Recently, District leadership received an email from Tom Gump, president of the Rotary Club of Edina Morningside, Minnesota. Tom is also a trainer for District 5940. Since July 1, 2016, Tom's Rotary club has recruited and brought in 31 new members. Eleven of these new members are women and eight of them are under 40 years of age. The Club has gone from being classified as a "medium" sized club of 68 members in their district to being classified as a "large" club of 93 members in just over nine months. How did this happen? Tom shared with us 10 tips to attract and retain quality members. We will share one tip each week for ten weeks. By the end, we hope that you have shown some success in your membership recruitment and retention efforts.
TIP #1
Know your club's strengths. if you meet in the morning, you will probably be a good fit for a 9 to 5 employee. But, if you meet at noon, you're more likely to appeal to retirees or parents of school-age children. If someone doesn't fit your format, recommend them to another club. They won't forget you and may send you someone another day. Let all the clubs in the area know you are looking for members, and they may send you some that fit your format than their own.