Welcome to August– the month where we put emphasis on Membership and Club Development. What an apt focus as we settle into our Rotary year.
As we visit Clubs Kevin and I are appreciating a warm welcome and an insight into such varied Club experiences – some traditional, others more informal – all doing good in the community.
A focus on membership and club development needs a two-fold approach. Holgar Knaack, our RI President, has several messages for us as we take a stock check on the health of our Clubs. He encourages us to look inwards first - and then outwards.
Looking inward, we need to ask “What should our Club be like in five (or one /two) years’ time and what steps should we take to help achieve that vision? What value do we bring to our members? It’s useful to run a survey of our members, checking whether their expectations are being met. There are several surveys available on MyRotary or you could design your own. People join Rotary - and stay - for a range of reasons – friendship, leadership and personal development, fun, community connections and service opportunities, global access and opportunity for international service, networking – and others. Does your Club meet your members’ expectations? What could you do differently?
Looking outward, what image do we present to our communities? How effectively do we tell our story so that the community knows and values our contribution and wants to be part of that. I wonder – if a visitor were to walk into our meetings, what would they think? Would they ‘see themselves’ there? Does the Club reflect the community – age and gender wise, ethnically. Are a range of occupations / interests reflected? How attractive are we to potential new members?
Might we need to become more flexible and innovative to address any potential barriers to membership? Perhaps there are there other ways we can meet to make us more accessible. I encourage you to explore the wide range of materials available about Club Development in My Rotary.
Talking of responsiveness to changing expectations, RI is really leading the way in their appointment of Jennifer Jones as the first woman RI President in 2022-23. Long overdue perhaps – but a reflection on the ‘walk the talk’ attitude of current RI President Holgar. Such exciting news.
This Rotary year I hope we don’t get too fixated on numbers.We know our membership numbers are declining Zone-wide, but at club level there are things we can do a lot to make Rotary a service organisation people want to join.
Firstly, can I ask you to take an honest, hard look at your own club: what do you look like to the prospective members in your community? Do you appear to be an elitist, wealthy or exclusive society, have you got baffling, irrelevant old traditions, are your weekly meetings and meals too costly financially and time-wise for working people with families? Are a large number of your members just there for the friendship and not actively engaged in Rotary and serving the community? Let’s ensure the club is meeting the needs of members. Are they active and having fun engaging/partnering with the community and delivering sustainable projects? If we can get our club environment right and present a club that is vibrant, diverse, inclusive, well connected with our community, visible, we will be seen as relevant and attractive.
Jennifer E. Jones, a member of the Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland, Ontario, Canada, has been nominated to become Rotary International’s president for 2022-23, a selection that will make her the first woman to hold that office in the organization’s 115-year history.
A current Rotary Foundation trustee, Jones has been a member since 1997 and has served Rotary as vice president, director, training leader, committee chair, moderator, and district governor. Read more on the nomination: https://on.rotary.org/2DDj58H
The year 2020 has brought monumental changes that have already included a global pandemic and a renewed call for social justice. We are reminded that we live in a constantly changing world, and Rotary is a reflection of that world.
We must be ready to listen and adapt, always drawing upon our core values of service, fellowship, diversity, integrity, and leadership. If we live these values and apply The Four-Way Test to all aspects of our lives, we will be prepared to lead at all times.
DG Gillian had a great day today ( 2/8 ) in Whanganui with a committed team.
A really valuable conversation between AGs, Chairs and the Governor train, sharing information and opening communication channels. Then the first Board meeting for the new Rotary year, followed by a Finance and Risk meeting! Really appreciated everyone's commitment to exploring opportunities.
Clubs in our District are on the cusp of greater engagement with international partners through the Rotary Foundation.
Clubs are planning to get international support for projects here in New Zealand, such as medical equipment for the new Wellington Children’s Hospital, as well as providing assistance overseas, such as orthopaedic surgical equipment and training in Tonga.
Supporting the environment is now the seventh cause or area of focus for our Foundation efforts, so I am sure many of you are thinking about how your Clubs will engage with our Foundation in this area.
We are about to release over NZ$35,000 to Clubs who were successful in their recent applications for District grants.
We encourage Clubs to think of the Foundation and the support offered through District or Global Grants whenever they are developing projects. Members of the Foundation Committee are here to support you (see below). However we cannot increase our humanitarian service through our Foundation without the support of Clubs, Rotary members and our non-Rotary friends.
Put off by the Rotary jargon?Just think - each daunting term represents an opportunity for members!
Come to the RLI workshop near you and translate the jargon into interesting opportunities, where you can develop your skills and contribute to important projects. A recent list had 44 Rotary jargon terms, but here are a couple:
District 9940 - Our District (from New Plymouth, across to Dannevirke and south to Wellington) - provides plenty of ways in which you can develop your leadership and organisation skills and build your networks across the southern North Island.
Rotary Action Groups - Ways to get involved internationally with your pet cause. For example - RAGES (Rotary Action Group for Endangered Species) has enabled Rotarian Debbie Mair and others, to access sources of international support for their project for orphaned elephants in Malaysia.
To find out more about the RLI workshops, check on the District website.
By the time you read this all of our Inbound students will have returned to their home countries. We had four international students hosted in District 9940 - Cris and Felipe from Chile, Maxime from France and Rebekka from Switzerland. We were lucky to get Cris and Felipe on a Chilean Consulate air freight flight at very short notice and it was a tight scramble for them to pack, visit their clubs and say goodbye to all their friends and families. Max and Rebekka managed to secure normal airline flights. Our Outbound student, Hila in Finland and Genevieve in Japan are continuing their exchanges and are being fully supported by their host Districts and their families.
Photo: RYE students and committee members at District Changeover
Many families are struggling to put food on the table and New World Porirua promoted this initiative for support and much needed relief to local families in need.
People were encouraged to donate a filled bag to support St Anne’s Pantry Foodbank. The ‘Family2family’ 2020 Foodbank Appeal ran across three weeks and according to New World Porirua the campaign ended with an absolute highlight when Rotary Porirua supported the initiative with 50 filled bags that packed five entire shopping trolleys.
St Anne’s Pantry have been overwhelmed and are greatly appreciative of the generosity of Porirua Rotary and the people of Porirua.
They sent this message“Thank you Porirua Rotary Club for your donation and thank you Porirua for caring. Last week alone we distributed 28 generously sized food parcels to Porirua households – all because you care”.
All hands were on deck when Kapiti Rotary helped relocate the Kapiti Food Bank in Paraparaumu.
In one day (it was supposed to take 2 days), the shift was completed by 22 Rotarians and family members using trucks, trailers, utes, vans cars, and sack barrows. They moved 6 fridges, several freezers, hundreds of boxes of food, and some office equipment from the Kapiti Road site and set everything up in their new premises in Ngahina Street. A container load of donated food and goods already at the new premises was shifted into the new building to be stored, and food from the Kapiti Road site that did not fit in the building went into the container for temporary storage.
The following letter of appreciation was received from the Food Bank.
Dear Rotary Members. The committee and I would like to pass on to the members of Rotary our heartfelt gratitude for the wonderful people that helped the Kapiti Food bank move premises last Friday. We could not have done it without you. The people power, the truck, the van, the cones, the trolley lifts, the laughter, the energy, the giving was such a joy to witness and be part of. You are a great asset to our community and the giving is done with such generosity.
The Martinborough Fairs in 2020, organised by South Wairarapa Rotary, made a record combined profit of $100,000.
The money will be used by Rotary to support the community in South Wairarapa. South Wairarapa Rotary have been running the Fairs in Martinborough since 1977.
Stall-holders pay a fee to Rotary for their site at the Fair and it is this money, less the expenses of running the Fairs, that then becomes available to Rotary to spend. Over the years it is estimated that, in todays dollars, the Fairs have earned nearly $3m for Rotary, with this year’s profit being the highest ever.
The Rotary Club of Marton, under Allan Fenwick's clear direction, cleared out their old 'Bucket Shed' and moved to a new shed. Selling recycled buckets had been a significant fundraiser for the club for decades
The district is adopting a new modern fit-for-purpose insurance regime for the District, Clubs and Rotary Programmes beginning in July 2020. This comes about as a consequence of a major review and analysis of the old insurance policy which is over 15 years old.
The final acceptance date for articles/stories is Sunday 6th September.
Also just prior notice that the October Bulletin will be published earlier in the month as I will be away for two weeks - so final acceptance date is Sunday 4th October.
All stories need to be as a word document and kept to a maximum of two pages.
This Rotary year I hope we don’t get too fixated on numbers.
The trustees and planning team for the Wellington Regional Children’s Health Fund Charitable Trust inaugural meeting today (20/7).
Just think - each daunting term represents an opportunity for members! 
By the time you read this all of our Inbound students will have returned to their home countries. We had four international students hosted in District 9940 - Cris and Felipe from Chile, Maxime from France and Rebekka from Switzerland. We were lucky to get Cris and Felipe on a Chilean Consulate air freight flight at very short notice and it was a tight scramble for them to pack, visit their clubs and say goodbye to all their friends and families. Max and Rebekka managed to secure normal airline flights. 
Many families are struggling to put food on the table and New World Porirua promoted this initiative for support and much needed relief to local families in need. 
People were encouraged to donate a filled bag to support St Anne’s Pantry Foodbank. The ‘Family2family’ 2020 Foodbank Appeal ran across three weeks and according to New World Porirua the campaign ended with an 
