Club Strategic Plan. Rob Gilligan – IPG – D9270 – Strategic Planning. 2.09.2012
In my earlier note to you concerning the Strategic Plan I mentioned that we would go through the Plan Leg by Leg.
The main tenet behind the plan is that Rotary International has come up with ideas that clubs can use and incorporate in their planning and plans. There is no compulsion for any club to use any of the ideas, but they have been well thought through and may help to improve the way that your club operates.
As I said during my Club visits last Rotary year,” the business and professional world has changed in the way that they do things, and incorporate best practices wherever they can”. Rotary Clubs can do this as well, if they wish. Having said that, let us look at the Plans first leg.
The first leg is “SUPPORT AND STRENGTHEN CLUBS”
Under this heading:-
1) Foster innovation and flexibility in the way that your club works.
2) Have dynamic clubs
3) Encourage planning
4) Develop leaders
5) Improve member retention and identifying new members
Amongst other items
a) Do we provide regular fellowship activities involving the entire FAMILY OF ROTARY in our clubs? We don’t have to take an extra evening or day out of our schedules to do this. Why not make a regular club evening a fellowship occasion, on a monthly basis. You can do this away from the normal club venue, and it can involve anything that you can think of. I know clubs who enjoy 10 pin bowling, organize quiz evenings with neighbouring clubs, go to a restaurant, and even play action cricket. This occasion generates enormous club spirit, and impresses potential new members in that they don’t see Rotary as stuffy and rigid.
b) Meetings don’t have to follow the same rigidity every week, meeting simply to have a meeting. Make sure that meetings are vibrant, with some laughter and fun, with good speakers. Listen to all members and try so see their point of view. NO “we have tried it and it doesn’t work”. NO stopping a speaker or presenter in mid-stream because the hour is up. Let every member have opportunities to perform varying duties during meetings. Make sure that business/report back meetings are conducted in a professional way, showing that we are professional people. These meetings should be informative on recent events. NO going through things or projects that have been reported on before.
c) Make sure that all members are involved with club activities and events, right through from the planning stages through to execution. Make sure that members DO NOT BECOME ENTRENCHED in a position, as new ideas will never come through in that position.
d) Make sure that the formation of your committees, support not only your club’s needs, but satisfy your members’ interests as well.
e) Make sure that your club has goals and aims that can be met, measured and reported upon.
f) Make sure that EVERY CLUB MEMBER is kept informed on club activities, and knows what is expected.
g) Make sure that new members are NOT LEFT HANGING but are involved
h) Make sure that POTENTIAL ROTARIANS are brought into the club and NOT SIMPLY NUMBERS.
i) Clubs need DIVERSITY in every way in order to have a spread of skills.
j) Make sure that all members are given opportunities in the Club leadership and are trained to perform these tasks.
Finally – CLUB MEMBERS WHO ARE INVOLVED AND ARE ENJOYING ROTARY, CONTRIBUTE TO A STRONG VIBRANT CLUB. DYNAMIC VIBRANT CLUBS ATTRACT DYNAMIC VIBRANT NEW MEMBERS, INVIGORATE EXISTING MEMBERS, AND MOTIVATE UPCOMING LEADERS.
This is not an exhaustive list of ideas, but are worth considering.
Rob Gilligan – Immediate Past Governor
D9270 – Strategic Planning.