2006
Rotary International Convention Secretary General's Report
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Marking the first year of Rotary's second century of service, 2005-06 presented both challenges and opportunities for Rotary. A devastating Atlantic hurricane season created new humanitarian needs and necessitated a change of venue for the 2007 convention. We capitalized on the wealth of positive publicity generated by the Rotary Centennial to stimulate interest in Rotary membership. And buoyed by the celebration of Rotary's past, Rotary's senior leadership focused much of its energy on planning for an even more successful future. Responding to Disaster Hurricane Katrina, which devastated much of the Louisiana and Mississippi coastlines, hit just as the 2007 RI convention committee was meeting in New Orleans. Realizing the enormous challenge Rotarians would face in rebuilding their homes and businesses over the coming months and years, the RI Board and RI's International Meetings Division worked with local Rotarians and convention and visitors bureaus in New Orleans and Salt Lake City, Utah, to orchestrate a switch between the 2007 and 2011 convention cities. Given the scope of the disaster, postponing the New Orleans convention until 2011 provides an opportunity for New Orleans-area Rotarians to rebuild their lives and city before taking on the enormous task of hosting RI's citywide convention. We're encouraged by the positive reports that RI continues to receive from local Rotarians and the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau on plans for 2011. Communicating the Rotary Story I encourage clubs to work with local print and broadcast media to seek free placement of the Humanity in Motion PSAs, which will not only enhance Rotary's public image in your community but may help attract new members to your club. Over the past three years, we've seen a direct correlation between publicity of a club or district project and increased interest in Rotary membership in that community. Examples of this have occurred in Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Venezuela, where many prospective members have indicated that their interest in Rotary was piqued by newspaper, magazine, billboard, television, or radio coverage. For many non-Rotarians, their point
of introduction to Rotary is our Web site at www.rotary.org, which
has also become the organization's most important communications vehicle
in terms of timeliness, efficiency, and cost- effectiveness. To ensure
that we continually improve communication with Rotarians and make
a good first impression on the rest of the world, the Web site will
undergo a complete reconstruction during the coming year. Our plan
is to greatly enhance our electronic public face and make it easier
and faster for Rotarians to conduct business online and navigate through
the many layers of Rotary information, most of which will ultimately
be available in nine languages. Our new Secretariat intranet allows staff to transfer information more easily, access forms and documents more quickly, and share updates as needed. In the future, many of these technologies will be extended to improve service to Rotarians through enhanced secure sites for committees and other groups and an online photo library. During reconstruction, Rotary.org will continue to provide the most up-to-date news about RI and The Rotary Foundation. I encourage you to visit the site regularly. Our focus on the Web site doesn't mean
we've neglected our print and audiovisual products. In fact, this
year we debuted RVM: The Rotarian Video Magazine, which offers a documentary-style
look at some of Rotary's best service efforts. Produced three times
a year, each DVD tells the stories of Rotary service and humanitarian
efforts worldwide. Strengthening Membership Although most Rotarians agree that program alumni are an ideal source of prospective Rotarians, only 2.9 percent of Rotarians have actually been drawn from that pool. About 85 percent of current program participants and 66 percent of alumni surveyed expressed interest in joining Rotary, but only 42 percent of clubs say they recruit alumni for membership. Most of the alumni who are interested in joining and who hold the requisite business or professional position have not been pursued for membership. According to the survey, only 42 percent of GSE alumni, 33 percent of former Rotaractors, and 18 percent of scholarship alumni have been invited to join. In 2004-05 alone, Rotary "graduated" more than 100,000 alumni, many of whom are already well qualified for Rotary membership — if only someone asks them to join. You can read more about the findings of the alumni survey and how clubs can tap into this pool of prospective members at www.rotary.org/membership. Other research on membership issues recommends increasing diversity in the club's membership, getting new members actively involved in the club quickly, mentoring new clubs so that they pass the critical two-year mark, and keeping small clubs vital by keeping membership stable or growing. You'll find these and other best practices on the RI Web site. In a survey of district membership chairs, "weak club leadership" was cited as the leading factor in membership loss. To this end, the 2004-05 RI Board approved the Club Leadership Plan, the recommended administrative structure for Rotary clubs, which is based on the best practices of effective Rotary clubs around the world. The plan emphasizes consensus for decision making, continuity of leadership and project management, and the involvement of all members in service, fellowship, and training. Throughout this year, we have been working to publicize the plan and assist clubs in implementing it. For more information about the plan, go to www.rotary.org/support or ask your Club and District Support representative. Supporting The Rotary Foundation The Foundation Trustees launched a special fundraising initiative this year to secure the future of the Rotary Centers for International Studies in peace and conflict resolution program. Recognizing the Rotary Centers' vital role in promoting world understanding and peace, The Rotary Foundation adopted it as a permanent program and approved a plan to raise $95 million in major gifts and estate commitments to fully endow 60 new two-year Rotary World Peace Fellowships annually. In addition to District Designated Fund allocations of more than $14 million, individual Rotarians and other supporters of the Foundation have contributed almost $12 million to this program. We're already beginning to see excellent returns on this investment. Working for multilateral institutions, the World Bank, and nongovernmental organizations around the world, Rotary World Peace Fellowship alumni are helping to write national constitutions, monitoring elections, prosecuting international criminals, and working alongside UN peacekeeping forces. The success of the Rotary Centers inspired
the launch of the Rotary Peace and Conflict Studies program, a three-month
program at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. Designed for established
professionals, the program focuses on conflict resolution through
both academic study and field work. The first class of participants
will begin their studies in July. With an average age of 40, the 17
participants represent 13 countries and nine different professions. The Trustees also approved the first Health, Hunger and Humanity (3-H) grant applications since the four-year moratorium on the program was lifted last year. The 11 grants totaling $2.9 million will address large-scale development needs, such as health education and prevention in eastern and western Russia, state-of-the- art cardiac surgeries and training for doctors and volunteers in China, a national program to improve the provision of dental care in Uganda, and a water and sanitation project to serve one of the world's largest urban slums in Kenya. Bringing Rotarians Together I encourage all Rotarians to consider attending the Salt Lake City convention in 2007. Set in the heart of the American West, this venue will provide participants with an easy opportunity to visit some of the most scenic vistas in the United States — or, for that matter, in the world. The switch of venues for 2007 presented challenges for all involved in convention planning, but I'm happy to report that despite only 21 months for planning, the Salt Lake City Host Organization Committee, Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau, the local community, and RI staff have worked together to quickly organize this large event. In the past nine months, the international convention and host organization committees have met, the venue and hotels have been contracted, the RI- and host-ticketed events have been confirmed, a marketing plan has been established, and the convention program has been drafted. Registration for Salt Lake City will begin at the 2006 convention in Malmö-Copenhagen. Planning for the Future Both committees have kept the Board and the Trustees informed of their plans, which are based on input from Rotarians worldwide and together will provide a valuable blueprint for Rotary's future. Recognizing the role that our staff plays in supporting the work of clubs, districts, and the Rotary leadership worldwide, the Board has called for the development of a Secretariat strategic plan, which will work in tandem with the RI and Foundation plans. We have begun to develop strategies for improving Secretariat operations and services to ensure that the Secretariat can provide the needed support as Rotary moves forward. Over the coming months, I will be sharing
our progress with all of you on our Web site, in our publications,
and whenever I have the opportunity to meet with Rotarians in person.
As always, I welcome your input on how we can all work together to
make Rotary an even more powerful force for good in the world.
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