Membership Spotlight - August 3, 2015

 
 
 
 
 
You Are Just Named Membership Chair.  What Now?
 
By Tom Sturiale
 
The club president has just asked you to chair the Membership Committee - and to double the size of the club during the next two years. You gladly accept the challenge - and then ask yourself, “Oh, my! What do I do now?” 
 
Don’t panic. Here are some suggested steps to get you started down the path of success: 
  • Develop  a goal. (The president has already helped you with this: Double the size of the club in two years.)
  • Develop objectives
  • Set a strategy in place
  • Develop a tactical action plan
 'GOST' - Goals, Objectives, Strategy and Tasks
 
This framework will help you to understand the overall goal - specifically, what you are trying to achieve, how you are going to accomplish it, and who is going to do what and by when. This is much more effective than exhortations from the podium.  Short-term efforts, no matter how effective they may seem, are by their nature short-term and without lasting effects. Your club needs a long-term plan. So first, gather a few creative minds and work on the plan.
 
1. Set a goal
  • We will double our membership from 15 to 30 in two years.
​2. Develop objectives
  • We will add one to two members every two months
  • We will strive to gain representatives from local government, faiths, education, retirees and professionals.
  • We will increase our retention rate from "X" to "Y."
  • We will streamline the approval-and-induction process.
  • We will immediately engage new members in a club activity.
3. Develop a strategy
  • Our committee will consist of four to five members and meet once a month.
  • We will develop a Rotary Value statement describing Rotary and our club’s goals and accomplishments.
  • We will develop, with all the members, a target list of prospective members reflecting the diversity of our community.
  • Two-person teams will contact prospective members to review Rotary and their potential interests with them.
  • We will maintain a record of all contacts and their status
4. Develop a tactical action plan
  • We will gather all the tools, brochures, publications and associated information to properly describe Rotary and our club.
  • We will develop a schedule of who is going to contact whom and by when.
  • The chair will report progress to the club once a month. 
  • Each new member will be assigned to a senior member for mentoring.
This is a suggested outline of a plan to get you on track. There are many blanks to fill in as you approach your goal. But you need to get started by putting your thoughts down on paper. 
 
Your committee members need to know what is expected, what to achieve, when to do it, and who is going to do what by when. The target list and the contact schedule are the most problematic issues. Don’t dive in without a plan.
 
So charge on, Membership chairs! Gather your teams, put on your thinking caps, start meeting, get off your duffs, and take action! 
 
Tom Sturiale, vice chair of District 7910's Membership Committee, may be reached at tsturiale36@gmail.com.