District Governor Nick Frankle's Message

 
Imagine your community without Rotary. 
Who would feed the homeless? Who would stock the shelves of your food banks?  Who would provide medicines and funding for diagnostic tests to your free clinics? Who would provide a disadvantaged child with their first backpack, a special meal at Thanksgiving or the chance to go shopping at Christmas to buy presents for their family? Who would mentor your youth and celebrate your senior citizens? Where else would the non-profits in your area find the extra time, talent and treasure needed to accomplish their goals?  What other organization would offer leadership training to high school students through programs like Interact and RYLA and then provide the scholarships to help them live their dreams? 
August is Membership Month.  Take time this month to look around your community and make your own list of the good being done every day by you  and your Rotary club – then share it with your friends and business acquaintances. Invite them to join you at a meeting, a social or a project. Wear your Rotary pin proudly and always be able to answer the question “why are you a Rotarian?”  Make sure that your Facebook page, LinkedIn page and email signature identify you as a proud member of your Rotary club. 
You are Rotary’s best ambassadors.  Think of how much more your Rotary club could accomplish with one more member.  Make a commitment to yourself and to your club to invite one person to a Rotary event. 
Sometime in the past someone gave you the gift of Rotary.  This membership month pass that gift on to someone else.  It is the one gift that lasts a lifetime.
 
 
 
 
There are many ways to join in the celebration, but here are a few activities to get you started:
  • Say it loud, say it proud! Let everyone in your social network know that you are a proud member by changing your Twitter and Facebook profile to the I’m a Proud Member, I’m a Proud Rotaractor, or I’m a Proud Interactor graphic. Copy and save the graphic as your profile picture for August.
  • Watch and share. Download RI President Gary C.K. Huang’s video on membership from Rotary’s Vimeo page. Watch it at your next meeting or club event to highlight the vital role membership plays in maintaining a strong and active club.
  • Exchange ideas. Do you have successful membership strategies that have worked well in your community? Share them on the Membership Best Practices Discussion Group.
  • We Are Rotary. Using the hashtag #WeAreRotary, post photos to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Vine of your club members at work in your community or abroad to show how Rotary makes a positive impact in the world.
  • It’s Now or Never. Join us on August 13 at 10:00 Chicago time (UTC-5) for our Membership: It’s Now or Never webinar. It will feature international membership expert Nikki Walker discussing innovative ways of thinking about membership.
  • Making a difference. Rotary clubs are known for the high-impact service projects they undertake locally and globally. Share stories about your service projects and how they improve lives on Rotary Showcase. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to see what Rotary members around the world are doing to celebrate Membership Month.
  • What does Rotary mean to you? Rotary members have pushed polio to the brink of eradication, delivered clean water to those in need, improved their local communities, provided scholarships to the next generation of peacemakers, and continued to do good in the world.