STALEMATE

STALEMATE - that's the expression we use when we are at an impasse. I feel that is the case with membership development in our District.

I was District Membership Development Chairman when Low Teong’s was Governor and I remember visiting nearly every club in the District to talk about the importance of growing our great organization. Richard King was RI President and he emphasized the importance of bringing in new members in the face of a global contraction in Rotary membership. We came close to 1,800 Rotarians that year.

More that 10 years later we are still hovering at around the same number. Why?

I want to start a discussion on membership development, which is the lifeblood of any organization. Now more than ever the spirit of volunteerism must be shared and promoted.

Here are some reasons why we should promote membership growth.

• Think about why you became a Rotarian. One of the reasons is because you understand that you are not going to live forever – you have to balance your personal ‘account’ with God before its time to kick the bucket. Helping your fellow man is certainly one of the fundamental tenets of any “bucket list”. You have an obligation to spread that message.

• We are Rotarians because someone shared Rotary with us. We in turn have an obligation to share Rotary with others. Don’t you think?

• More members mean we have a greater capacity to serve the good of our community, our nation and the world.

• New members bring fresh ideas to the club and create a dynamic force for good.

• We all know that older members tend to ‘burn out’ after many years of Rotary service – new blood is vital to keep the engine of service going.

  

Please feel free to share your views of why we should promote membership growth in our great organisation.

Let me share a thought expressed by our Founder Paul P Harris.

“We are here on earth and we are here to stay during our respectively allotted periods. How much of happiness and how much of misery shall be our share remains with us almost entirely to determine. If we possess a modicum of reason, it will be apparent to us that it is the part of wisdom to cheerfully make the best of the situation and to harmonize our own lives with nature’s inexorable laws. We are entitled to the maximum of happiness; and may we be sane enough to observe that the route to a life full of happiness does not lie in intemperate indulgence. We need and the world needs an optimistic, rational philosophy of life.”

GOD BLESS ROTARY AND ROTARIANS