Engage Your New Members

Engagement is the key to developing and retaining great Rotary members. Engagement shows them you care, and helps them build a habit of participation with you and your club. It really is the glue of retention!

Engagement is the key to growing great Rotarians and future
club leaders.

There is a new tool that DG Vicki has put together for your use on our website. There are a total of 12 letters all written and ready for you to fill in the blanks and customize. The letters are intended to engage and help orient new members. They are designed to be mailed to a new member weekly (or whatever interval you decide) to help inform and welcome them to your Rotary club, based on the belief that new Rotarians benefit from understanding the basic tenants of Rotary, as well as specific information about your club. This is a fabulous tool! Imagine how your recently inducted member will feel about your club after receiving these letters. You can get your club secretary involved to help you, or appoint a member of your committee to
accomplish this important task. Here is the first one as an example:

Dear new member:

Congratulations on your acceptance to membership in the Rotary Club of Downtown Metro.  It is with great pleasure that every member of our Club welcomes you to this Rotary Club and to our International Organization.

This is the first in a series of twelve letters that you will receive weekly to convey important elements concerning Rotary, its purpose and mission.  We ask that you give careful attention in your reading of the letters to help you understand more about Rotary and to assist you in engaging in the activities of our Club and Organization.

You have been invited to membership because your Sponsor recognized you as a person of good character and reputation, a leader in your profession. a leader in the community and saw in you the “heart of service”.  Although you have been invited to join Rotary, it will be through your own actions that you become a Rotarian—a term that means much more than just being a member of a Rotary club.

The first thing we ask is that you attend the Club meetings each week.  In this way, you will have the best opportunity to meet the other Club members and learn about the activities of our Club.  Each of our members will make an effort to make you feel welcome, will to get to know you and then we ask that you also do your part.  Plan to participate in the weekly meetings as a greeter so that you can become familiar with the other members.  Sit at different tables each week to enhance your exposure to more members.  Volunteer to sell raffle tickets at the door, or to take notes for the weekly newsletter.

There is no probationary period in Rotary.  You are a Rotarian, just like every other Rotarian in our Club or in the world.  First names are the custom that denotes we are all equals in Rotary.  Reach out your hand in friendship to all the other members and introduce yourself.  The members will be interested in learning about you, your profession, your family and your hobbies. Through this interaction, you will also get to know each of our members.

Personal acquaintance and friendship are the cornerstones of Rotary and attendance at each meeting is very important to our Organization.  Rotary meetings are held each week and you are expected to attend at least 50% of the time.  Greater attendance is encouraged because the absence of any member deprives the Club of the value of our diversified membership, contributions of all members to ongoing club projects and the personal fellowship of each member.  You will find that you miss a lot when you miss one of our meetings!

Please speak to me, or to any of the other Rotarians in our Club, with any questions.  I look forward to seeing you at this week’s meeting.

Yours in Rotary Service,

Club President

Think of the impact that receiving these letters would have had on you when you first joined! Make sure you customize them to fit your club, and start engaging your new members right away.

You can download copies of these letters from our membership development section of the district website, or at the following link:

12 Letters

That's All!

Woody