MEMBERSHIP GOALS, RECENT TRENDS AND THE WAY FORWARDBY

DISTRICT GOVERNOR

ZAINIE ABDUL AUCASA

“ I DON’T GET ANYTHING OUT OF ROTARY”

“WHO NEEDS ROTARY ANYWAY?”

WHO NEEDS ROTARY ANYWAY?

THE BILLION OF CHILDREN WHOSE LIVES WERE SAVED FROM BEING THE VICTIMS OF THE DREADFUL DESEASE POLIO.

WHO NEEDS ROTARY ANYWAY?

THE VICTIMS OF THE TSUNAMI THAT STRUCK AND KILLED THOUSAND OF PEOPLE A FEW YEARS AGO IN MANY COUNTRIES IN OUR REGION.

WHO NEEDS ROTARY ANYWAY?

THE HUNDRED OF CHILDREN IN KANOWIT, KAPIT, SONG, BELAGA, MARUDI WHO NOW HAVE CLEANED WATER TO DRINK, THE HUNDRED OF VILLAGES WHO NOW HAVE BETTER VISION BECAUSE OF OUR AVOIDABLE BLINDNESS PROGRAM, THE THOUSANDS OF SCHOOL CHLIDREN OVER THE YEARS WHO HAVE BENEFITED FROM OUR OUTREACH PROGRAM.

BUT IN THE END ACTUALLY WHO REALLY NEEDS ROTARY?

I SAY YOU AND I NEED ROTARY. YOU AND I, AND THE ROTARIANS, THE WORLD NEED ROTARY.

IT IS FOR THIS REASON THAT I HAVE MADE MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND RETENTION AS MY MAIN EMPHASIS FOR THIS ROTARY YEAR

WE HAVE SET A TARGET TO HAVE 2000 OR MORE MEMBERS BY THE END OF THIS ROTARY YEAR.

OUR DISTRICT NOW HAS 1,756 MEMBERS. WE JUST NEED 244 NEW MEMBERS. WITH 62 CLUBS IN THE DISTRICT, EACH CLUB IS

TO BRING MINIMUM OF NEW 4 MEMBERS.

BUT WHY STOP AT 4? WHY STOP AT 2000? WHEN THERE ARE SO MANY OUT THERE WHO WANT TO SERVE BUT YET NOT INVITED.

MY SECOND EMPHASIS IS TO SUPPORT AND STRENGTHEN ROTRY CLUBS:-

STRONG VIBRANT CLUBS CAN EMBRACE HUMANITY BETTER AND GREATER.

ROTARY CANNOT PROVIDE GOOD SERVICE PROJECTS WITHOUT STRONG CLUBS

CLUBS CANNOT RECRUIT AND RETAIN HIGH-QUALITY MEMBERS WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT PROJECTS.

THIS THEN BRINGS ME TO MY 2ND DISTRICT MEMBERSHIP GOAL FOR THIS ROTARY YEAR AND THAT IS TO HAVE ALL CLUBS IN THE DISTRICT TO HAVE 20 OR MORE MEMBERS BY END OF THIS ROTARY YEAR. I KNOW THIS IS A TALL ORDER BUT ONE HAS TO DO SOMETHING.

REMEMBER, I MENTIONED EARLIER THAT THEY ARE THOUSANDS OUT THERE, ROTARIANS AT HEARTS. THOUSANDS OUT THERE FORMER ROTARACTORS, FORMER ROTARY SCHOLARS WHO ALREADY HAVE ROTARY CULTURE, ROTARY VALUES EMBRACED UPON THEM. THEY WANT TO GIVE, TO DO SOMETHING FOR MANKIND BUT ARE NOT ABLE TO DO SO UNLESS AND UNTIL WE INVITE THEM.

MEMBERSHIP TO ROTARY IS BY INVITATION. AND THE ONLY REASON THEY ARE NOT MEMBERS OF ROTARY IS BECAUSE NO ONE HAS INVITED THEM. SOME OF US HAS NOT OFFERED THEM THE GIFT OF MEMBERSHIP OF ROTARY.

PAST R.I. PRESIDENT RICHARD EVANS SAID,

“EXCEPT FOR PAUL HARRIS, ALL OF US ARE IN ROTARY BECAUSE SOMEONE SHARED ROTARY WITH US, SOMEONE BROUGHT US IN, AND ALL OF US OWE SOMEONE ELSE THIS SAME KIND OF SHARING.”

“IT IS ESTIMATED THAT 90% OF ROTARIANS IN THE WORLD HAVE NEVER SPONSORED A SINGLE NEW MEMBER.”

IN YOUR CLUB, 70% HAVE NOT DONE SO. WHY?

A CHINESE PROVERB SAYS: “HE WHO ASKS IS A FOOL FOR FIVE MINUTES BUT HE WHO DOES NOT ASK REMAINS A FOOL FOREVER.”

I WOULD ENCOURAGE THE 70% TO BE A FOOL

FOR 5 MINUTES. “ASK” – AT WORST, YOU WILL GET “NO” FOR AN ANSWER. DON’T ASK AND YOU DON’T KNOW.

FOR “ROTARY’S FRIENDSHIP IS DEVOID OF PROFIT, IT IS NURTURED BY SHARING, IT THRIVES ON SERVICE, ITS COMMON BOND, CARING.”

THE OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD BRIDGES OF FRIENDSHIP IS AT OUR DOOR STEPS. IF SUCH FRIENDSHIP IS CULTIVATED, THE EFFORT WILL EXTEND BEYOND THE CONFINES OF OUR CLUBS AND, LIKE A STONE THROWN INTO A QUIET POOL, THE RESULTING RIPPLES WILL EXTEND INTO AN EVER WIDENING CIRCUMFERENCE, AS FRIENDSHIP BEGETS FRIENDSHIP; AND FRIENDSHIP NUTURED BY SERVICE IS ROTARY AT ITS BEST.

A DATA BANK OF ALL THESE NEW MEMBERS AND WORK WITH THE CLUB TO ENSURE THAT THESE MEMBERS ARE QUICKLY ASSIMILATED WITH THE VALUES AND CULTURES OF ROTARY.

A PROGRAM, A CONTINUOUS PROGRAM TO MONITOR THE MEMBERSHIP GROWTH OF ALL THE CLUBS IN THE DISTRICT AND TO MENTOR, AND ASSIST CLUBS WHO ARE IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE.

TWO CATEGORIES OF AWARDS FOR MEMBERS:- QUALITATIVE AWARDS QUANTITATIVE AWARDS

• CLUB• ASSISTANT GOVERNORS • REGIONAL CHAIRS

LET THESE GOALS BE OUR GOALS TOGETHER. LETS US OWN THESE GOALS TOGETHER. LET US TOGETHER ENJOY THE JOY OF SATISFACTION WHEN WE ACHIEVE THESE GOALS BY END OF THIS ROTARY YEAR.

THE WORLD NEEDS ROTARY, AND ROTARY NEEDS GREATER CLUBS WITH GREAT VISIONS, GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS, AND GREAT ROTARIANS, LIKE EACH OF YOU HERE, TO WORK EACH DAY TO BUILD A MEMORABLE LEGACY FOR ROTARY AND ALL HUMANITY.

THANK YOU