New Club Flexibility: How Can It Attact and Keep Members

Editor's Notes

• #3: 13:00
• #5: General notes on the council, understanding what the council brought, general comments about flexibility and freedom
• #6: 13:10 What does "flexibility" mean? - strictly speaking, characterized by a ready capability to adapt to new, different, or changing requirements, but in Rotary terms, clubs simply have the autonomy to change, for example, their particular attendance requirements or types of membership YES, you can actually make these types of changes; it's not a trap BUT, changes shouldn't be made without understanding the needs and wants of the membership My example - a large, 101 year old, southern club that has and values many traditions including some that we're not quite sure we do them any more BUT we love our traditions
• #7: A few years back, before flexibility became a formal charge by the Council on Legislation, my club, like many others, decided that we needed to survey our membership to understand what we were doing right and what might need to change Survey options - Membership Satisfaction Survey in Club Assessment Tools, available at rotary.org/membership, online tools like Google Forms and Survey Monkey Members will appreciate being asked their opinion
• #8: After surveying, consider taking the next step to take what you learned and strategically identify what flexibility options your club may need to explore.  This sort of planning is sometimes cumbersome and lengthy, but it can also be done in one session, maybe a club assembly.  Main points are to define what is important to your particular club (mission), where the club wants and needs to go, and how you plan to get there. There is a good chance that everyone in the club won't connect with or appreciate a move towards flexibility, and some, in fact, may really dislike it It is incumbent on club leadership to reach out to long-standing members and those that adhere and identify with traditions, engaging them in the discussion. Change is a scary word and hard for most of us - try new activities in small doses and consider making them part of a pilot program to test how members connect with them
• #9: Remember that Rotary is different things to different people - just because something is seen as traditional doesn't mean that is needs to change, but if no one can remember why you're doing something, it's probably OK to let it go Finally, be sure to update your by-laws
• #10: Ideas for a more traditional club
• #11: 13:20
• #12: 1.  What did you notice, hear or observe that drove the changes?   I will focus on our community assessment and need in the city for an evening club.  We also wanted to create a different type of club culture with more of a 'cocktail' type club experience.  Once we began, the demographic that was attracted to our club was more of a young professional demographic, so we then began to focus our marketing on that demographic.
• #13: 2.  Who did you involve?  What steps were taken? What did the results show you?   I will mention and expand on our use of social media, professional networking with other organizations, and referrals from other clubs.  Also as we crafted the club, we listened intently to our members needs and maintained our flexibility.
• #14: 3.  Were there any friction points/resistance to this process?     I will discuss a few of the challenges that we faced from other clubs for their fear of losing 'younger' members, the limitations we faced in the community from a lack of knowledge of Rotary's existence in our community, etc.    Additionally, I will also speak to how our club has transformed in the last 5 years and the direction/change we will take due to our members needs.  We have consistently done membership/club surveys throughout our years to assess our opportunities and challenges. We have recently completed a club visioning to re-visit our topic of flexibility and how our club will work with our members.  From this, our club may possibly offer an online type platform for members to stay engaged with us.   I will close speaking a bit about keeping the clubs the same or making changes according to your members' needs.  
• #16: 13:30
• #17: We’ve added three resources into the app, which you can download directly.
• #18: 13:35 ACTIVITY SET UP: When you arrived, there was a 4 page handout on your seats. Use this worksheet to consider not only what changes you might want to make, but WHY your club might want to make those changes. Page 3 contains examples of updating your club bylaws. We’re going to take the next 5-8 minutes to work through this worksheet, so consider: Why you want to offer other types of meetings? Why you want to change your meeting frequency? Why do you want to offer different attendance requirements? And as Ryan mentioned, change can be scary. So another important question so to consider is whether there are any drawbacks to making a change that could effect the engagement and experience of your members.
• #19: Q&A
• #20: 13:55 [Keep this slide at the end]
• #21: [Keep this slide at the end, and read this suggested text] END Your feedback is valuable so remember to complete the brief session evaluation in the convention mobile app. To download the app, search for “Rotary Events” in your Apple or Android app store.
• #22: Reference only, no need to cover content during session. When your club is vibrant, innovative, and making a difference in your community, it will attract prospective members. Bringing in new, qualified members diversifies your club and increases its impact. Because this may be the first contact a prospective member has with a club, be sure to make it a positive one.
• #25: Membership Assessment Tools include surveys and exercises to help you assess classifications, diversity, membership satisfaction, and why people leave your club.
• #27: New e-learning course added to the learning center: Just as regular visits to the doctor can identify potential health risks that could worsen if left unattended, clubs are at risk of losing members to outdated practices if they don’t step back and assess what’s working and address what’s not, and do something about it. This course helps club leaders pinpoint opportunities for growth and sustainability, offers strategies to help remedy problem areas, and advises on how to manage change.