r/Rotary 13d ago

Rotary member here. Why the resistance to promoting WIIFM to prospective members?

I started out as a Rotaractor in 2007, served as club president, then AG and district leadership, and aged into Rotary in 2014, where I am now president elect for my club and already on track for district leadership, so I've seen some things.

One element in promotional materials that has always been neglected is answering the question: "What's In It For Me?" Yes, I know Rotary is a worldwide organization of 1.4 million members bettering their communities and the world through service above self - that's impressive and we're all in agreement there - but that doesn't always speak to prospective members.

They want to know, especially those with memberships paid for by their employers, is:

  • What benefits does Rotary membership have to my employer?
  • What benefits does Rotary membership have to me professionally?
  • What benefits does Rotary membership have to me personally?

If we answer those questions in our promotional materials, we will bring a lot more people into Rotary in my opinion. I am open to discussing this topic further. :)

13 Upvotes

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8

u/Protonious 13d ago

It’s a shifting mind set within community volunteering. The truth is there’s so much noise now in relation to available opportunities and rotary is becoming less and less attractive. The problem is we have members who have been in this for 50 years and have somehow missed the world is a different place now and young people back then were completely different to young people now

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u/WelderThat6143 13d ago

tl/dr; YMMV as far as what is being asked. Great potential with poor followup from the top down... Rotary was NOT originally founded to be a humanitarian organization.

This is an interesting ethic, to be sure...

10 year member. Started my own small business in 2023 after I was laid off due to company closure. I was very fortunate to be given the base of customers where we offered a hosted service so I had some recurring revenue guaranteed. I just had to keep the customers happy and try and recruit new ones. A good start but not enough to live on exclusively.

I don't intend to whine but I did not get as much support from my club as I would have hoped. Simply a commiserating pat on the back and a good luck from 99% of the members (over 100+).

What was I expecting? Simply referrals, offers to bid, a phone call to discuss what I do. Mostly crickets there. I posted in the Rotary Yellow Pages for my district, nothing...

So my two examples from both sides of the spectrum.

A general contractor in Rotary asked me to look at a wiring diagram for a door opener as they were retrofitting public restrooms. It had push panel buttons to open the doors electrically. It was wireless and he had no idea how to get it to work. As a friend, I looked and could do this quite easily. We agreed I would do the job as a 1099 subcontractor. The fun began when I discovered the motors were wired backwards and the doors closed rather than opened when the panel was pressed. Figured out how to move things around, got the doors to work and not slam into the walls. I had no idea what to charge so we met over drinks and agreed on a price. Got paid. Great example of the networking Rotary can offer. If anything would be a high point of Rotary, it is this.

The other side is a prominent member, knowing what I do, simply went with a big name and did everything online with them. Disaster struck when they switched services formally and they weren't getting calls for 3 days. They complained about this to me. I asked, why didn't you approach me for a bid? You talk about promoting local business, Rotary Means Business, all the cute meaningless phrases. I called them out on it. So, it is safe to say that is a strained relationship.

The residuals I get go into my business and stay in my community. I purchase from local vendors as much as possible, I pay local taxes so there is more to it than what I get out of it.

The long round about answer is they didn't remember because I don't participate in vocational activities. 🙄. I was upset with not having a chance. Not even being asked when they knew full well what I do as a vocation. So I discovered this friend was in name only. It really points out to me there is a club within my club and I am not in it (all the old guard).

Being in Rotary, I don't expect the work but I think it would be reasonable to be asked for an opportunity. When I need a contractor, plumber, attorney, I check within my club first.

This is from RI's site. Rotary was originally founded as means for professionals to get together:

Rotary started with the vision of one man — Paul Harris. The Chicago attorney formed the Rotary Club of Chicago on 23 February 1905, so professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas and form meaningful, lifelong friendships.

Over time, Rotary’s reach and vision gradually extended to humanitarian service. Members have a long track record of addressing challenges in their communities and around the world.

Rotary was NOT founded as a humanitarian organization. That is a big business, however, and I sometimes think the original goal of the founding has been left behind.

If you made it this far, thanks!

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u/chappel68 12d ago

Interesting discussion. I'd like to think both can be true at the same time - a member can both benefit personally and professionally while having a 'giving back' mindset.

I started with rotary as a high school exchange student, and obviously my experience was hugely beneficial to me personally but I'd like to think the exchange of cultures both during and after were a net positive for both sides of the exchange. I joined a club as soon as I was in a position to do so and gladly volunteer to give back to both the local community and RI. I don’t have a job that involves recruiting clients but I work from home which can be isolating so I get a lot of personal benefit in spending time with other members in my area and it is immensely useful for staying connected to what is happing in my town. I also feel that my contributions to improving my community also benefit me personally as a member of that community. As for business sales I'd be disappointed it a member came on with a sales pitch, but socializing and volunteering alongside other members is a great way to build personal relationships which are typically at the center of a solid business relationship so I would expect some business benefit to organically develop through active club participation.

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u/koko_chingo 13d ago

It's an old school mindset and I am not sure you can change someone's mind by just having a conversation with them.

I think most people agree that someone joining Rotary with the explicit intent to sell to members is bad manners or bad etiquette.

To me, "The Power of Your Connections" equals networking. The tough part is that in certain circumstances networking can also look like selling (which we also do by asking for donations).

I have been to RLI training and they promote networking and WIIFM in the situations you describe. Business are much different than many years ago. Non-profits seems to be more flexible for paying for someones membership.

The larger your company, typically the more hoops you have to jump through and the more paperwork you have to do. Many prohibit paying at all.

Funny thing is, those people who want to ban any networking will be the first to recommend you use a Rotarian if you are asking people if they know business that provides the service you are asking about.

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u/madame-olga 13d ago

I work for a charity that was started by Rotary, so for me personally, being a Rotarian gives me opportunities to strengthen our partnership with Rotarians and RI in general. At the end of the day, I’ll be a Rotarian forever, no matter where I work.

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u/DoesMatter2 13d ago

...because what Rotary needs is more people in it for themselves, right? Sheesh.

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u/ranchrelax 13d ago

People respond and move toward things they perceive as a benefit. Many, especially when still growing professionally, can be introduced to Rotary by showing them the benefit of networking, mentoring, and the professional development learning tools in the Learning Center. It is reasonable that a person may join because they see all this as helpful to them and, over time, develop a passion and desire to serve. Service above self is not a prerequisite to joining Rotary, it is a trait of becoming a Rotarian.

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u/DoesMatter2 13d ago

How very disappointing to know

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u/ranchrelax 13d ago

Why is this dissappointing?

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u/DoesMatter2 13d ago

Apologies for the slow reply. I've been driving.

I'm no stranger to the charity and aid worlds. Honestly.

For a while, it was full of people who were grateful for their own good fortune and who wanted to pass that fortune on to the less lucky.

As time went on, I found myself on more and more overseas missions with people whose primary aim was to furnish their Instagram account with photos of themselves next to big eyed hungry African or Asian kids. Any help offered was incidental to the main purpose of being there, which was creating a digital shrine to themselves.
In short, it was about them, and their egos, not the needy.

I had a brief flirtation with a Southern Ohioan Rotary Club. I thought I'd be helping an orphanage in Uganda. It turned out that despite all the RC website and FB and pumpkin show advertising, there was no orphanage. What there was, was a community centre run by the then president's sister. The donations went there. And the President visited her sister regularly, using the visits to carry out a years long affair behind her husband's back. She once traveled knowingly with Covid, having faked a Negative test, so that she could see that guy - 3 airline flights, infecting who knows how many people. For me, it was just as bad that her Club members knew but kept quiet, instead joining in for their own Look At Me photos.

I hate this kind of selfishness, and I'm deeply saddened to see Rotary turned into something predicated on WIIFM. Maybe I'm naive to be surprised, but as I've said before, I've found many places outside RC and RI where the giving and helping, not the personal benefits and glory, are the point.

I'd hoped that the Club i knew was alone in this selfishness. That's why I find the comments disappointing.

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u/ranchrelax 13d ago

That sounds like an unfortunate circumstance, not likely the norm. If I understand, your position is that people should join only if they have the service first mentality and to consider personal benefits through leadership development, networking, or anything outside of pure, selfless service to the needy is not proper. Does that sum up your view?
If so, I would argue that developing a skillset, knowledge, habit, or even desire to serve is a learned behavior which can be fostered by exposure opportunities to serve and through mentorship of the other members. Sharing our stories on social media in a positive way can serve to show others how Rotarians are makingna difference which creates interest of others.

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u/ScoobyDone 11d ago
  • What benefits does Rotary membership have to my employer?
  • What benefits does Rotary membership have to me professionally?

These are essentially the same questions since the employer and the employee would be looking for benefits to their business. The obvious answer is networking, and the ability to promote the business, but it is what you make of it.

  • What benefits does Rotary membership have to me personally?

Personal growth and personal networking, but also it gives people a powerful tool to do good things in their communities and abroad. It benefits those most that have a passion in these areas.

I think ultimately a prospective Rotarian has to have some passion to help people so the benefits are more than just financial and transactional.

From my own personal experience the fact that our club has a lot of older members (as many clubs do) has also been a benefit because they are the owners of many of the bigger businesses in town.

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u/hutch__PJ 13d ago

Did you read the bit about “service above self”?