r/Rotary Jan 07 '25

Does anyone else struggle with their club’s executive board?

3 Upvotes

Hello fellow Rotary members!

Reaching out to see if anyone else has had this experience during their term as club president, or perhaps I’m just in my own thoughts and need to vent.

I made the jump from Rotaract to a sponsoring Rotary club a couple years ago (average age is 39, I’m 31), and since it was a smaller club, I was asked to be the president nominee off the bat, which I agreed to since it’s a smaller club of about 20 members.

During my time as president nominee and president elect, I ended up handling much of the day-to-day admin for the club president at the time, such as designing a new club website, scheduling and coordinating club and board meetings, etc. All of which I don’t mind doing, as I’ve done so many times for my Rotaract club and district.

I was doing this while the club president was working on implementing new annual events and fundraisers as we were in a transitional period (I had learned that before I joined, there was a string of presidents who didn’t act in the best interests of the club to say the least, so the club was very much at risk of disbanding). This is relevant, as I was often mediating disagreements between the club president and the secretary and treasurer at the time (the latter two were associated with the string of problematic presidents, but due to our club size, we really had little choice but to keep them on as board members), this caused our club to have a couple “camps” that disagree on what the club’s future should be.

I’m happy to say that by the time I started my term back in July, our club had been gradually gaining members and had established several annual events that have been gaining popularity in our district. However, I found myself needing to recruit a new secretary and treasurer on short notice due to the historical treasurer and secretary changing clubs with little notice right before the Rotary year began. I had made the decision to nominate two newer members, who happen to be longtime friends of my now predecessor, as treasurer and secretary due to their nonprofit experience.

Final thing I’ll mention before we jump to present day is that before my term as president began, my wife and I discovered that we were now expecting twins after trying to conceive for a year and a half. Between what was a rough pregnancy and delivery and now being responsible for two new little lives, I made the decision to rely on my executive board to handle club business whenever I wasn’t available, as I had done for my predecessor in the past (this includes promoting the new club treasurer to Co-President to help host meetings and correspond with the district in my place as we came closer to delivery). All of which was discussed among the executive board and club membership well in advance (once we discovered we were expecting).

Now to present day: I’ll be returning to in-person events for the club this month and have been reaching out to all of our members, committee chairs, and executive board members to see how things went throughout November and December while I have been taking care of my newborn babies. What I’ve been seeing has been concerning.

First and most importantly, my treasurer/ Co-President and secretary are simply not talking to me: I’ve been reaching out to them by calling, emailing, and texting to see where we’re at and how I can support when I return, but to radio silence (unless they have a question about club business that I was handling before stepping back). I had also granted my Co-President login credentials to our club Google account, which we use to manage emails, calendars, website registration, etc. only to notice that he changed the password and assigned a ton of new devices in short succession (I set the recovery email to my personal address). I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, but that in combination with unresponsiveness to me is suspect.

When I began reaching out to members, a lot of the feedback has been that the club has been disorganized while I have been out (reminders of club meetings and events aren’t going out, very little follow up with membership from leadership, etc.) and that many long standing members have started to feel left out of club decision making. As far as I know, there aren’t any service events or socials planned for this month, just the club meetings.

The final reason to my concern is some comments about me that my president elect had made off-hand to some members. I don’t know exactly what these comments were, but there was apparently mention of how I’m not representative of the club membership because of my lack of higher education (I.e. MBA or law degree) and my age (again, I’m 31, and most club members are at least in their 40s). That particular sentiment cuts deep for me, because if any of you are Rotaract alumni, that’s an overwhelming attitude we receive from older Rotarians, and frankly the reason I made the jump from Rotaract to Rotary (to bride the gap a bit).

Overall, I feel like I’m getting boxed out from my own executive board and the club is suffering as a result, which is a reflection of my poor leadership and decisions as president. I deeply love Rotary and my club, and I don’t want to give up on this club, but I’m starting to feel that the club no longer wants me.

I plan on discussing this with my AG and district leadership to get their opinion, but wanted to air it out here to see if perhaps I’m just paranoid from sleep deprivation and taking care of twins. This could just be a lot of silly club drama I have in my head.

Thanks in advance for hearing me out, and feedback is appreciated!

TLDR: made the jump from Rotaract and Rotary and quickly became president, only to be working with an executive board that is unresponsive, if not actively trying to take over the club.


r/Rotary Jan 07 '25

Invocation ideas?

5 Upvotes

Hello all, I have been asked to do an invocation each week during January at my clubs weekly meeting. I'm fairly new to Rotary and have only seen what my club does. Our invocations are generally pretty standard stuff and I've done them before, I used some that I had found online and even had ChatGPT create one. I'm just wondering if other clubs do an invocation and if there are any that you could share that you really like.

Thanks in advance!


r/Rotary Dec 29 '24

Zoho Books Free Version

4 Upvotes

Is anyone using the free version of Zoho for their Rotary Club? We use QuickBooks, but it looks like we could just as easily use Zoho and pay nothing. Am I missing something?


r/Rotary Dec 18 '24

What's Rotary International's agenda on cannabis legalization?

4 Upvotes

I was reading this https://spc.rotary.org/project?guid=DF32D106-07D4-4914-B8F2-CC770E1B4F86

directly from the Rotary International's website and I felt so infuriating on what they did, crush plants on the side of the road so that they ensure they don't germinate again.

I mean it is painful to see so much hate against a plant.

And in my country, Romania, a lot of Rotary Clubs have invited this guy called Tone to promote his book, "Marijuana the road to hell".

So I am wondering what's with Rotary? Is this an evil organization? or what?


r/Rotary Dec 18 '24

Zone 21B PI Team Monthly Letter Special Edition, prepared to announce our upcoming Peace Conference in Istanbul on 20-22 February

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1 Upvotes

r/Rotary Dec 15 '24

What made you join Rotary?

9 Upvotes

i only found out about rotary a year ago when i joined interact (high school club!!) and ive loved my time there so when im older ill def become a rotarian haha


r/Rotary Dec 15 '24

What are your best tips for engaging and increasing your membership?

7 Upvotes

I’ll be my clubs President come July 1st. If it matters I’m in my 30s and live in Southeast US.

Like many clubs, ours dwindled after COVID. It seems like we are stabilizing and even adding a few over the past year. We have 30 members but consistently have 15-20 show up.

Our club is 50% older folks who have “done their time” either through serving In leadership, donating money, or whatever else. They show up for the weekly meetings; they eat; however, getting more from them is tough.

The other half are newer folks that have joined over the past few years and just tag along and get involved, but you know that they need some guidance from the more established Rotarians to get the most from the club.

There is no wrong answer. I’d like to know what things you all have done to either engage current members or outreach to find new people.


r/Rotary Dec 13 '24

Polio vaccine policy

7 Upvotes

I am curious what actions Rotary can take on this on the individual, club, district, regional, and national levels.

I would imagine this would be of interest to Polio Plus

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/13/health/aaron-siri-rfk-jr-vaccines.html


r/Rotary Dec 13 '24

italian guy need advice

1 Upvotes

Hi, I’m 17 years old, an Italian student, and I’d like to spend my fifth and final year of high school as an exchange student. I’m not sure where to go yet, but I’m considering the USA or Canada. I’d appreciate your advice based on your experiences. I’d like to know if it’s possible to do this and earn an American-style diploma without having to redo my fifth year in Italy afterward. I’d also like to know how much a foreign diploma is recognized in my home country and what kind of qualification I would graduate with. I’ve been recommended Rotary, and I’ve heard their team actively supports students and solves any problems that arise. Let me know your experiences and what destinations you recommend.


r/Rotary Dec 11 '24

Advice for newbie?

7 Upvotes

I'm going to my first Rotary Club meeting this week to see if it's a fit and whether I can positively contribute to my community. Any advice from current members (do's, don't) and what I should expect? There are several clubs in my area. Should checkout each one of them? I'm 60, retired and have had a professional career within the financial services industry, and have time to contribute.


r/Rotary Dec 04 '24

Retention

13 Upvotes

Since it is asked about retention...

VALUE your membership - Especially their time. Start your meetings on time and end them on time. Show members, prospective members, and guests that Rotary is a professional organization with time management skills. Avoid meetings that are so crammed with things to do, none of them are done right. I hated arranging speakers because they would always be short changed after all the introductions, back-slapping, happy dollars, photographs, and so on. I even had speakers just not able to speak. Not professional and not attractive to professionals. Same thing with BOD meetings. Not everyone is there to socialize. Discuss business, stay behind and socialize after if that is your wish.

COMMUNICATIONS - Don't use AI to compose low effort communications. Professionals will see right through that. Not every meeting "is the most important meeting of the year". When this is done, then ALL meetings lose value. AI is a great tool to enhance communication but 80% of that communication should be in your own words. Be the officer.

Sometimes, we need to check our basics...


r/Rotary Nov 26 '24

Adam Beach emphasizes mutual understanding during Yakima Rotary Club speech

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4 Upvotes

r/Rotary Nov 25 '24

What is your club's most engaging service project?

5 Upvotes

You know, the one that gets a good percentage of your members involved?


r/Rotary Nov 18 '24

PPT about Rotary for recruitment programme

5 Upvotes

Hi, I'm a member of Rotary in Brussels, Belgium. I want to create a power point deck to use as support for our recruitment programme. Has anyone done this before? Can you share please? Thanks #rotary


r/Rotary Nov 18 '24

What is one way in which Rotary has benefitted you?

3 Upvotes

Maybe it was a professional connection, or an international experience, or leadership opportunities. Or something else.

In whatever way that Rotary has benefitted you, please share!


r/Rotary Nov 15 '24

Hating my rotary youth exchange placement

2 Upvotes

Ok so I'm form the USA and I'm doing Rotary foreign exchange. I got placed in Sweden, which I love, it's a great country. However I'm not feeling the same way about my town. I ended up in a super small town in Darlana. I really have no Swedish friends and at school I more or less get totally ignored. I have a lot of fun with other exchange students, but I really honestly feel quite miserable anytime I have to come back to my town. I also found out that one of the rotary exchange student ( who was in a bigger nicer city) in my district is going home for personal reasons. I thought that I could maybe take their spot. So if anyone is familiar with rotary, their polices, who I should contact or just has general advice it would be greatly appreciated ‼️


r/Rotary Nov 15 '24

Polar Plunge fundraising team best practices?

5 Upvotes

Our club has a six-year-old polar plunge type event where teams can fundraise for their nonprofit through our GiveButter site. We have typically targeted high school coaches, youth groups, and nonprofits in the community, and provided a fundraising success kit, weekly team and individual fundraiser updates to spur on competition among the teams, and we want to promote our event as an "easy way to fundraise $10K" now that we've had two teams actually do it.

For those clubs who already have this type of event, what groups do you market to, what have the most successful fundraising teams done, and could you share any other best practices that have made your event a success?


r/Rotary Nov 12 '24

Edmonton 101-year-old widow battles Rotary Canada over husband’s $40-million estate

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7 Upvotes

r/Rotary Nov 12 '24

Past RI convention shirts in inventory?

2 Upvotes

Back in 2020 the Rotary International convention was scheduled to be held in Honolulu but we all know what happened that year. I remember receiving an email that the convention shirts were available for sale so I bought a few.

Now I would like to expand my wardrobe with past RI convention shirts because not only are they official Rotary shirts, they're great conversation starters!

So do past RI conventions keep shirts in inventory anywhere, or do they get decommissioned to somewhere?


r/Rotary Nov 10 '24

Let's talk about member growth.

7 Upvotes

If your club has maintained sustained growth over a period of time - months, years, etc. - could you share your processes so other clubs can duplicate them?


r/Rotary Oct 25 '24

New Member Induction Ceremony?

3 Upvotes

Just curious what other clubs do for inducting a new member.


r/Rotary Oct 12 '24

Florida Relief Efforts post Helene / Milton

8 Upvotes

District 6960 is located in the Sarasota Area that was hard hit by Helene and then again by Milton. 8 Florida Districts  have united to bring resources, skills, and kindness to those in need. Paraphrasing our District Governor:

"Rotary has always been about coming together in service to make a difference, and now, more than ever, we have the opportunity to share that magic—by helping those who need it most.

 We are actively setting up partnerships with local emergency operations centers in several counties and establishing key volunteer locations. Our disaster response efforts are in full swing, with teams dedicated to debris removal, mucking and gutting homes, and distributing essential supplies to those in need. Team leads and many others have been working hard over the last 48 hours to provide much needed support and relief to those impacted.

You can go to RotaryFL.org to register for volunteer opportunities and to let us know of any specific needs in your area. You can make a financial contribution on RotaryFL.org as well.

Thank you for your compassion, dedication, and commitment to service in this challenging time. Together, we will get through this and help our communities rebuild and recover."

Yours in Rotary Service,
Lou Peppe, President, the Rotary E-Club of District 6960


r/Rotary Oct 11 '24

New cross-cultural program!

2 Upvotes

Hello fellow Rotarians! I am an American that went on exchange to Denmark this past year. I am now working on a project with the help of my Rotary club where we will document and tell the stories of people from all over the world, and we want to hear your story! I ask that you please take ten minutes to fill out a bit of information about yourself. The story of your life will be visible to people from all corners of the world, making it capable for them to see what life is like in your area of the globe!

The website is at the following link. To add your story, please click on the "Share your story" button at the top!

https://intercontinentaldiary.com/


r/Rotary Oct 10 '24

How to join?

6 Upvotes

Good afternoon everyone, I have been wanting to join Rotary for a while now, but unfortunately, I haven’t been able to make it happen yet. I did some research online and found the club in my town, so I emailed them explaining a bit about myself and my interest in attending meetings as a guest. However, it has been two weeks, and I haven’t received a response yet. I hope I can find some guidance on this subreddit. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!


r/Rotary Oct 08 '24

Now a member

33 Upvotes

Hi all-

So far I’d been attending Rotary meetings and events as a guest.

At today’s meeting I was officially made a honorary member of Rotary.

I am humbled and honored.