For many Rotarians, the membership experience is all about how we each think and feel at our Rotary weekly meetings, our district events, projects, and conferences. Experience is subjective and each person's may be something completely different.
At the beginning of this Rotary year someone said,” If you were invited to join your Rotary club, would you?”
Hmm, now there’s a very thought provoking question.
Unfortunately, it raises lots of conflicts for several members in today's Rotary.
For example: Many members like the people in their respective club and have had lots of fun with projects; however, they may not like the image their club projected – one that may appear to be a group of mature aged people sitting down for lunch or dinner because they had always done it that way and it had never changed. So, a year ago, if some of us were prospective Rotarians, then most likely, we probably wouldn’t have joined our respective clubs. In most cases, that change of heart is because we wanted to be apart of an exciting, vibrant club, where being a Rotarian was something, people aspired to become and remain. We wanted to talk about projects and not what was for lunch or dinner. We wanted to sit down with like-minded people and concentrate on what was needed in our community and beyond, not spend inordinate amounts of time on petty matters.
So what if we start looking at what other clubs have been doing and examining how some (newer) clubs were attracting and engaging members.
These clubs didn’t look like a "typical" Rotary Club – they were non-traditional. From different meetings times, venues, styles and formats, many of these clubs had discarded some of the traditional formats such as fines or singing the National Anthem and focusing on spending time planning or positioning the club to do good in our community.
Change doesn’t come easily, you have to work at it. Finding a common goal and working towards achieving it can take time. Time communicating with all the other members to see what experience they wanted, and how it could be implemented. Everything by agreement, taking all the members along for the ride. The goal being change for the better, change to create a more attractive vibrant club that others wanted to join. Retaining a membership base and not let them slip out the back door. In other words Make Membership Memorable for the right reasons.
Recently, the Rotary International President's Personal Representative talked about how we might be guilty of over selling ourselves and under delivering on expectation.
Many of us can honestly say that we get quite passionate about the things we are involved with and expect others are the same. However, unless we can deliver on that expectation once new members have signed on the dotted line then we may well lose them out that revolving back door in a year or two. This brings up the adage of every member having a role or responsibility, being included, and having something to contribute.
Caused-based focus groups is where this can lead where we would want to strengthen our own clubs, protect their future, and increase the diversity of people, projects, and activities. New members would immediately have something to contribute under the guidance of more experienced Rotarians who could mentor and help with implementation.
Implementing change is great but unless we review and re-evaluate that change on a regular basis then it could fall apart. Surveys, analysis of results, getting members to participate and share their thoughts on what has worked for them is the way to go.
It’s all part of that Membership Experience where if someone asked you a year from now whether as a prospective Rotarian you would join your club, the answer would be a big yes as your club is committed to being evolutionary and even revolutionary as Paul Harris once said.
The Club Experience – The Key To Member Satisfaction
Once the 2022 Rotary International All-Member Survey report was published, the results were clear – the number one driver of member satisfaction is ‘the club experience’.
The annual survey conducted by Rotary International’s Research and Evaluation team goes to all Rotarians and Rotaractors. In 2022, just over 78,000 members responded to the online survey.
The key finding of the 2022 survey is that the club experience is the most important driver of member satisfaction. The particular factors of the club experience that matter most are also clear – ‘meeting enjoyment’ and ‘confidence in club leadership’, followed closely by ‘satisfaction with club service’, ‘satisfaction with finding friends’ and ‘comfort with other club members’. The survey findings also confirm the obvious – members with higher satisfaction levels are more likely to be retained in Rotary; perhaps less obvious, they also attract more new members to our clubs.
The club experience is also directly linked to the reasons why people have considered terminating their membership in the past twelve months. For members who are dissatisfied, there are two main reasons – ‘the club’s lack of community engagement’ and the belief that ‘the club does not represent my values’. ‘Conflict with other members’ is also significant.
The 2022 survey also yields important reasons why members join and stay in Rotary.
New members join for a multitude of reasons – community service, friendship, international service, and professional connections. However, they stay for two main reasons – community service and friendship. And while most new members reported a positive on-boarding and induction process, a sizeable group (20%) indicated that they received only ‘a little’ information about the time and financial commitments associated with Rotary, suggesting they may not be adequately prepared.
At a practical level, the 2022 All-Member Survey highlights the importance of improving the club experience for members and suggests strategies that may prove most effective. These include:
- Taking time to understand individual members’ needs and expectations, and delivering an experience that meets those needs.
- Ensuring members are actively involved and engaged in service, making friends and, where appropriate, professional connections.
- Improving the meeting experience through more effective time management, better speakers, and more interesting opportunities for club members to learn.
- Creating a club culture that is welcoming and inclusive.
- Addressing conflicts between members proactively and quickly.
In the end delivering an exceptional club experience is the key to engaging and retaining members and attracting new members into our organization. It is also the key to creating great brand ambassadors for Rotary.
Club leaders are therefore encouraged to make member satisfaction and improving the member experience a priority in our clubs. Using Rotary’s Membership Assessment Tools is a great place to start.
How are individual members in your club given the chance to have input in their club? Are club leaders open to new ideas from members?
Additionally, the Managing Club Business course can be found in each club officer’s learning plan. The course helps incoming officers understand administrative responsibilities and the role that members can play in club business. As you are taking the course, reflect on ways your club has engaged members and brainstorm ways you will help create a positive and inclusive club experience during your term.
