I attended a Zoom call of the Fellowship of PDGs 15 August 2022 hosted by Ann Lee Hussey with guest speaker Past RI President Ian Riseley. There were 52 participants form US, Canada, UK, Australia, and Africa. PRIP Ray Klinginsmith and PRID Johrita Solari were notable attendees.
PRIP Ian started the conversation with the opening topic of Membership. He noted that over the past 15 years RI membership has decrease < 2.5%.
< 33% down in UK
< 27% down in US/Canada
Large increase in India, Philippines
He suggested that when pursuing potential new members, we should consider “what’s in it for them”. This subject continued as he outlined “why good people should want to be members of a Rotary Club”.
Friendship
Personal development
Business opportunities
The opportunity to make a difference in the world or local community
Ian provided several personal examples for each item above. A question was posed: “could the inability to make a difference be a reason for someone to leave Rotary”? An interesting question to ponder when pursuing a new member or trying to retain one. According to Ian “Retention” is key.
Over the past several years Rotary has maintained 1.2 M members and has brought in 1.3 M new members. At the same time Rotary has lost 1.3 M members. Perhaps they reasoned in their judgement “the time spent did not meet their needs”. 2
Ian also encouraged members to participate in the programs of The Rotary Foundation and the 7 Areas of Focus. Specifically, he commented on:
Polio
Peace Centers
Global / District Grants
Environment
Annual Fund
o He wants us to encourage more personal donations
Ukraine - $15.3 M was amassed in only a few days – simply amazing what Rotarians can do when motivated
Ann Lee Hussey opened the next subject discussing the uptick of recent polio cases. She commented that there have been 19 cases so far this year. Ian added that the discovery of polio in the sewage in New York and in the UK, that this makes Polio a relevant topic again. He was amazed that scientist could pinpoint the origin of the DNA of the germ from sewage. As we all know “polio is only a plane ride away”. Many children in this country and others are not getting the polio vaccine with the normal newborn inoculations.
On a brighter note, Ian stated that a Polio Fundraising Golf Tournament will be held prior to the start of the RI Convention on Friday 26 May 2023 at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club.
The Endowment goal of $2.025 B in 2025 is on target and he is very optimistic it will be met.
A questioned was asked if RI was developing an educational program concerning “Global Warming”. Ian was not aware of any and felt the subject was “tremendously political”.
A new Peace Center will be announced in October/November, which will be built in North Africa or the Middle East. Funding has been provided by an anonymous donor – no cost to RI.
Ian further encourages members to calculate their “Rotary Footprint” when donating to The Rotary Foundation and to consider:
How many children will be saved from the polio virus
How many meals can be feed to the needy
How many beds can be made – Sleep in Heavenly Peace
Education – RYE
Another question was asked about development of Rotary in Cuba and Vietnam. Ian suggested looking to RIP Jennifer Jones to answer this.
FIRES FIRES FIRES FIRES FIRES FIRESFIRES
Yes, this is a HOT subject that definitely caught my attention. When Ian was RI President 2017 – 2018, he challenged Rotarians to plant 1.2 M trees – 1 for every Rotarian. Over 3 M were planted.
A question was posed concerning the recent uptick in FIRES in the US, Canada, and the UK. Did he think another tree planting challenge be worthy of discussion?
In casually discussing this topic with Pam Cohen, she mentioned DGE Kevin Pitts who has had up close and personal experiences with FIRES in the Prescott area. We all remember the tragic Yarnell Hill FIRE that kill 19 firefighters on 30 June 2013.
What better way to commemorate this 10th Anniversary than to have Rotarians kick off a tree planting as we begin a new Rotary year on 1 July 2023 and do it all over the entire state of Arizona. I will pursue this with DGE Kevin with the intention of including Rotarians in District 5500.