Membership.
There is not enough time to go through all the statistical information here today. However I will say that it is my desire to discuss this topic in more detail with the club in the near future. We have in total 54 members at the start of the Rotary Year. I have indicated to District that it is my belief we will finish with a net loss of members at the end of the year. Whilst we will endeavour to introduce as many new members as possible (and I have listed 5 as our target) I also think that we will lose members throughout the year for a variety of reasons. I have indicated to district that we could lose up to 8 members this year. Membership chairman Mike McFarlane and I will attend the district membership seminar as we strive to find every means possible to find new members for our club. In saying this I want to encourage all members to take into consideration how we can grow the clubs membership. To this day the most effective way to increase members is for existing members to invite and foster friends or networks into joining the club. The vibrancy and future of the club will depend on the new members that join the club and how they embrace the opportunity to provide service above self.
We have had a number of resignations from the club throughout the year, and we have had three new members join our club: Meron, Leigh and Maurice. Overall our membership has dropped to 45. We have had a number of potential members attend our luncheons to have a look at our club throughout the year; unfortunately many of them have opted not to join. This is an area for consideration within the club, ensuring that we are welcoming towards guests, as well as the structure and formality of our meeting, in order that we meet the needs of a new generation.
There was a sense of great sadness for the club when PP PHF Neil Guerin died. The members of the club had an opportunity to pay their respects to Neil by forming a guard of honour at his funeral. This was a tangible way for us to honour a great friend and show our thoughts to Joy and all members of Neil’s family.
District will be conducting Rotary Leadership Seminars and as a club we will nominate and send clubs members as deemed appropriate at the time.
Attendance has been calculated during recent months at 65% and I have indicated to district that our target will be 75% by next April. However I would like to point out that the 65% we have achieved is made to look far better by our use of the 85 rule and leave of absence applications. As I indicated earlier, our weekly attendance in real terms is often below 50% and needs to be improved. Rotary reduced the requirement for members to attend 60% to 50%, including make-ups, in an effort to make it easier for members in these busy times: we have an alarming number of members that are well below 50%. My desire is not to drive these members away, rather find ways to encourage them to increase their attendance rate.
As a club we did not send any members to the Rotary Leadership Seminars. One of the challenges was the existing commitments and availability of members that this would suit. As for the attendance rates, I think we have made significant improvements in this area throughout the year.