New Rotary Clubs: Quick Start Guide
New Rotary Clubs: Quick Start Guide
New Rotary Clubs: Quick Start Guide
QUICK START
GUIDE
Hold Informational Meetings • Inform your target market through traditional and
social media
• Sign up regular attendees as charter members
Complete New Club Application • Send the new club application form to Rotary via your
CDS team
• Continue to sign up new members
Celebrate Charter Approval and Publicize Club • Celebrate with your community and with existing,
prospective, and other Rotarians in a way that matches
with your new club
Continue Mentoring New Club • Support members and officers as they learn about Rotary
• Help develop the new team
• Provide advice and support on governance, projects, etc.
WHY START A NEW ROTARY CLUB?
New clubs are needed to increase our membership but This guide describes a nine-step process to create a new
they also bring other benefits. Starting a new Rotary club, from the initial idea to the charter celebration, and
club is an ideal way to: beyond. All interested Rotary members can use it.
Increase the positive impact of Rotary in your As a district governor, you’ll find advice on best
community practices for your strategy to start new clubs in your
district and how to find opportunities to increase
Engage with your community differently membership.
Increase diversity beyond your existing clubs As a district leader starting a new club, you’ll gain useful
tips for carrying out your tasks.
Explore new forms of club organization and
club life in your district As an interested Rotarian or prospective member, you’ll
learn about the process and how you might help your
Pursue new project ideas in your district district governor in starting a new club.
Create a list of communities in your district that would ••Communities with recognized needs
benefit from a new club. Include communities with
no Rotary clubs and areas that would benefit from ••Population size of 1,000-3,000 (This number
additional clubs. may be different in your region.)
Start by printing out a map of your district. Add the ••Groups of people and professions who
locations for all the clubs in your district and see what currently aren’t being recruited
emerges. If your map is full of clubs, look at the club
meeting times and see if there are opportunities to ••Rotary alumni (Rotaract, RYLA, VTT,
add clubs at different meeting times. Use Rotary’s Scholars, etc.)
Club Finder or the Rotary Club Locator mobile app.
••Young adults, women, ethnicities, and other
underrepresented groups
Are encouraged to have a diverse and Are encouraged to have a diverse and
balanced membership balanced membership
Elect club officers and develop a committee Elect club officers and develop a committee
structure to meet their goals and objectives structure to meet their goals and objectives
Enjoy their autonomy within the framework Enjoy their autonomy within the framework
of the Standard Rotary Club Constitution and of the Standard Rotary Club Constitution and
Recommended Rotary Club Bylaws Recommended Rotary Club Bylaws
Function as a Bring together people Bring together youth Bring together people
“club within a club” ages 18-30 in universities ages 12-18 interested in working
and communities with Rotary
Members are Rotarians Organize service activities Carry out at least two Conduct projects that
because they’re also and have fun projects annually benefit the community
members of the sponsor
club
Have separate meetings Govern and support Have fun and learn about Work closely with their
and officers (chairs) themselves the world sponsor Rotary club
Plan to become full Work closely with their Govern and support
Rotary clubs later on sponsor Rotary club themselves
Find out more: Find out more: Find out more: Find out more:
Satellite club FAQ [email protected] [email protected] Organize an RCC
CDS team
Notify Rotary
If you intend to start a new club, notify the Rotary office
that supports your district. Rotary’s Club and District
Support (CDS) team are trusted advisers who can
help you plan and implement your vision of a new club.
They will check the proposed name of the new club,
advise on each step of the process, review the new club
application, and recommend approval to Rotary’s Board
of Directors.
Plan how you will let prospective members know about Informational meetings are the first time prospective
the club. First, you need to know what you’re offering members meet to find out more about Rotary and the
and the benefits for prospective members. new club. Many people who say they’re interested in
joining won’t attend the meeting. Don’t be discouraged.
Start with research. Create a list of the businesses, Here are some tips to increase attendance:
professions, and community groups in the area. Use
local newspapers, the Internet, trade association ••Start with a clear, succinct, and compelling
publications, community websites, and other letter of invitation.
professional directories to add to your list. Are there
other professional and community leaders in your area? ••Send follow-up letters and emails within 48
It may also help to list the needs of the community and hours.
then look at how they intersect with local business and
professional groups. If you aren’t sure about needs, ••Call prospective members to remind them of
visit and talk with knowledgeable leaders in your the date, time, and location.
community.
••Encourage prospects to invite their friends and
You may want to consider the following points in other community-minded people who might be
preparing your plan of action: interested in joining.
••What is unique about your new club or what is ••Have a sign-up sheet to collect prospective
the vision that you want to promote? member names and email addresses.
••When, where, and how might the new club For more about how to conduct an informational
meet? meeting, consult Informational Meetings.
••What audiences are being targeted? How will you find club members? You’re looking
for people that want to make a difference in their
••Who is best placed to talk to them? community by helping others and for skilled
professionals who can mentor younger members.
••What Rotary projects are already happening in Business, professional, and community leaders can be
the area that you could use to show others what key sources. Diversity of membership is critical and is
Rotary is? related to your club’s long-term sustainability.
••What projects might they get involved in? If you need help with identifying prospective members:
••How and where will you publicize the new club? ••Contact [email protected]
for lists of prospective and relocated members.
••Do you have a robust process in place to You can also find out more about online
introduce prospective members to Rotary? prospective member names.
Answering these questions should allow you to prepare ••Revisit your research from step 3. What is it
information to use in your promotions and invitations telling you?
to informational meetings.
••Contact your district’s Rotary alumni.
Consider promoting the informational meetings in local
newspapers and post fliers around the community. You ••Visit local businesses and offices to talk to
can start with a prospective website for the new club, if business owners or managers about their
appropriate. interest in joining. Ask if you may speak with
their employees about joining.
6 HOLD ORGANIZATIONAL MEETINGS How you celebrate is up to the club but generally
reflects the club’s culture. For ideas on how to set up
Hold the organizational meeting when you have about a successful new club charter celebration, consult
10-20 people interested in joining a new club. The Club Charter Celebrations.
purpose of this meeting is to elect club officers, get
agreement on a weekly meeting time, and plan for the
club’s first project. The set-up for this meeting is the 9 CONTINUE MENTORING NEW CLUB
same as the informational meeting.
Support the new club by providing members with
For more about how to conduct an organizational Rotary knowledge, helping to train and advise on
meeting, consult Organizational Meetings. club roles, advising on club governance, providing
volunteers for projects, recommending speakers for
Determine where you want your club to meet. For more club meetings, and increasing audiences for events.
information on how to select the best possible meeting You can find more information about sponsor club
location for your new club, consult Meeting Locations. responsibilities and the mentoring relationship in
Strengthening Your Membership: Creating Your
Membership Development Plan.
7 COMPLETE NEW CLUB APPLICATION
You may also wish to provide all of your new members
The district governor verifies that the new club with a New Member Welcome Kit (Publication 426)
application is correct and complete by signing the available on shop.rotary.org.
application and forwarding it to their Club and District
Support (CDS) team.
Strengthening Your Membership: Creating What You Need to Know About E-Clubs
Your Membership Development Plan
Evaluate your club’s membership trends, create Thanks go to RIBI New Club Formation Officer
strategies for attracting new members, and develop Kevin Walsh and the RIBI e-learning team for
programs that focus on member engagement. use of their Quick Guide for new clubs.
E-Learning Guides
Found in Rotary’s e-learning center, there are two
modules created by the RIBI team on forming new
clubs and satellite clubs.