisory Site
Technology:
It is no accident that both lists place the use of technologies as
the least important in their ladder of success. Thoughts from other
Rotary e-clubs that have been through the six-year proof-of-concept
pilot program such as, “An absolutely guaranteed recipe for failure
is to have a Rotary e-club made up primarily of techies“, and that
“too much emphasis on technology makes the messenger seemingly more
important than the message”, puts this in perspective. Rotary E-Club
of SWUSA has totally revamped our website three times because our
club goals and activity level have moved beyond what the old website
could support. Some willingness to change is necessary in this area
and those involved in website development need to be onboard with
this in mind.
District:
We were blessed with generally good support from our district from
start up. With some DG’s the best thing that one can say about them
is that they left us alone, and the two PDG’s in Rotary E-Club of
SWUSA have provided a sort of entrée into that level of management
and an effective interface with RI staff.
We have
participated in the district achievement award program, the DSG and
matching grants programs, nominated and had selected an
Ambassadorial Scholar, GSE team member, exchange student, sponsored
RYLA attendees, nominated two Peace Scholars, and a GSE team leader
this year.
The bottom
line is to make the Rotary e-club such a player in the district that
district leadership really wants the club to succeed. Note - The
fact that a Rotary e-club in the district can have 70% of its
membership scattered around the rest of the Rotary world is still a
concept that some district leaders have trouble grasping.
Membership
and Organizational Planning:
Herein reside the decisions that will likely determine the course of
your Rotary e-club’s future, and ultimate success, as you work
through the initial formative stage. The following decisions we made
at this stage were certainly our most significant “because” factors.
• We opted to
go global, accepting members from any Rotary country, and as long as
we could properly vet the applicant, a prior Rotary history was not
a condition. The one, non-negotiable, rule we have followed is to
never solicit the transfer of an active Rotarian from another Rotary
club, and not compete for a new Rotarian if a traditional Rotary
club is a good fit for them. We continually support our Rotary
e-club members return to their original Rotary club when the
necessity that forced them to leave their former traditional Rotary
club has been resolved.
• We
structured our meeting format to mirror what Rotarians making up
with us are most familiar with at their traditional Rotary club,
even to the point of opening with the president ringing a “virtual”
Rotary bell. We have club reports, sergeant-at-arms fun, president’s
comments, Rotary history, and what a PDG in another district notes
as “a well rounded variety of programs and training unequaled in the
Rotary world.” Our programs are mostly written, but often
interspersed with video clips and photographs. Comments from
visiting Rotarians focus mainly on the quality of the programs and
the familiar meeting format ... plus keeping their attendance up.
• Our dues
were set as low as possible to provide an increased opportunity for
membership, particularly for prospective members located in many
foreign countries.
• Social
interaction is critically important when considering a worldwide
membership. We have had Rotary E-Club of SWUSA booths at the Salt
Lake City and Los Angeles RI conventions during which we had our
annual e-club leadership installation. Each was attended by members
from other parts of the world. We have groupings of members in
several different regions and countries and encourage them to have
social gatherings as well as service project connected events.
Fund
Raising and Service Projects:
Our primary source of revenue has been donations from Rotarians
making up with us. We do not require a make-up fee, as do some
Rotary e-clubs. We have had good success with matching grants,
DSG’s, and local service projects with members coordinating with
traditional Rotary clubs local to them.
Conclusion:
There is no magic formula that will guarantee success in any element
of the Rotary world; even dedication and hard work sometimes are not
enough. And from one who has been through the new club startup
scenario more than once, a Rotary e-club success story is
considerably more difficult to achieve and sustain.
To my sister and brother officers of RI ...
past, present, and future ... I strongly encourage you to support
the Rotary e-club concept in your districts, but do it in an
organized and purposeful manner. Don’t try to go it alone because
there is a fairly steep learning curve in this Rotary e-club world,
and there are those of us out here ready and willing to help. Do use
www.rotaryeclubs.com as an
information resource.
As reported by
Chris Joscelyne, one question from a couple of districts has been:
“If
I have a struggling traditional Rotary club in my district; can I
convert it to a Rotary e-club, as one of the two Rotary e-clubs in
my district?
Answer:
What is the
chance of success? … Zero, because a Rotary e-club is not a “magic
pill” that can restore an already ailing traditional Rotary club. A
successful Rotary e-club must be designed and created on a “blank
canvass”. Like a work of art, it needs to be visualized and planned
in careful detail before it is created. This is the reality for all
Rotary districts as they consider their first Rotary e-club. In Rotary
friendship and service,
Mel Taunt Member –
Rotary e-clubs advisory panel |
