Another View of Membership Development by Rotary District 3850
There are many ways to skin a cat. This we always hear when people mean
doing things in different ways. This is why I thought that as we celebrate
August as Rotary’s Membership and Extension Month it would be interesting
to look at membership development from another perspective by sharing with
you the thoughts of three great men that have made footprints in the world
of business and sports.
Ross Perot, who ran for the US presidency and lost to Ronald Reagan, is
the founder of the successful Electronic Data Systems. He is known to have
the talent, for picking the best people to man his business. Once he was
asked how to choose men and his short answer was: “Eagles don’t flock –
you have to find them one at a time.” He simply meant excellent employees
have to be searched for. You have to go out of your way to pick the best
men and women for the job.
This is the same with recruiting new members for a Rotary club. We need
eagles – qualified people - who can be developed into quality Rotarians.
But like eagles, they are the rare kind, the best in their business or
professions. They have to be sought out in our communities and invited to
join Rotary. This is one reason we have the classification survey to
determine who deserves to be invited into the club. It’s like searching
the forest for eagles.
After Ross Perot, let us look at another great man in his field of
endeavor. Lee Trevino, a master golfer in the ranks of Jack Nicklaus, Gary
Player, Arnold Palmer, and other legendary names in golf, talks about how
he improves himself in the game, “Every day, I’m trying something new. I
think you’re not going to be a very good player if you weren’t constantly
learning new things - - positioning the ball in your stance, playing your
hands forward, changing equipment - - putting a different shaft in it,
making it flatter - - making it more upright - - these give you the little
things that you’re looking for.”
Membership Development is like improving yourself in golf. You need to
learn new things about Rotary to enrich your knowledge and get a deeper
understanding of it as a way of life. This is an activity that is
especially for you – to improve yourself in the knowledge and ways of
Rotary. Rotary information gives you the little things you’re looking for
to realize the true meaning of Rotary and to inspire commitment to its
ideal. Rotary is like golf. In golf, you need to learn new things to stay
in the game. In Rotary, you need to learn new things to stay a Rotarian.
The next personality we would like to learn from is US President Richard
M. Nixon, Ronald Reagan’s predecessor. He believes in facing the tests of
manhood to develop the finest qualities in man. He was once quoted as
saying, “The finest steel has to go through the hottest fire.” Aptly said,
the finest men are those that have had their most difficult character
drill.
Membership development in Rotary involves a member’s active participation
in Rotary activities. No one becomes a genuine Rotarian unless he is
personally involved by sharing his time, talent, and even resources to
help others. It is through the immersion of a member in service to his
club, his family, and his community that he develops the qualities of a
true Rotarian. In Rotary, the “hottest fire” of Nixon means total
commitment or the giving of one’s self and one’s best to the service of
others. Through active participation, a Rotarian puts Rotary into his life
and it becomes his own way of living.
Ross Perot, Lee Trevino, and Richard Nixon – three different men from
three different worlds – have spoken their minds on three different
subjects. Yet, little do they know that their words of wisdom could stir
the imagination of Rotarians throughout the world in inviting and
developing quality members.
Having taken a close look at these three great men, we see that there,
really, are many ways to skin a cat. There are many ways to interpret the
meaning of one’s words. There are many ways to put life to an otherwise
uninteresting subject. There are many ways to tickle the imagination and
spur action. This month, we have found a different way of looking at
membership development. If I had talked about membership development the
traditional way we would have found it rather boring. But learning lessons
from the words of Ross Perot, Lee Trevino, and Richard Nixon and using
them to stir our minds, we have found a creative way to arouse interest in
ourselves on how to strengthen our clubs through membership development.
Keeping all of these in mind, let me share this thought with you.
Membership development is the key to a strong and vibrant club. It is the
door to the admission of new members and their development into quality
Rotarians. It is a means to keep the Rotary spirit alive and to retain
membership in the club. It is surprising however that despite its great
importance, Rotary clubs keep losing members and find it difficult to
invite new ones to replace those that have fallen from the ranks.
The answer perhaps is creativity – seeking new and interesting ways to
motivate people to join Rotary and to keep them in the roster of members.
This is what Ross Perot meant when he said we should look for eagles; or
Lee Trevino, when he said that he keeps on learning new things to keep
himself in the golf game; or, Richard Nixon when he suggested that the
finest steel must go through the hottest fire. Moreover, we learn that
Trevino’s desire to keep in shape and remain one of the legends in golf is
what drives him to learn new things. He puts into play the words of
Alexander A. Bogomoletz: “One must not lose desires. They are mighty
stimulants to be creative, to love, and to long life.”
I would like to close my message with the words of George C. Hager, RI
president in RY 1938-1939: “Rotary’s emphasis is on the individual. His
development is Rotary’s reason for being.” Briefly, clearly, and
beautifully said, it means every club member is the foundation – the life
– of Rotary. The seeds of Rotary were planted with a clear vision and
humanitarian mission. These seeds are planted in the heart of every
Rotarian and they must grow. We must therefore develop the true spirit of
Rotary in every member so that Rotary will live forever.
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