Web Conference Product Offer for Rotarians

Web conferences, or Webinars, are a cost-effective and efficient method of communicating with your audience. Now Rotarians are able to take advantage of discounted rates for two Web conferencing products from Citrix Online.

GoToMeeting, a product for smaller groups, allows you to host online meetings and collaborate with up to 15 attendees.

GoToWebinar, designed for larger groups, provides a simple way to create, present, and record meetings of up to 1000 people. Both products allow for unlimited usage for a monthly flat fee.

Districts, Clubs, and Rotarians are all eligible for a 15% discount and 60-day free trials of both GoToMeeting and GoToWebinar.

As RRIMC, consider hosting regional training seminars, planning meetings, and other team meetings using these or other Web-based conference tools. Though not a perfect replacement for every meeting, the benefits of online meetings are convenience, cost-savings, and the ability to reach people who might not be able to travel to your other meetings.

The Membership Development & Research division recently held a Webinar for RRIMCs on planning regional membership seminars, as well as several online focus groups with younger Rotarians. A Webinar on retention (geared toward District Governors and District Membership Chairs) is planned before the end of the year.

If you have already hosted online meetings, feel free to share your experiences in the comments section of the blog so that all RRIMCs can benefit from your knowledge.

Click on the GoToMeeting and GoToWebinar links to read more about their special offers for Rotarians, and be sure to report back to us!

New '"Why Rotary?" video on the Web

"Why Rotary?", a new video geared toward prospective members, has recently been posted to the 'About Us' section of the Rotary International Web site.

Featured in the video are individual Rotarians who talk about what Rotary means to them and why they find value in being a member. The video showcases the diversity of Rotary’s membership and highlights the service opportunities available at the club level, as well as the broader humanitarian efforts of Rotary.

Below the video, links direct viewers to the Club Locator, the Prospective Member Form, and Rotary Basics online.

"Why Rotary?" can be found on the Rotary Web site here. Clubs and districts can also be encouraged to embed the YouTube version on their Web pages, online newsletters and blogs.

Guidelines for use of RRIMC Allocation

As you are aware, RI provides allocation budgets for the RRIMC program and as each of you proceed to utilize these monies throughout the year, we will provide allocation balances via email each quarter.

Please remember to evaluate your use of allocation carefully and when in doubt (RITS, travel requests, proper documentation, use of funds, etc.) please email questions to the rrimc@rotary.org email box – Amanda Runge will be happy to assist you. While it is important to communicate with your fellow RRIMCs throughout the year please note that duplicating efforts when attending membership related conferences, training seminars or meetings can deplete resources quickly. Please consider all options when invited to attend an event along with other coordinators – working together may not always require multiple RRIMCs in attendance at the same function.

Expense reports should be filed with RI on a monthly basis when possible; for best results please use the rrimc@rotary.org email box. It is not advisable to hold on to expense reports and statements more than 90 days as this may delay payment(s) from RI.

We look forward to working with you throughout this year.

by Jill Pohren 8/25/09

RI President John Kenny’s 2009-10 Membership Goals & Recognition

RI President John Kenny has established the following membership goals for 2009-10:

Club recognition requirements:

• A minimum of one net member increase
• A minimum of 80% retention rate rate

and certification by the district governor of two of the following achievements:

• Increased percentage of qualified women
• Increased percentage of qualified younger professionals (under age 50)
• Induction of at least one alumna or alumnus of RI or the Rotary Foundation
• Increased diversity of membership (e.g., classification, gender, age, ethnicity)

Achievement of club goals will be certified by the district governor.

District recognition requirements:

• A minimum of one net member increase in each existing club
• A minimum of 80% retention rate
• A minimum of one or two new clubs organized

Achievement of district goals will be based on clubs certified by the district governor.

Clubs should submit their goal results to their district governor between 15 May and 21 May 2010. To determine goal achievements, governors should enter the Member Access section of www.rotary.org to draw up their club reports on 15 May 2010 and compare those reports against the 1 July start figures they will receive in October 2009.

Districts should certify the results and submit them to RI, along with their district results, by 22 May 2010. Certification forms will be available on www.rotary.org.

All clubs and districts who reach these membership goals will receive a certificate signed by RI President Kenny. From this pool, RI will determine the top ten clubs and top ten districts (not more than one club or one district per zone) showing the highest percentage net increase in membership. Achievement will be calculated using RI membership database numbers as of 15 May 2010 and compared against 1 July start figures.

These 10 clubs and districts will be acknowledged on stage at the 2009-10 convention in Montreal. (Attendance at convention for membership recognition is ‘at no cost to Rotary International’.)

RRIMCs are responsible for promoting President Kenny’s goals and recognition program to districts and clubs in your region. We encourage you to make the goals part of your overall 2009-10 membership development strategy.

Preparing for GETS

In preparation for the 2009 Governors-elect Training Seminars, RI’s Leadership, Education and Training (LET) department will be sending out materials to RRIMC presenters at the beginning of July.

RRIMCs who are presenting will be working closely with the GETS team leader and any other RRIMCs assigned to the team to conduct the 90-minute Membership Development session.

We encourage RRIMCs on each GETS team to establish contact with each other and begin collaborating on your presentation well before GETS takes place to ensure that your session is well-coordinated. LET will be providing slides that require you to insert regional contact information – be sure to review these slides and insert the appropriate information. Several case studies will be included in the session. Case studies should be reviewed beforehand and you should familiarize yourself with the membership resources recommended to address the issues presented in the studies. Consider having copies of these resources available for reference during the session.

Start thinking now about ways you can make this year’s Membership Development session relevant for your region. The current economic climate brings many challenges; what tools and strategies have you developed to address these concerns that you might share with the governors-elect in your region?

Feel free to post any ideas you have for this year’s GETS under the blog’s comments section so that your fellow RRIMCs can benefit from your experience.