Welcome back everyone! At our first meeting of the year we have always asked members who have been somewhere interesting to talk about it. Always there are some people who have been somewhere different and exotic...so be prepared!
As you can see I have been organising speakers well in advance this year. Our speaker on the 8th February is Mary Zaunbrecher from the Rotary Club of Crowley LA. She is visiting South Africa and is particularly interested in our 5 C's Project and will be going there after the meeting. Her Board has already approved assistance for 5 C's to be channelled through us and the Club wants to maintain ongoing links with us. A Friendship Exchange immediately comes to mind when we will have the opportunity to host some of them here and then a reverse visit to LA.
Macsteel Cycle RaceDon Lindsay has sent out a circular email asking for the names of those prepared to assist again this year....it proved to be very lucrative for us last year. Please let him know if you can or cannot assist.
Linda Vink has been so successful at shoe-horning news of our Club into the local rag.....here's an example.
Congratulations, Linda!
Champagne on the Stoep
Don't forget President Jankees' function on Sunday....see the sidebar.Seven ways to get more out of Rotary in 2012
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A teacher prepares a lesson for first graders at École Ste.-Famille in Les Cayes, Haiti. The school was rebuilt with support from a Rotary Foundation donor advised fund after the 2010 earthquake. Resolve to support the Foundation's work in the six areas of focus in 2012. Rotary Images/Alyce Henson
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Try something different in 2012 to attract new members and keep existing ones. Here are a few ideas to help you do more with Rotary in the new year.
Be part of Rotary's efforts to End Polio Now
Consider planning a fundraiser for polio eradication, or having your club or district light up a landmark as part of Rotary’s anniversary celebration on 23 February. Rotarians have made great progress in the push to end the disease, but the job isn’t finished yet. As little as US$0.60 can help immunize a child against the incurable disease. Contribute to PolioPlus, and learn more about Rotary's eradication efforts.
Think strategically and set club goals
A new online assessment tool will be launched in July to help clubs set goals and track their accomplishments, such as contributions to The Rotary Foundation. Available inMember Access, it will replace paper-based tracking methods and help RI measure Rotary's global impact. Help your club work more efficiently by using the tool to set and measure club goals.
Help the Foundation fulfill its mission
Make a resolution to donate to the Foundation’s Annual Fundin 2012. Skip one latte a week, and you'd have US$100 or more to contribute to your club's Every Rotarian, Every Year effort. You can make a one-time contribution or a recurring gift. Learn how your club or district can make a difference in one of Rotary's six areas of focus with a Foundation grant.
Get inspired at the RI Convention
The 2012 RI Convention in Bangkok, Thailand, 6-9 May, will feature speakers including Nobel Peace Prize recipient Muhammad Yunus and Global Poverty Project CEO Hugh Evans. And, along with thousands of your fellow Rotarians from around the world, you’ll be able to attend workshops on topics such as membership, leadership, and Future Vision. Register today.
Celebrate 50 years of Interact
Interact will celebrate its 50th year in 2012. Since the first club was established in 1962 at a high school in Melbourne, Florida, USA, thousands of communities worldwide have benefited from Interactors putting Service Above Self. The program has helped countless youth develop leadership skills, meet new friends, and become more familiar with Rotary. Rotary clubs that sponsor an Interact club gain fresh insight into service and help develop future Rotarians. If your club isn’t already involved in Interact, consider sponsoring a club.
Publicize your good work
PR grants enable districts to raise Rotary’s profile and promote the global and local work of Rotarians by placing public service announcements on television and radio, in print media and on billboards, and on the Web. Help your district apply for a grant by 4 March. To further promote your club’s signature activities, be sure to update your website with information about your projects and meetings. Also, start a social media page, and follow what Rotary is doing on sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn.
Connect with alumni
Rotary Foundation alumni can be effective speakers at club meetings, and many are potential club members. Reach out to them.
3 Comments:
At 2:24PM on 6 January 2012, Barbara Carter wrote:Thanks for the mid winter "jump start".
At 9:34AM on 6 January 2012, PP Rtn RD Rai PHF wrote:Wonderful Ideas
At 9:34AM on 6 January 2012, Paul WIlson wrote:Our club, the Rotary club of Grantham have used free social media tools to transform our extend our annual swimarathon fundraising event into a global world record swim for End Polio Now on 25th February. With participants signed up in all 6 continents of the world confirmed from over 40 clubs to date, and an additional 60 clubs expected. We have International swimming superstars including a world open water marathon record holder from Australia and 5 time Paralympic world champion, and our event is now being promoted to every club in GB + Ireland by RIBI. We fully intend to establish this as an annual event on the weekend nearest to Rotary anniversary, and we would dearly love to get additional PR support from Rotary International centrally to help us get the world media's attention on the End Polio Now campaign and raise many 100s of $1000s - please contact us either via our facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/rotaryglobalswimarathon or via our website at http://www.rotaryswimarathon.org - Thankyou!!
