Public Image

If you missed District Conference this year, you missed the workshop we did on spreading the Rotary word and spirit. There is no magic to expanding the membership in your club. We all wish that it were that easy. Instead, it requires a systematic approach of letting people know the benefits of being a Rotarian and the benefits our communities and the world derive from our efforts.

Selling people on the idea of becoming a Rotarian should be done from the bottom up. By pictures and the written word in the newspapers, we can show our Service Above Self results in our own hometowns. Then when people are motivated to join us, we can enlighten them on the bigger picture of Rotary International and Rotary Foundation. Most people are visual. Show us in action, which as we all know, speaks much louder than mere words alone. Help them feel what it’s like to touch someone and make a positive difference in so many ways.

Spending a few moments thinking about what our towns, cities and indeed the world would be like if Rotary had never existed, should prompt all of us to get out there and keep our clubs alive by asking others to join us.

And when people do decide to become Rotarians, remember that they did so because they had a need to do something good. They may have discovered a calling that they didn’t know they had. Put them to work right away. Strike while the iron is hot. Or they might get bored or disillusioned and not return which would be our loss.

Sandy Peoples

District Public Image Chair