The Art of Retention has been THE topic of conversation and debate for member based organizations like Rotary Clubs for years. You want to know a secret … there is no silver bullet. What works for one Club may not work for the other. This is the dilemma when trying to share the sure fire formula on how to keep the numbers strong.
BUT, we can offer suggestions of what your Rotary Club should consider when addressing the importance of member retention. Understand all of the ideas are important and work. Some build upon success of others. What works for your Club is what you should embrace, enhance and build upon.
Retention begins on day 1 of membership! So, take a look at how you welcome the new member. Some Clubs go out of their way to greet the new member … hand-shake from all and a standing ovation! Wow, imagine how that would make you feel!!! Do you assign a mentor to connect with the newbie to ensure they know what is happening, how to get engaged with a community service project and the committees they can volunteer service? The orientation of the new member needs to extend for months, not an hour session, a few days or a couple of weeks.
What is the culture of your Club? Are your meetings fun, informational/educational or a four-alarm bore? Do you just go for the easy to schedule program topics like the “not-for-profit update of the week”, or do you look outside of the box to find unique topics … thus becoming another reason why you don’t want to miss. Do you incorporate weekly Rotary Minutes … updates on the foundation, Polio Plus, member spotlight (Rotary Jeopardy), and Rotary facts/interesting stories? Do you sing? Yes, do you sing!!!!!
Are your meetings easy to attend? Do members know when and where you meet? What about the visiting Rotarian? Are you promoting on Facebook, newspaper and your website?
Are you engaged in the community? No matter your size or location, there is a community service project(s) screaming for attention!!! Are you a Club of Purpose?
Member retention is everything from A to Z … leadership, energy, organization, public image, service, community engagement, Club culture, connectivity, fun, value and more! Evaluate your Club. Challenge a few members to come next week as if they were attending for the first time … and share what they felt and saw. Might be eye-opening!
Rod Henry
District 5870 Membership Committee