District Membership Toolbox

CHECKLISTS

District Membership Summit Timeline & Task List (docx)
Executing a successful District Membership Summit requires lead time, planning and countless details. This detailed checklist will be helpful in avoiding last-minute diving catches. Downloadable in Word so you can edit to fit your event.

New Member Road Map (pptx)
Editable PowerPoint File -- A "Road Map" for a new member's first 4 years of membership. Milestones and ideas to engage a new member in the work of the club and development as a club leader. Modify to fit your club culture and opportunities.

Recipe for Changing Club Culture (doc)
Tried and proven, can't-miss, step-by-step recipe for changing the culture of a Rotary Club. While focused on membership, this same formula can be used for any intended culture change in Rotary or any other organization. Rotary clubs are as resistant to change as any organization - perhaps more than most. That's because the club inherits a culture over time and that culture is propagated by the self-selection of members. It takes an intentional, stepwise approach to move the needle.

Recipe for a Successful District Event (docx)
A successful District Event (Membership Summit, Assembly, Conference, Foundation event, etc..) starts with a timeline working backwards from the event date. This worksheet outlines the key success factors of a District Event, including a "countdown" template that can be used as your event project plan.

Satellite Club Guide (doc)
This Guide from D-7750 outlines the considerations a club should make in deciding upon a Satellite expansion strategy. Pages 6 & 7 are a checklist of decisions and actions needed to launch a Satellite Club. Thanks to D-7670 for core content. Provided in MS-Word so other Districts can edit and distribute.

FORMS/APPLICATIONS

“Who Do You Know?” Club Assembly Membership Exercise (docx)
Thought-starter worksheet to help club members think of potential Rotarians from among their business associates, suppliers, customers, friends, neighbors and family members. Includes a "How to Use" section. NOTE: This is not a "homework" exercise. Members won't take it home and bring it back. To be done during a Club Assembly.

DACdb RI Direct Connect Authorization Form (pdf)
The Member Compare feature in DACdb requires a Club Management Vendor authorization with RI. This form, signed by a Club Officer, and emailed to data@Rotary.org will set up that interface in My Rotary. Clubs that use a different member management system as their primary can also authorize DACdb in "Read-Only" mode, thereby allowing both Member Compare and Club Officer compare to access the club data in RI without the ability to edit it. ALL CLUBS in Zones 33-34 are encouraged to initiate this interface, either as "Read/Write" for DACdb clubs or "Read Only" for those using other member management systems as their primary platform.

Discover Rotary Sample Emails (docx)
Send a "Reminder" Pmail from DACdb to the potential members registered for Discover Rotary, 1-2 days in advance of the event. After the event, send a "Follow-up" Pmail from DACdb to those who attended. Samples of both are in this link.

MAP Member Satisfaction Survey Questions Overview (pdf)
Users have requested a sample of the questions in the online MAP Member Satisfaction Survey. This PDF file emulates the online survey questions and formats.

Membership Summit Automatic Timeline Planner (link)
It takes several months of lead time to effectively plan and execute a Membership Summit. The most important critical path item is getting started early enough on a promotional campaign. Here is a handy calculator that will help you quickly create a timeline for your Summit planning. When the sheet opens, look for your District’s tab at the bottom. Look for the empty cell marked Enter Summit Date >>>. Enter that one date, and everything else is calculated for you. You can highlight, copy and paste that table into whatever planning document you're using and adjust it as your Summit plan evolves.

New Member Interest Survey (docx)
Find out what your new members expect, what they're looking for, and what their skills, talents and passions are.

INFORMATIONAL

10 Intentional Membership Strategies (pdf)
Top 10 Intentional Membership Strategies PROVEN to grow Rotary Clubs. Ideas on how to identify prospective members, attract members, onboard members and retain members. - Prospect Identification (Lead Generation) - New Member Attraction - Onboarding & New Member Orientation - Member Engagement & Retention

5 Things I Wish All Rotarians Knew and Believed about Membership (pdf)
White paper on the realities of Rotary membership. Specifically of interest to Presidents-Elect and Membership Chairs.

6 Failed Membership Strategies Rotary Clubs Love (pdf)
A list of 6 strategies that sound good, and clubs like them, but are minimally effective at attracting new members. A good list for a President or Membership chair to AVOID when creating club membership plans.

Adding New Members in DACdb and My Rotary (pdf)
Bulletproof, can't fail method of adding new members in DACdb and My Rotary, keeping both in sync.

Adding a Satellite Club in DACdb (pdf)
DACdb handles Satellite Clubs very well if set up correctly. Consider using DACdb as the way to set up Satellites rather than the Satellite Club Form from RI.

Build a Club Assistance Team (docx)
Many Rotary clubs are steadily declining in membership, usually because the Club Experience they’re delivering isn’t meeting the expectations of either potential members or current members. Steady membership decline (typical loss of 1-2 members/year) leads to ever-smaller clubs with an ever-declining ability to serve their communities. If these clubs could fix themselves, they already would have. Clubs in this situation need some outside perspective, ideas and help to break their downward trajectory.

Classification/Vocation Gap Analysis (pdf)
It is far more effective to arm your members with a list of gaps in your membership of industries, vocations, business types or professions and asking members to specifically target their prospecting efforts on those. To prompt your thinking, here’s a partial list of businesses/professions that you might consider as potential Rotarians.

Club President Personal Ask (pdf)
A script for club presidents to use in personally asking their members to bring a prospect to a Membership Event. For use in person or by phone.

Club Types, Formats and Models (pdf)
All Rotary and Rotaract clubs share similar values and a passion for service, but each offers a unique experience. When you start a club, you’ll need to choose a club type, a meeting format, and a club model. Look at the needs of your community and the club’s prospective members to decide which kind of club would be best.

Corporate & Family Membership Examples (link)
A library of sample policy statements and Bylaws changes clubs have used to implement Corporate and/or Family memberships

Creating a Customizable Club Member Satisfaction Survey (pdf)
Most clubs find the short, highly-utilized, effective survey in the MAP Membership Success Center (MSC) to be quick and easy to create and deploy – literally a few mouse clicks. Other clubs are looking for something more customizable. Here is a template for those with more advanced online application skills.

Designing YOUR Rotary Experience (pdf)
An Idea Book for new members -- how they can grow by engaging with the club's service projects, Rotary’s global network and the array of activities, programs, and interest groups that Rotary offers. An engagement tool, written from the new member's perspective. A resource for the Orientation/Onboarding Committee

Discover Rotary Script — Forest Acres, SC (docx)
Script for a Rotary Information Event -- "Discover Rotary". Created by the Rotary Club of Forest Acres, SC. Companion piece for Discover Rotary Slides from Forest Acres.

District Event Grants (pdf)
White paper on District Event Grants -- taking money off of the table for clubs that plan and execute Rotary Membership Events.

Don’t Squander Your Leads (pdf)
How to use DACdb as a prospect management and drip marketing tool -- to keep track of potential members and keep in touch with them while they're making a decision about joining Rotaryl.

Grow Rotary Demographic Tool (link)
This amazing tool allows you to see where the population is in your District - which may or may not be where you clubs are. Go to: growrotary.org, log in with your My Rotary user name and password.

How to Make Your Club Irresistible (pdf)
Is your club irresistible? Is your club one that you would get up early on a Friday in winter for, because you don’t want to miss it? Here are some places you'll want to look to assess your club's attractiveness to not only prospective members but also existing members. In general, we focus on the people who are there. But what we actually need to understand is what’s going on with the people who don’t choose to be there.

Hybrid Meetings “How-to” Videos and Training Material from D-5950 (link)
In-Person/Zoom Meeting Training, videos and guides. Small and Large Meeting Tech Set-up Videos and Support Documents. Equipment Buying Guide.

Hybrid Rotary Meetings Technology Guide (pdf)
It may be some time until all Rotarians are comfortable with attending "in-person" Rotary meetings like we have always had. In the meantime, clubs are considering "hybrid" meetings where some members meet in person and others join virtually via real-time conferencing apps such as Zoom or GoToMeeting. This guide will save you countless hours of research and trial-and-error. Please invest the time to read through it and you'll be halfway to getting your Hybrid Meetings strategy launched.

Impact Clubs Fact Sheet (pdf)
EVERYTHING you'd want to know about the IMPACT club model. An IMPACT club is another Innovative Club model - a "Service-Only" version of a Satellite club. It's an extension of your Rotary club, populated by members interested only in service project participation. No meeting, no meal. IMPACT members can also attend Host club meetings when they can, or attend Hybrid meetings virtually if offered by the Host club.

MAP Membership Success Center Access from ClubRunner (pdf)
Leaders access to insightful membership data important to both planning and tracking membership progress. Setting a membership goal builds a "pace" graph that highlights how a club is doing attracting the new members it needs to not only grow but also replace members likely to terminate during the year. A Success Track graph tracks district and zone membership growth progress, predicting year- end results months in advance. Several reports provide both predictive and historical membership data. Users log in through either ClubRunner or DACdb, and the database opens to their club, district and zone with various levels of access to the MAP Database dependent upon the user's role.

MAP Membership Success Center Access from DACdb (pdf)
The Membership Action Plan Database provides club, district and zone leaders access to insightful membership data important to both planning and tracking membership progress. Setting a membership goal builds a "pace" graph that highlights how a club is doing attracting the new members it needs to not only grow but also replace members likely to terminate during the year. A Success Track graph tracks district and zone membership growth progress, predicting year- end results months in advance. Several reports provide both predictive and historical membership data. Users log in through either DACdb or ClubRunner, and the database opens to their club, district and zone with various levels of access to the MAP Database dependent upon the user's role.

Membership 101 in a Box (pdf)
Here's a nice package for a DGE’s Pre-PETS and PETS Breakouts -- "Membership 101 in a Box", intended to help incoming Governors and Membership Chairs in training Presidents-Elect and Club Membership Chairs. Actually, it’s not a bad mid-year “remedial” program for clubs that have not gotten off the blocks with new member attraction

Mental Health Initiatives – Ideas for Clubs & Districts (docx)
During the international presidential year for Gordon McInally, among other things, he promoted three mental health initiatives. At the Zones 33/34 summit in the Bahamas in 2023 there were two sessions on mental health that focused on generating ideas for how clubs and districts could promote those initiatives. These are the ideas they generated.

New Member Induction Ceremony (docx)
Excellent example of a New Member Induction ceremony. Download an editable MS Word version. Thanks to PDG Billi Black for this contribution.

New Member Onboarding/Orientation Toolbox (link)
A toobox of collateral and ideas from which you can assemble a New Member Onboarding/Orientatation Program for your club. Successful Onboarding is the first step in improving member retention - sets expectations and helps the new member get engaged with the club.

New Member Scavenger Hunt (pptx)
Great, fun exercise for New Member Orientation -- a good way to help new members get familiar with Rotary. Many clubs use this as part of their Red Badge programs. Editable PowerPoint file -- add your own items to the hunt.

Passport Club Documents & Presentations (link)
Library of example documents, dues structure and overview presentations to support formation of Passport Clubs

Prospective Rotarian Phone Invitation Script (pdf)
Many Rotarians are hesitant to invite a friend, neighbor, business associate or family member to have a look at Rotary because they don't have the "elevator pitch" down. Here's an easy-to-deliver phone invitation script for a member to invite a prospect to the #1 highest ROI membership development strategy -- a Rotary Information Hour or "Discover Rotary" presentation. Try it in your club.

RI Guide to Satellite Clubs (pdf)
Overview of Satellite Clubs -- what they are, how they work, how to start one.

Recipe for a Successful Membership Event (Discover Rotary) (pdf)
Step-by-step process for planning and executing a membership event -- the #1 ROI strategy for attracting members to Rotary. Sometimes called "Discover Rotary."

Recipe for an Effective Club Member Satisfaction Survey (pdf)
Use a club member satisfaction survey to help determine what changes may be needed to enhance engagement and satisfaction for their investment in time, talent and treasure in the club. The objective is to make your club irresistible.

Resolving DACdb Member Compare Discrepancies (pdf)
White paper on using DACdb's Member Compare feature to resolve discrepancies between DACdb membership records and RI membership records

Rotary Basics (pdf)
Overview of Rotary - what it is, what we do, who we are. Excellent for New Member Orientation or Club Assembly use.

Rotary Brand and Visual Voice Guidlines (pdf)
Overview of Rotary's brand, logo and visual guidelines for the use of the Rotary Logo

Rotary Club Brochure Sample (pdf)
Example of a professionally-done Club Brochure - Rotary Club of Greenville, SC. Log into https://my.rotary.org, then copy/paste this link for an online brochure template in the Brand Center: https://brandcenter.rotary.org/en-GB/App/Approval/AdrenalineTemplate/Details/12?RedirectUrl=%2Fen-GB%2FApp%2FApproval

Rotary Club Health Check (link)
A comprehensive, introspective look at your club and the club experience you're providing your members. Worth a Board meeting or Club Assembly to take a hard look at what's keeping members -- or perhaps driving them away.

Rotary International Membership Resources Page (link)
A deep library of resources, manuals and materials published by Rotary International to help your club attract and retain members. May require My Rotary login.

Satellite Club Examples (link)
A library of organizational material for Satellite clubs

The Case for Membership Growth — Talking Points for Clubs with Declining Membership (docx)
It's not uncommon for club leaders to simply not understand the downside of year-over-year membership decline, or perhaps the value proposition for all club members to be part of a consistently, moderately growing club. Here are some talking points (scripts) for conversations with clubs that are either not growing, or, more importantly, consistently declining in membership.

The Success Track to District Membership Growth (pdf)
Rotary’s semi-annual billing cycle presents an unintended consequence – a “clear the books” dynamic in December and June, as clubs drop members ahead of dues billing dates. This self-inflicted “seasonality” is not well understood by District leaders, and dramatic membership losses in the last hours of December and June cause major disappointment to Governors and other District resources, when it’s too late to recover. This document includes a predictive model for this seasonality factor.

Understanding the Membership Growth Index (MGI) (pdf)
The Membership Growth Index (MGI) predicts with better than 80% certainty whether a club will grow or decline during the coming year. A District leadership team can therefore focus its attention and communication on its most-challenged clubs, and also identify where to look for best practices and membership know-how in successful clubs.

Using DACdb District Compare (pdf)
How to use the District Compare feature in DACdb to identify clubs with mismatches between member rosters in DACdb and Rotary International

Videos on Vimeo Available from Rotary International (link)
Rotary Videos on Vimeo To access convention videos, please go to: https://vimeopro.com/rotary/hamburg-international-convention

Zone 33 Innovative Club Advocates Page + ICA Call Recordings (link)
Innovative Club Advocates (ICAs) assist clubs in meeting prospects where they are - with alternative meeting times, formats and club types. Contact the ICA team if you're interested in expanding the market youe club reaches - beyond those who can attend a conventional club meeting on a weekly basis.

Zone 33 Membership Summit Library (link)
Link to all files, presentations, handouts, etc. used in Zone 33 Membership Summits. Browse for a folder for your own District or another. All files are downloadable for use in another Zone, District or Club.

Zone 34 Membership Progress Update Reports (link)
Progress Reports are now available in th MAP Membership Success Center. Log in through DACdb or click the link for DACdb setup instructions. Look for the YTD Progress to Goal report and check the "Show Attrition/Attraction Counts" box.

Zone 34 Monthly Membership Trends & Success Track (link)
Monthly membership trends by District for Zone 34 are in the MAP Membership Success Center. Click on Progress Dashboard, then choose the District View. Login is through www.DACdb.com. On the District Tab, click the Membership Success Center icon. If you don't have that icon showing, click on the Download button below for instructions to turn it on.

Zone Directory (link)
Password protected file. Contact Phil or Karen Morris for password. Hint: Rotary's motto -- lower case, NO SPACES between words

Zones 33-34 Membership Action Plan (MAP) Page (link)
Zones 33-34 Membership Action Plan page - Videos from monthly Membership Action Plan (MAP) webinars, upcoming events and other valuable resources.

Zoom Quick-Start Cheat Sheet (pdf)
Excellent "how-to" user guide for new and non-users of Zoom. Send to your members who find Zoom intimidating and daunting. Screen shots and suggestions for taming Zoom into the app you want it to be. Promote your Virtual or Hybrid meetings to those not yet participating. Courtesy of D-7280.

PLANNING TOOLS

Satellite Club Project Plan Template (docx)
Thinking about launching a Satellite club? This project plan template lets you "start with the end in mind" - the intended launch date, then work backwards to establish the milestones, action items and those responsible for bringing the Satellite to life. Why start with a blank sheet of paper? This template lays out 80% of the decisions and actions you'll need to successfully launch a Satellite. Downloadable and editable in MSWord.

PRESENTATIONS

DACdb CRM Overview Presentation (pptx)
Slide set for introduction and training of District and Club Membership Chairs on DACdb's CRM (Customer Relationship Management) feature. Included in DACdb at NO COST.

Discover Rotary Slide Set — Forest Acres, SC (pptx)
Editable slide set for a Rotary Information Event -- "Discover Rotary". Created by the Rotary Club of Forest Acres, SC.

Discover Rotary Slide set – D-7360 (pptx)
Sample Discover Rotary Slide Set - Used for joint Discover Rotary between two clubs. Download and customize for your club.

Discover Rotary Video Example – Forest Acres, SC (link)
Live example of the #1 Return-on-Investment Strategy for attracting members to a Rotary Club. Watch this, download the Recipe for a Successful Rotary Membership Event, and plan your event by the numbers. GUARANTEED to attract members to your club if done according to the Recipe.

REPORTS

Zone 33 & 34 Membership Growth Index Reports (link)
The Membership Growth Index (MGI) is remarkably predictive of a club’s future success or failure at growing membership. This is a data-intensive report, intended ONLY for District Leadership.

Zone 33 Weekly Membership Trends & Success Track (link)
Weekly membership trends by District for Zone 33. Click the tab at the bottom of the page to switch to the tabular view. The Success Track is the green squares on the graph and the current year is the blue line.

TEMPLATES

1-Page Club Membership Plan Template – English (EN) (docx)
Download a Club Membership Plan Template that covers the essential elements of club membership success. MS Word format allows expansion and customization to meet your club's needs. A better place to start than a blank sheet of paper. This version includes a "how-to" cover sheet and a requirement to provide plans to the District membership team. That page can be edited or omitted in Districts where plans are not required.

2-Page District Membership Plan Template (docx)
Download a District Membership Plan Template that covers the essential elements of district membership success. MS Word format allows expansion and customization to meet your district's needs. A better place to start than a blank sheet of paper.

VIDEOS

Courageous Club Turnaround (link)
Entertaining video on the journey of one club from membership decline to membership growth, using the strategies promoted in Zone 33 Membership Summits. Worth the view.

DACdb CRM Introductory Video for DMCs and DCOs (link)
Video of setup and use of DACdb's CRM (Customer Relationship Management) feature. For district and club leaders, primarily Membership Chairs and others working with new member prospects

DACdb CRM Video (link)
Video overview of the DACdb Feature of 2019 -- CRM (Customer Relationship Management). A tool for tracking prospective members from initial interest or RI Leads to Proposed Member

DACdb CRM Video for Club and District Users (link)
Overview and "how-to" video for users of DACdb's CRM (Customer Relationship Management) feature. Track and manage your prospective members effectively and collaboratively.

DACdb University — DACdb CRM Training VIdeo (link)
Video tutorial on the DACdb CRM Module. Track your club's prospects with communication tools, followup reminders, and collaborate with other Membership Committee members.

Demystifying DACdb Membership Data – Video (link)
"How-To" tutorial on using DACdb tools, including District Compare (L-6 and up), Member Compare and Club Officer Compare to reconcile DACdb records with Rotary International's

Discover Rotary Explained (link)
This is both an explanation and an example of a Rotary Information Hour (Discover Rotary) session. Sandy Olson, D-7750 District Membership Chair and Discover Rotary Evangelist, gives an overview of what a Discover Rotary session looks like, interspersed with "how-to" ideas and instructions. Sandy's full slide set and Discover Rotary script are available by searching on "Discover" on RIZones33-34.org.

District Membership Chair Success Principles – Video Interview (link)
An interview with John Yermack, DMC of D-7670 (Western NC), whose District is experiencing record membership growth in 2018-19. Learn what's worked for John and D-7670.

Extreme Makeover – Monroe, NC (link)
Two co-presidents became the "new Sheriffs in town" for the Rotary Club of Monroe, NC. Realizing that their club was in chronic membership decline, they set about gettng back on the membership growth track. They created a playbook from the Membership Action Plan, using recommended strategies, the Recipe for Changing Club Culture, and the "Courageous Club Turnaround" video from Guilford, NC. Remarkable results, and surely worth your time to watch.

IMPACT Clubs – Creating Powerhouse Growth Video (link)
Excellent overview of the IMPACT club model, recorded at a breakout session at the 2022 RI Convention in Houston. An IMPACT club is another Innovative Club model - a "Service-Only" version of a Satellite club. It's an extension of your Rotary club, populated by members interested only in service project participation. No meeting, no meal. IMPACT members can also attend Host club meetings when they can, or attend Hybrid meetings virtually if offered by the Host club. This is WELL WORTH the time to watch it.

If You Don’t Have a Growth Strategy, You’re Shrinking (link)
Many Rotary clubs say, "We're just the right size." They have no interest in growing. Trouble is, most clubs that say that are slowly leaking 1-2 members per year, steadily getting smaller. Why? Have a look at this provocative video to learn the answer.

Jacksonville Club Membership Strategy (link)
Zone 34 Large clubs recorded session of Jacksonville Club President Jim Agee sharing their strategy to turn around the club's membership decline. Learn their key decisions and continuing strategies to create a growing, vibrant, traditional legacy club. Rotary Coordinator Mike Darragh provides context and introduction of Jim. 27 minutes of presentation followed by 15 minutes of Q&A.

MAP Membership Success Center Video Guided Tours (link)
Take a video guided tour of the MAP Membership Success Center. Membership Goal Setting, Membership Progress Dashboards, Member Satisfaction Surveys and several reports for Club, District and Zone leaders.

Meet the Rotary Club of Safety Harbor (FL) Noon (link)
Innovation brings Energy to Rotary! Meet President Eric Johnson and the Rotary Club of Safety Harbor Noon who had a chat with ICA George Robertson-Burnett at the Z34 DMC/ICA October Call about their newly-chartered club. Look in on a a High-Energy, Innovative Rotary Club. Non-conventional format, non-conventional leadership. Extraordinary result

RI Directors’ All Calls (link)
RI Directors in Zones 33-34 host an update call following each RI Board meeting. Dates are posted on the Zone calendar, and all past, present and future District Governors receive an email invitation.

Rotary Membership Anytown Video (link)
Short video explaining Rotary's need to offer a more flexible club experience for those who may not be able to accommodate a "legacy" Rotary club's meeting days, times, places or durations.

Why I Shouldn’t be in Rotary (link)
Is your club irresistible to new members? Or is it RESISTANT to new members? Some clubs seem to go out of their way to put roadblocks in front of guests and new members. Here's a short video, with a first-person account of his experience attempting (and finally succeeding) to join a Resistant Rotary club. Search on "irresistible" for some ideas on how to avoid such pitfalls..

Zone 33/34 TV – Video Library (link)
Library of videos on Membership, PI/PR, Foundation - both informational and training