Trustee chair's Message on Membership

March 2008

Chair's message: Reconnect with Rotary Foundation alumni, our forgotten assets

Dear family of Rotary,

Rotary Foundation alumni are a largely untapped resource with tremendous potential for boosting Rotary club membership and support for the Foundation’s programs. That’s why reconnecting with alumni is one of our Foundation’s goals for 2007-08.

According to a 2006 survey, less than 3 percent of the more than 105,000 alumni of Foundation and RI programs are Rotarians. Yet two-thirds of alumni say they are interested in joining a Rotary club, a desire shared by more than 8 out of 10 current program participants.

A mere 20 percent of Rotary clubs claim to recruit alumni into membership. Imagine what impact these talented program veterans could have on our Foundation, our organization, and the world if 100 percent of Rotary clubs invited them into membership. President Wilf’s wish for a significant increase in total membership would come true!

“We need younger members” is what we often hear at Rotary seminars. Let’s invite alumni who have the professional qualifications for Rotary membership to join our clubs. The average age in many clubs would rapidly decline in direct proportion to the increase in activies of the club.

Encourage alumni who don’t yet qualify for Rotary club membership to join or start a Rotaract club, or invite them to participate in Rotary club and district projects. Be sure to invite – and financially support, if necessary – your district’s alumni to attend the first Rotary Alumni Celebration at the Los Angeles convention, 13-14 June.

What better way to show alumni that Rotary Shares than by sharing Rotary with them.
Robert S. Scott Trustee Chair, The Rotary Foundation, 2007-08

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