Motivating Members

Rotarians in Attendance who contributed to our session included Mike Bandey who is on the RI Rotaract Committee, & Bill Gant who is on the RI Board of Directors & serves as their liaison to the Rotaract Committee.

The panel began with a reading of the starfish story:

As the old man walked the beach at dawn,
He noticed a boy ahead of him picking up
Starfish and flinging them into the sea.
Finally catching up with the boy,
He asked why he was doing this.
The answer was that the stranded starfish
Would die if left until the morning sun.

"But the beach goes on for miles and there
Are millions of starfish," said the old man.
"How can your effort make any difference?"

"It makes a difference to this one," he said.

We began by discussing what motivates us with hopes that would help us find ways to motivate others. Many said that the other members in their club motivated them. (At a later event the Philipino Rotaractors shared a version of Auld Lang Syne in which they changed the lyrics to "I’m here, because you're here, because I'm here, because you're here." A poignant reminder of this very theory.)

A recurring theme during out session was that of "Different Strokes for Different Folks" & the need to find what members enjoy doing & utilize that as their role in a club. Finding a member who is already into web design, perhaps someone who has been saying they want to toy around with a webpage but haven't a clue what they would put on it, & encouraging them to become the club webmaster. Taking a member who is constantly pushing for more social events, & putting them in charge of organizing/arranging social events on a regular schedule so members know they can look forward to a happy hour the last Thursday of each month for instance.

RI provided the panel with a flyer on four basic motivators which we were asked to share with those in attendance. (Praise, Affiliation, Accomplishment, & Power/influence.) See the attached flyer for more on those motivators & comments that can help you to understand which category members of your club might fit in.

Mike Bandey from South Africa shared the belief that members must find common interests & goals to unite the members. Without those bonds projects become more difficult, & even the most mundane project can become a tremendous amount of fun when a group of friends is having fun "working" on it.

A Rotaractor, Mike, from the Philipines who is currently studying in Japan, & came with a Japanese Rotaract Club, shared the belief that every member should have some responsibilities, & should always feel both welcome & appreciated. When a person knows they are responsible for something, & are a piece of the puzzle, they know things won't happen if they don't come -- & they understand that they are a part of the strength & success of the project.

Alex from Brazil talked about how his district had decided to give awards to the club in their district with the best International project, the best Community Project, & the best Professional Project. It motivated people to try & do the best they could & provided some friendly competition between clubs. (The RI International Service Project Recognition at the convention went to the Hong Kong & Macau district which had every club in their district do a major project in the 30 days before World ,Rotaract week was kicked off. 37 projects in all were completed in those 30 days, & several thousand "dollars" in the local currency were raised for local charities.)

Alex also talked about presenting themselves in the best possible way, & making Rotaract something that outsiders would want to be a part of. He said they acted a bit more mature than they had been, dressed a tad nicer than they had been, & made a formal presentation to a group of 300 18-30 year olds, over 200 of which applied to join their club!

Another Rotaractor said that when their club was newly chartered they were motivated greatly by one of the strong existing clubs which invited them to work as part of their projects, & gave advice on the new clubs own projects.

As a companion remark, Madhumita said that many clubs in India partner an "old" member of the club with a newer member, someone to show them the ropes & invite them back to meeting after meeting so they know they will be missed if they do not come. (Later Joanne from the Philippines said their club does the same basic thing -- & when they bring a guest they call two other members & say "Please be looking for my guest… so & so, & make sure & welcome them to the meeting. THANKS!")

Oscar from Singapore pointed out that people need to want to be there, but there are "less glamorous" events when we know we must be there, & those are the events that we go to because we have fun with our friends no matter what we are doing. If those friendships do not exist in a club then there are problems getting people to the "boring" events.

Joanne from the Philipines also mentioned that their club has an orientation system, so that incoming members know what they are joining, what they will be doing, & have a realistic & educated idea of what they are getting into so they don't drop out because it "wasn't what they expected." But, as with anything, there is always the opportunity for change & they are reminded that they too can be leaders in the club & influence what it does.

Always be able to show members -- Here's what we ARE doing, & what you can be a part of.

Ice Breakers are very important at EVERY meeting as they make people feel comfortable & welcome, & help build those all important friendships.

Project an image that will draw members!

Clubs around the world have the same problems -- & yet in Singapore we were able to share potential solutions -- that is after all what Rotaract is all about is it not??? Helping others -- & one another?