The Rotary Club of Hundred Islands forms the Rotary wheel with club members and guests.
By Fely R De Leon, past president Rotary Club of Hundred Islands, Pangasinan, Philippines
When I became president of my club, I shared a dream with some of the officers that the club could have a hundred members. But how? We had only 31 as of 1 July, 2016.
I faced challenges on two fronts. I had to make every meeting lively and enjoyable. And I had to make ours the club of choice for those who were looking for a worthy organization to join.
On the first front, I had to restructure our meetings from the usual drab, formal discussions to a fellowship where a member could really feel “at home.” Even new members could, in a relaxed manner, contribute to the free flow of ideas. Everyone was encouraged to present opinions on every issue. I gave responsibilities to every member, and even assigned project chairmanships to new ones. I tapped the expertise of the past presidents who gladly became advisers and confidantes.
Fellowship parties
Soon, the members started to feel the camaraderie and enjoyment of being a Rotarian. The last meeting of the month became our fellowship parties, hosted by the birthday celebrators for that particular month. Themes were selected and food and drinks were abundant. These fellowship parties became much-anticipated affairs, boosting morale for everyone.
As a result, it became easy for us to embark on big projects. We even partnered with the local government and other organizations on a lot of projects. Even Lions International became an ally.
I made sure that this change of strategy and the renewed vigor that followed were communicated to the public and even among clubs and Rotarians in District 3790 by way of social media and the local paper, as well as banners and streamers announcing our projects. I also made sure that public image was given much emphasis.
Recruitment
Attacking the second front had now become easier with the favourable image we had created from the first. It became a natural task of each Rotarian to attract other members. More than twenty of our members brought in friends who also became motivated members.
We may not have achieved our goal of a hundred members. But we ended up with 80, making our club the biggest in our district.
Throughout Membership and New Club Development month, we have featured blog posts that focus on club flexibility. From a hybrid club to dual membership, these posts feature clubs who have benefited greatly from restructuring or implementing new membership options.
Rotary Voices 
Please may be sending information on how we can double our membership here in Zambia too .iam Rotarian William chisoko of Rotary club of Luanshya.
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This awesome good work
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Congrats. Good initiative.
PP Satyanarain Agrwal
RC Jagdalpur D3261
India
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Personally, I think we need to work with our communities and focus on its immediate needs; i.e.: affordable housing, safety for women and children, every type of issue dealing with ABUSE, whether domestic violence, drugs, heroine & all drug trafficking, human & sex trafficking, etc.
If people have no useful purpose in their lives and are not perceived to be useful, they will go to the “dark side” to make the money they need to survive. We are capitalist here in this country and we value the all-mighty dollar $$$. Not everyone in NM, especially, can do that – they trade, barter, and do whatever they can to survive. Sometimes that works, sometimes not! No matter, there are so many who would like to be a part of a gentle, generous society, and they can be benefitted just by being accepted.
I would like to engage ALL Taos non-profits, NGO’s, Town, County and State Government Officials to be a part of an ongoing discussion about how to make things better here in Taos and all of New Mexico.
This conversation needs to happen NOW, not next month or next election year. RIGHT NOW!
Holding fundraisers for scholarships that take the future generation away from their own community doesn’t do anything to further the future of a community like Taos, or any other small town with multi-racial conflicts. We need to focus on how to bring all cultures together. We also need to have much more vocational training in our schools and Community Colleges. Honoring skilled work is essential to maintain and grow those fields of work we honor and respect and NEED!
The tradesmen working here are not from here, though they have been here for decades. They are seriously hard working men and women needing the work and doing it well. We also need to honor them and the craftsmanship they know and can teach the next generation. How can we incorporate them into our community with their knowledge and expertise?
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Excellent. Very inspiring one.
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Reblogged this on shanakyar.
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Good initiative! Invite young people from the Community to a special club meeting and listen to their ideas about Rotary can help to increase membership. Sk Abdul Hadi, R C Khulna North, RID-3281, Bangladesh.
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