A Brief Outline for Rotary clubs and Rotary community service leaders.....
There are eight simple steps to take in forming a Rotaract club.
Because so few Rotarians even know or understand the Rotaract programme, it is essential for your club to be introduced to Rotaract's value to the club, to the community and to young adults 18 to 30 years of age living and working in your local community:
So who benefits from having your Rotary club sponsor Rotaract in your community?
(1) your Rotary club, by extending your reach and influence to an age group almost completely unrepresented in your Rotary club;
(2) your individual fellow members who become involved in helping young adults develop;
(3) your community's business owners and managers;
(4) the community at large; and
(5) the young 18-to-30 year-old adults who become members of Rotaract clubs.
The specific value of Rotaract to each is outlined at the accompanying links: "Why Rotaract?" as a value to the Rotary club and "Why Rotaract?" from the perspective of the young adult Rotaractors themselves.
OF GREAT IMPORTANCE:
This should NOT be a long, drawn-out process. The objective should be to generate interest, support and involvement for a new Rotaract club in less than a month! To do this most effectively, up to three consecutive weekly meetings should be devoted to the development of support amongst Rotarians, local business and professional leaders, and young adults and to the promotion of Rotaract.
The First Step in this process is to have the Community Service Lane Chair identify a Rotarian in the club who is eager to take on the project of sponsoring a Rotaract club. This Rotarian should be willing to act as the ongoing liaison and link between the two clubs once the Rotaract club is organized. Hopefully this person will attract other Rotarians in the club to support this effort; there can never be too many mentors to an active and enthusiastic group of young adults who want to learn the "how to's" of community service.
A Rotarian familiar with Rotaract, preferably an experienced Rotaract District Chair or other established Rotary leader, should be scheduled as your primary speaker of Week One. The speaker will introduce and explain Rotaract to all your club members. The focus should be on the value of Rotaract to the Rotarians as well as the opportunity that ROTARACT provides to offer more and better service to your community. The key element is to convince members that having a strong young arm of Rotaractors can be a blessing to the sponsoring Rotary club just by its very existence by helping young adults to:
a) Explore and stretch their own abilities,
b) Understand the value of giving back something of themselves to their community, and
c) Develop better professional skills ---
--- all whilst offering them the opportunity to learn and practice leadership skills in a group of like-minded persons of their own age group.
This mentoring opportunity should lead to the club's members enthusiastic embracement of Rotaract as a community service project that can promise to establish a permanent structure enhancing your club's presence in your community.
Once the key leader has been identified, the Second Step is for the Community Service Director to take the proposal to establish a community-based Rotaract club to the Rotary clubs Board of Directors for approval. At this meeting, the club's Board of Directors discuss the requirements, process and involvement necessary (preferably with a District Rotaract leader present). The value of a Rotaract club to the club, to its members, and to the community are outlined [see: Why Rotaract?]. As well, the basic responsibilities of the Rotary club toward the Rotaract club and its members should be enumerated, which includes any possible financial support and contributions that could be expected over time to ensure the health and development of the Rotaract club and its membership. The Board then determines to sponsor a new Rotaract club in your community.
Once the club's Board of Directors has approved committing the club's time, energy and resources to establishing a Rotaract club in its community, then three consecutive regular weekly meetings of the sponsoring Rotary club should be scheduled. The first defines the value of Rotaract to the club; the second presents Rotaracts value to community and business leaders; the third meeting directly addresses young adults interested in community service.
The Third Step is to hold a Club Forum at the regular weekly club meeting which focuses on development of internal club support for reaching out to non-Rotarians; and is devoted to explaining the goals and value of Rotaract to the club membership. The speaker should be a recognized district leader who is identified as most knowledgeable and interested in promoting Rotaract, S/He answers all members' questions about Rotaract to generate club member support for reaching out into the community to seek and identify prospective members. Members can share ideas, names, community contacts, and ideas regarding both employers to contact and potential young adult Rotaractors. This should stimulate greater responsiveness from club members to participate fully in this outreach project. A simple exercise should be conducted at this meeting where members are asked to write down at least one name of a young adult they personally know wo is a relative, of a child of a friend, of an employee of a business they patronize, and of their own employees!
This Third Step includes a challenge to your entire club membership to reach out and contact NON-Rotarian business owners and managers and to invite them to attend a special club meeting the following week. This is an action process for all the club members: Inviting non-Rotarian community business, professional and government leaders to attend a special informational meeting of your club should be easy.... especially on a topic which should be of interest to all employers! --- "How to Create Better Employees"
There can be few community leaders who will not respond favorably to wanting to hear this presentation. Active and energetic support by club members who commit to making multiple contacts to reach out to their non-Rotarian contacts, friends, neighbors and those with whom they do business during that week should ensure a record turnout at the employer focused second meeting.
By the way, the issue of meal costs should be discussed and determined: does the club pick this up as a community service expense? Since this meeting is designed to provide the Non-Rotarian leaders with information of value to them, most clubs will determine that guests should bear the cost of their own attendance, whatever the meal cost. You should have no difficulty in asking the business people to pay; after all, THEY are to be the primary beneficiaries of your Rotary club's reputation, knowledge and organizational resources in your community. But it is up to each club to determine the answer and to act accordingly.
The Fourth Step is to hold the SECOND MEETING which focuses on the value of a young adult service club to EMPLOYERS and COMMUNITY LEADERS. This is an opportunity for you to put your club on display for invited guests. Guests should be divided equally amongst tables with experienced and new Rotarians spread out evenly to make guests feel most comfortable and to generate conversations along the lines of community service and youth development.
After briefly describing the history and impact of Rotary community service locally (and globally), the speaker should focus on the value of Rotaract to the employer:
--- Of how their employees' involvement in community service, social and professional development activities as members of a Rotaract club in your town or neighborhood can lead to their better performance on the job and to greater interest in customer service.
--- How employees will improve their performance by improving their attitude, by helping them become more sensitive to your local community, and how that gives their businesses a more positive image to their customers and clients.
--- How employees will develop better organizational and management skills and of how their increased confidence in their own abilities will improve their work performance.
The speaker further notes that involving young adults ("Twenty-somethings", "GenXers" or "GenYers," as they are called, since Rotaract covers all young adults aged 18 to 30) in community service is valuable in many ways:
Rotaract creates an entirely new and diverse group of social contacts;
Rotaract increases their self esteem through more and better quality social contacts and an increased identity with their local community and its needs;
Rotaract teaches them leadership skills,
Rotaract offers them both mentoring and networking opportunities; and
Rotaract exposes them to the complex array of needs that exist in their community and the relationships and programmes that work to improve the community.
The speaker shows that promoting young adult involvement in -- and commitment to -- community service and helping others will produce better employee performance and outlook toward customers or clients as members of THEIR community. Professional development and advancement from mentoring opportunities by association with Rotarians is an additional value that employers receive without additional cost to them.
And young adult ROTARACT club members broaden their personal experiences through regional and international Rotaract and Rotary contacts and events. The benefit to the entire community of the presence of a strong group of community-minded young adults who are building their own character as they participate in community service activities becomes evident.
Each Rotarian should come to this Second Meeting as well with the names of at least three types of young people that they know personally: children/grandchildren and children of friends; employees, and young vendors and local merchant employees. From this compiled list should come more than enough names to contact for the Third Meeting the following week.
Just thinking about all of their own young adult contacts should provide plenty of table topic and should lead to additional suggestions of potential Rotaractors between the ages of 18 and 30 !
Step Four concludes by challenging the assembled business and community leaders, Non-Rotarian guests, and Rotarians alike --- are in turn challenged to return to the club the following week, each with their single best employee --- or the employee of their choice --- or the young relative or other young adult of their choice as their guest to hear how Rotaract can be of benefit to them Again, that meeting should be at no cost to the club, as the non-Rotarian community leaders should be responsible for their own and their sponsored employees' meals.
Additionally, there should be a follow-up contact by Rotarians to all the non-Rotarian business people who attended the Second Meeting to remind them of the importance you attach to their attending this last informational meeting with their best employee the following week.
Again, as this is clearly an opportunity for business employers to enhance their own businesses, it is suggested they should absorb the cost for the meals themselves and their employees, as this also is a community service being offered by the Rotary club to them.
Sponsorship of their employees into Rotaract sends a message to both those employees and the entire community that they as employers care about their community --- and so do their employees.
And through Rotaract those same employees will be exposed to leadership opportunities that enhance their professional and management skills.
As well, employees associating with other community-minded young adults have superior networking and mentoring opportunities offered through association with Rotary and its community involvement and projects.
Step Five is the THIRD MEETING and is devoted to speaking to the young adult prospective Rotaractors: the employees and young relatives or friends alike. They hear a presentation that focuses on the value of Rotaract to the young people themselves.[ See WHY ROTARACT for ROTRACTORS ]
If the speaker knows and believes the value of Rotaract to the young people themselves, he or she can communicate that information effectively and enthusiastically to them. S/He briefly describes Rotary's role and accomplishments, then turns quickly to the benefits of Rotaract membership to young adults just starting out on their career paths.
At this meeting, the focus is almost entirely on the value of a Rotaract to the young people themselves to have the unique opportunity to:
plug into the world's leading service organization in their own community
network with their own peers
be mentored by respected community leaders,
enjoy fellowship and socializing
gain access to professional skill development and service through their relationship to Rotary and Rotaract contacts and activities worldwide
all this and more are offered through association with Rotaract.
Those Rotarians and businesspeople who respond should bring more than enough young adults to the Third Meeting to form the nucleus of a dynamic Rotaract club.
At the end of the presentation, the young adult guests are invited to follow up by pledging to meet each other at a time and place of their own choosing, usually within a few days or a week at most. It would be helpful if a Rotarian can offer the use of a convenient place of business that would be appropriate for them to meet, such as an office board room or a local restaurant or pub. Often, the plans for an organizational meeting are set right at the conclusion of this Third Meeting!
Thereafter......
Well, that's the good news. Read on!
From that point forward, The hardest part may be the Sixth Step --- staying out of the way and just being available for guidance as needed. The actual work of organizing can be handed over to the Rotaractors themselves.... they are old enough to run their own show, will be more successful if allowed to do so!
But as the Rotaractors begin meeting and organizing, the sponsoring Rotarians must be prepared to answer questions, bring both organizational and Rotary procedural information to the new Rotaractors, and in general just "be available" as needed.
This Sixth Step of the Rotaract organizational process includes having the club leadership meet with the new Rotaractors as often as is needed to establish their own bi-weekly format immediately and helping to organize their club and its initial service activities. Dont worry about their social activities -- they are more than capable of handling that area of interest! Often the initial Rotaract event is social in nature and is held just as "mixer" to get to know one another.
The new Rotaractors should be provided guidance regarding the structure of Rotary and the opportunities afforded by a Rotary connection, and that they will be able to operate as independently as they like as long as they adhere to Rotary principles and by-laws.
They should be assured that they will have the support of the sponsoring Rotary club as needed, and will have liaison Rotary members to rely upon at all times along with a committed Rotaract Committee of club members to back up the Club Advisor.
The Rotarians chosen for these mentoring roles should be both sensitive to the identities of young adults and also sound in their knowledge of Rotary, for these "Twenty-somethings" more often than not will have little or no knowledge of Rotary's traditions, accomplishments, and role in the community.
The new ROTARACTORS should be encouraged to have access to ongoing Rotarian guidance to help them focus on the community service program of Rotaract as well as to participate in Rotary activities and service projects.
Thus, the new Rotaractors especially the new Rotaract leadership -- should be invited as well to your regular Rotary club meetings to give them a sense of familiarity with your Rotary members and your club activities.
As soon as the new club has reached its initial membership goal (any number in excess of 15) they can apply for membership with the Rotary International office in Evanston, Illinois, USA. The Seventh Step is to complete the process for chartering, including having the club to choose its own officers: President, President-Elect, Vice President (who usually should be the Membership Chair), Secretary and Treasurer. Also, the Four Lanes of Service Directors, which are almost the same as Rotary: Club Service, Community Service, International Service, and Professional Development. Each member should volunteer to serve on at least one club committee and each Lane of Service.
The Rotaract Club Charter application should be filled out, and sent to the Rotary District Governor for his approval and signature. If you have a Rotaract District Representative (DRR) and a District Rotaract leadership structure, they should be advised as well that your club has been formed with appropriate contact information regarding your club leadership.
The new club should establish its own dues structure in accordance with its needs and desires, and it is recommended that at each member contribute at least a modest contribution to the Rotary Foundation from the very beginning so that the club can support 100% participation for "our Rotary charity."
The application is downloaded from the Rotaract website and filled out by the club members. They must choose officers prior to submitting the application, and the new club Charter President must sign the application before passing it on to the sponsoring Rotary club President for their signature. The Rotary club President then forwards the application to the RI District Governor for their signature. Either the sponsoring Rotary club or the Rotaractors themselves are responsible for submitting a check for US$65 with the application for processing, in care of Haris Sofradzija [847.866.3315]. Haris also is available to answer any question any Rotary or Rotaract leader may have regarding the Rotaract programme.
Finally, the Eighth Step is to plan and execute an appropriately planned initial charter presentation event for the new Rotaract club, to which not only all Rotarians, but also all of the non-Rotarian businesspeople who sponsored new Rotaractors should be invited.
It is at this time that the sponsors of the new Rotaract club members should be formally recognized for their support of your club's service project to establish a new Rotaract club in your community.
..... And, if ever there was a time to invite such supporters to join you in your club, this is the time to do so, when you have honored them for their outstanding contribution to the future of your community!
Thus the process of establishing a Rotaract club in your community can be accomplished with a well-organized committed group of Rotarians dedicated to future growth and expansion of the Rotary ideal of "SERVICE ABOVE SELF".
"Rotaractors are the Rotarians of the future.... "
"Rotaract solves our "membership" problem by preparing our successors .... within the Rotary family!"
"There is no single project of greater importance to your club and to your community."
"Rotaractors learn and test their leadership and service skills in an environment that generates new, young, dynamic, exciting ideas for the betterment of your community."
"Through Rotaract, your contribution will continue long after your own years of community service have come to a natural end."
Rotaract is the Best Kept Secret in Rotary" -- PRIP Charles Keller, 1987
For more information, Contact:
Rob Ketron, PDG 7620 (Baltimore, MD & Washington DC, USA) Chairman, A-C-C-T Rotaract Advisory Board , North America
rob.ketron@gmail.com http://www.ketron.org 410.464.2788
A-C-C-T Rotaract President Amanda Nguyen District 5150 Rotaract Club of San Francisco, CA USA amanda.nn@gmail.com 415.215.2121
A-C-C-T Rotaract Past President Navin Manchery-Valliappan Rotaract Extension Advisor Rotaract Club of Downtown Washington, D.C. rotaractusa@hotmail.com 202.486.2767
Links to Rotaract materials:
WHY ROTARACT? from the ROTARACT/YOUNG ADULT PROFESSIONAL perspective
Rotary Club/Rotarian Perspective
>Rotaract link page
Rotaract Formation Interview Form for Business
Rotaract Business Interview Form
Rotaractor Info Form
FORMING A COMMUNITY-BASED 