Excerpted from www.Rotary5960.org
Members in our neighboring District 5960 brainstormed ways to curb member resignations during the recession. Rogers Rotary has already implemented some of their ideas listed below. What else can we do to make membership as affordable as it is fun?
- Separate dues cost from the meal cost and allow people to attend and pay for coffee only.
- Make the 5th meeting of the month a “brown bag” at a member’s business for a Vocational Day.
- Meet and eat with the Interact Club at school. It’s a good connection and communication with our young future Rotarians, and school lunches are cheap!
- Picnic at a local park during the summer.
- Find a less expensive meeting venue like a church or town hall. Meals can be “brown bag.”
- Re-evaluate fining. Encourage Happy Dollars as the alternative.
- Look for hands-on projects to give members alternatives to just
writing checks. - Consider a joint project with County Extension (or other groups in the community) to teach young families how to do things for themselves, like gardening, canning sewing, home repairs, carpentry
(all the things our schools are no longer able to teach). - Replace the annual Foundation Gala with a “Subsistence” Dinner (based on typical Third World meal) with a minimum donation for dinner, but a great program inviting contributions to TRF. Money goes to TRF instead of to a fancy meal and evening for the attendees.