The R2 Hit List

To close out this year’s column, I’d like to return to the topic of young Rotarians. After all, young Rotarians represent Rotary’s next generation.

I was recently having a conversation with a Chilean Rotarian. (We were speaking complementary versions of Spanglish, augmented by copious hand gestures and exaggerated facial expressions.) He was describing diminishing Rotary membership over the last few years and a difficulty in attracting younger members into his club of seniors. It appears that some things are the same the world over. The conversation got me thinking about a short list of issues related to attracting and keeping younger members in Rotary. And so, here it is, at least the top few items. Add salt to taste.

Like Attracts Like. Getting the first young member is the hardest. After that it should be easier. Everyone should be a greeter now and then, but don’t stick your newest members there forever. Mentor your young members, give them responsibilities in your club early, and put them in active and visible positions. They will attract more of the same.

Family Values. Your young members are likely to have young children, and time away from family is limited. Consider having fellowship events for the whole family to build camaraderie while maximizing family time.

Follow the Money. While younger members can bring energy, ideas, and vitality to your club, they may not be well-heeled. Some clubs offer reduced dues for a period of time or have other club members sponsor new members by subsidizing their dues, especially for the first six months. Some disagree with a non-uniform dues structure, and both points are valid. Whatever works for your club is the right policy for you, but keep in mind that money may be a limiting factor in the acquisition of younger members.

With a Song in Your Heart. Ok, I’ll be frank. I love to sing. But I usually reserve it for the shower and try not to torture other people with my vocal talents or lack thereof. I feel safe in telling you that if you are a singing club, you will probably not be attracting younger members. I recently endured a singing club’s rendition of a children’s song which was substantially less impressive than the version offered by my youngest daughter’s kindergarten class. If you feel absolutely compelled to sing, then I recommend songs written after 1970 and preferably by artists with whom younger members are familiar (like Outkast or Linkin Park).

As always, your comments, questions, and criticisms are welcome.

Think Globally, Act... Globally

Perhaps you were expecting something else? The familiar phrase, of course, is “think globally, act locally.” And Rotary is already very good at that. With tens of thousands of local clubs around the world, each with avenues of community and vocational service, I think we’ve got act locally pretty well covered. But where really Rotary excels, and what makes it different from other service clubs, is in its international scope.

I read an article recently about a women’s service organization with a local chapter here in Orange County. Without mentioning names, the organization was lamenting its membership problems, which could basically be described as – most people have never heard of us, and those that have… have a preconceived (and unflattering) notion of who we are. Sound familiar? There are a number of ways to fight stereotypes and to get noticed, some of them local. Being visible in our communities, with our many faces – young and old, light and dark, male and female – can change those stereotypes locally. But to change our image globally, we will need to act globally.

How is Rotary to be known after its first 100 years? As the businessman’s service club? How will Rotary be remembered in the next 100? Perhaps as the organization that eradicated polio? How about as the NGO that brought clean water to the world? Or maybe as the network that helped put an end to regional conflict? This is the kind of thinking that can change not just an image but a planet as well. This is thinking globally.

And this kind of thinking, I believe, is what is attracting and what will continue to attract Rotary’s Next Generation. With our ability to reach around the globe - over borders, across cultures, and through languages – and put a hand where it’s most needed, we can turn this thinking into action. Rotary can be the internet of humanitarian service. Embracing this vision and broadcasting it in all directions is what will change misperceptions.

So let’s not lament our image but instead change it by becoming the global entity that we can be. Let us think, and act, globally.

As always, your comments, questions, and criticisms are welcome.

A Man Wants to Work

Time was when a man worked his whole career in one company. Black suit, white shirt, black tie - 9 to 5 till 65 with a gold watch at retirement. Nowadays (did I really just say that?), he’s not only likely to change jobs every few years, he may just as likely change careers – and more than once. (And I’ll bet you didn’t even get past the word “man” without a pause, did you? Good for you.)

It’s no surprise that what you do is not who you are, now less so than ever. Being a Rotarian probably says a whole lot more about who you are than does your job title. To be honest, I can’t keep up with job titles anyway. I met someone recently whose title is Search Engine Optimizer. Does your club have one of those? And my still current favorite – Chief Yahoo. What Rotary classification is that exactly? Worse, it’s getting to the point where doing only one thing at a time is old hat. Ask for a resume, and you’ll most likely get the response, “which one?” To which you reply, “the web service, e-commerce, marketing consultant/investor one… I think.”

The Rotary classification system is used a number of ways. In its best form, it keeps clubs from becoming guilds. Diversity in membership has many benefits, and besides, how many lawyers do you really want to have a meal with every week? (Sorry.) But it can also be used to prevent the membership of service-minded people who don’t fit the traditional, professional mold.

Now, everybody wants the mayor and the Fortune 500 CEO in their club. (My club has openings for these classifications, by the way.) But if you wait tables by night so you can perform humanitarian service by day, are you a professional philanthropist? I think so. And if you endeavor to adhere to the Four Way Test and embody the Service Above Self ideal, is there room for you in Rotary? I hope so, whatever your job titles are.

Classification in general is useful. It helps us to make some black-and-white sense of an infinitely grey, no, infinitely colored, world. But next when you meet someone for the first time, and you hear yourself say “what do you do,” realize that you just may be missing out on some spectacular colors.

As always, your comments, questions, and criticisms are welcome. To provide feedback or to read more about Rotary’s Next Generation, go to http://rotarynextgeneration.blogspot.com.

Interview with R2, Nathan Auerbach

MW: How long have you been a Rotarian?
NA: Just over 1 year.

MW: How old are you?
NA: 26.

MW: How did you find out about Rotary?
NA: Through participation in a Rotary speech contest while at school.

MW: Why did you join Rotary?
NA: In the short term to make West Coast Walk happen, in the longer term to work on service oriented projects with like minded people, uninhibited by religion or other beliefs.

MW: What are you doing in your club?
NA: After West Coast Walk, I've been working on a number of projects, in particular those to support the troops overseas. I'm also the Program Chair.

MW: What do you love about Rotary?
NA: When Rotarians get busy on a project that gains momentum, the potential is limitless. One need only look at PolioPlus as a prime example.

MW: How do we attract members like yourself to Rotary?
NA: Eliminate some of the stuffier traditions, make meetings more punchy (eg interesting speakers, not dwelling on ceremony).

MW: What frustrates you about Rotary?
NA: RINOs (Rotarians in name only), and other Rotarians hell-bent on clinging to defunct rules and traditions to the detriment of progress.

MW: In Rotary meetings, what is your opinion about...
a) the pledge of allegiance to the flag?
NA: not something I 'believe' in, but something so rooted in American tradition that to dispense with it would cause outrage and possible riot.

b) the invocation?
A nice idea if not twisted into a sectarian religious spiel, which goes against the core values of Rotary to embrace all cultures, religions and nations.

c) singing?
Should be abolished. Any potential younger Rotarian, or Interacter will be completely turned off Rotary by witnessing this. Join a musical group if you want to sing.

MW: What else would you like to tell me?
NA: We were talking about age and how it relates to Rotary membership. I just wanted to say that I recently went to a football game with one of the members of our club. There we were, me, the youngest member, and him, I think he may be the oldest member, and we had a brilliant time. Stage of life was not an issue. We had Rotary (a love of service) and a love of sports in common, and that was all that mattered.

Welcome, Friend

Last month I introduced the term R2 (Rotarian v. 2.0), defined as the next generation of Rotarian. This month I’d like to follow up with an example. While youth is not a requirement to earn the R2 label, the energy, openness, and optimism that typically accompany it are. So, I’d like to focus on some of our younger members for a while, and help you get to know them a little better. The first person that comes to mind when thinking about Rotary’s newest, youngest members is Nathan Auerbach.

Most of you will remember Nathan as the 2,000 mile walker from the West Coast Walk, the centennial project which raised over $100,000 for PolioPlus and simultaneously raised awareness across the country for Rotary and its good works. Nathan has also, despite wearing the Rotary pin for just a year, visited more clubs and met with more fellow Rotarians than most of us ever will. That gives him a unique perspective. Not only does he bring a fresh set of eyes with which to view ourselves, but he’s also done a whole lot of viewing. Here’s a bit of what Nathan has to say.

“My experience at the clubs varied. In some clubs, I would sit down next to someone in their seventies, and they would smile warmly and greet me and say, ‘It makes me so happy to have a young person here.’ At other clubs, I could just feel the mistrust. It was like, ‘Who are you, and why do you think you belong here?’ Even today there is often this kind of exclusivity, even after West Coast Walk.

“From my point of view, I had never spent any significant time with people outside my own age group (except for my family). I had to be really open-minded and accept that a lot of clubs have their own traditions. It takes a young person who is open-minded and accepting to get past that initial impression.”

Indeed it does, and it makes me wonder how many R2’s are out there, looking for the opportunity to provide service. And how many have gotten glimpses of a Rotary meeting in a restaurant corner or hotel conference room? And how many have felt welcome?

As always, your comments, questions, and criticisms are welcome.

MW

Upcoming Column Ideas

Here is a quick list of the column topics to be covered soon in R2: RNG.

If you see something you like (or don't) or don't see something you think should be listed, let me know.

MW

Career
When service is your profession

Are you an R2?
The over-40 club

The Rotary Classification System
Why it’s obsolete

The Down-Side of Young Members
Family, career, and money

R2 Values
Is this a non-religious, international organization or isn’t it?

Change
Nothing stays the same, so get over it

Technology
What you don’t know can’t help you

What Makes a Fun Meeting
Hint: It isn’t singing

R2s Are Already Rotarians
Whether they’ve joined Rotary or not

Rotarian version 2.0

Everybody’s talking about it. Everybody wants it, and when they get it, they just want more of it. It’s a need, really – and in truth, none of us would be here without it. I’m talking about, of course… membership. What? What were you thinking? More specifically, I’m talking about the membership of Rotary’s Next Generation – Rotarians version 2.0, or R2’s, for short. These are the young-minded, enthusiastic, forward-looking individuals who share the ideal of Service Above Self and who will carry Rotary well into its second century of service.

Who are these Rotarians, the R2’s? How do we find them, and how do we tap into their enormous potential? I will endeavor to answer these and other questions in this column. I will cover a number of the issues pertaining to R2’s that affect us all in Rotary. Some you will recognize, and hopefully some you’ve never thought of before. We’ll discuss the R2’s notions of values – what’s most important in life; of change – why it’s constant and should be embraced; of technology – how you can and why you should use it to maximum benefit; of profession – what it means to make service your life’s work, and much more.

Now, it occurred to me with some dismay that version 2.0 Rotarians will generally not be reading this column, at least not in the District Newsletter. Why? Because print is not typically the R2’s medium of choice. R2’s are connected. They’re technotronic. They read email, internet messages, and blogs. And so should you. So, to get you started, I’ve created a weblog for this column. You can find it here. What’s more, it’s interactive. You can post your own comments. And I welcome them all – suggestions, criticisms, stories, the works. In the blog you will find this column as well as additional posts from me and from other contributors, feedback from readers, profiles of and interviews with R2’s, and more. I urge you not only to check out the blog, but to participate as well.

We all need it, it’s true. But talking about membership is not enough, and looking for a Paul Harris among today’s young professionals is not effective. We need to focus on what it means to be Rotarians version 2.0, to become them ourselves, and to attract those like-minded people for whom service is a priority. And then membership will take care of itself.

MW