BANE RANDJELOVIC

 

Rotary Zone 21 Institute in Bucharest, Romania (www.institutebucharest.com), is finished. The largest gathering of Rotarians of our zone was held in beautiful Bucharest, in the presence of almost 400 attendees. We can say that this was one of the most interesting and most successfully organized institutes. Institute Chair RIDE Daniel Tanase and his team made our stay in Bucharest exciting and fruitful. During Institute sessions, but also during Rotary Foundation seminar and Regional update seminar, we have had the opportunity to see and hear about many good results of our clubs and Districts, in previous period. Attendees have had possibility to see, to hear and speak (and to take a photo or a selfie) with RIP Gordon McInally, RID Patrick D. Chisanga, RF Trustee Aziz Memon, RIPN Mario Cesar Martins de Camargo, RF Trustee Geeta Manek, General Secretary John Hewko, Past RI Vice-presidents, Past RI Directors, Rotary regional coordinators and leaders and many other distinguished guests. This Institute was preceded by GETS/GNTS preparatory seminar/training for incoming and nominated Governors of all Districts in our big, beautiful, multinational, multi-confessional  and multilingual Zone 21.

Until the beginning of the next Rotary Zone 21 Institute, that will be held on September 26-29, 2024, in Belgrade, Serbia (www.RotaryInstituteBelgrade2024.org) we have less than 11 months! We can be sure that host District 2483 and Organizing committee led by Institute Chair RC Bane Randjelovic will try to achieve the same or even higher level of organization, than in Bucharest, for sure. Having in mind very good geographical position, highway and air connections, traditional Serbian hospitality combined with good food and good music, wide touristic offer and sightseeing possibilities of Belgrade and surrounding area, and a very strong leadership team in this District, next Institute could be even bigger than Bucharest, with possibility to be the largest Rotarian gathering in Europe in 2024.

But… what will be presented to Rotarians and other guests in capitol of Serbia? Will our organization have some good results in membership, good projects work with Rotary Foundation and a better public image? Rotarians will not come to Zone Institute just for fun and joy, but they would probably want to hear and to be proud of some good results, and to learn something new. In order to achieve that, we cannot wait, we must act NOW!

Membership is one of the most important components of our organization. If we do not have stable and increasing membership in our Clubs and Districts, we could fall into the situation that there will not be enough Rotarians who will support our Rotary Foundation! Insufficient support to the foundation will lead to a decreased number of grants supported, and that means that we will not have enough possibilities to present our work in our local communities, states and economies. So, the importance of membership is crucial for the future of our organization. Let’s focus on membership.

When our clubs and districts plan our activities in this field, they should be focused on 3 groups of possible activities:

• nurturing and retaining existing membership,
• attracting and accepting new members and
• keeping and involving Rotaract members.

The retaining of existing members is very, very important. We must be aware that in our zone we have one big problem regarding this. A large percentage of Rotarians leave our organization in its first or second year of membership! This might mean that club meetings are not sufficiently interesting, or that the club failed to involve new Rotarians. In both ways… this is a huge problem. We must involve members in projects, we should take care of them and their needs. In order to keep them in Rotary, our club meetings must be interesting. Club meeting should be some kind of learning environment, that leads to personal improvement and vocational satisfaction of each Rotarian.

Attracting and accepting new members is a very important activity. The selection process must result in good prospective candidates, that are aware of the large spectrum and various possibilities that our organization offers, for everybody who wants to give. They should also be aware of the sacrifice, giving and devotion that each member should put into the organization. During the recruitment process, they will see, of course, the best side of our organization, they will be optimistic and ready and willing to work. From the moment they become prospective members, other club members should be polite and gentle to newcomers, they should select and denote them mentors, who will take care of them and introduce them deeper in Rotary. The continual learning process is very important. Experienced Rotarians should use each opportunity to reveal the best side of our organization, and new members should be led by their good example. Our clubs should be flexible with rules and procedures, to not push to much, but to make a good and friendly atmosphere. The process of introduction of new members is slow and long-lasting. But this is only guarantee that we will not lose those new members after first few years.

Nurturing and involving Rotaractors in Rotary clubs and activities is very important for the future of our organization. Rotaractors are already here, they are in Rotaract clubs, and those clubs are now “equal” to Rotary Clubs. They are already inside our organization, and some of them are completely educated and prepared for serious Rotary work. We should involve them more and support the work of Rotaract clubs, including engagement of Rotaractors in District activities. We should support our Rotaract clubs to implement Global grants. Additionally, there is a large number of Rotaractors that would like to “elevate” their membership and to transfer to some Rotary club. In one way or another, we should keep them inside the organization and not lose them. We should not allow the worst scenario to lose any good Rotaractor.

Finally, we could conclude that we must immediately start and push work regarding membership. Let’s plan and predict a possible membership increase, set the goals and try to  achieve the goals. Let the next Rotary Institute in Belgrade be the place where we will all show our organization to ourselves and to distinguished guests, in the best possible manner. Let us all be proud of our Rotary!!!  Goodbye Bucharest - Helo Belgrade!!