Every day I see Rotarians taking ACTION to make a difference in our community and our world. I see Mack Patel constantly stopping to help strangers as well as friends. I see Mike Trewitt traveling our District to encourage us to stay the course by committing to Polio Plus. Chuck Musgrave, Alfonso Nieves, Angela Rickman, Tom Fisher, Elizabeth Casey, Keith Oehlert, Sally Newey, Roy Woods,…where do I stop?
People of action constantly making a difference.
I want to recognize one person in particular in this article; Jere Jones, a member of the Oklahoma City’s NW Rotary Club and the owner of Sani-Sheen Carpet Cleaning. Jere put his business on hold to put on a cute, but stifling, bear suit and wave people into the Oklahoma Blood Institute RV at Sooner State Bank on North May Ave. It was HOT folks.
The NW Rotary Club initiated the District Wide Blood Drive in conjunction with Rotary International’s designation of July as Blood Drive month. Thank you to a great club, The NW Rotary Club of OKC, to Sooner State Bank and John Robin and again especially to Jere Jones for spending hours in a bear suit on a hot summer day to encourage blood donations. Call Jere and tell him thank you. 405-226-6824.
Bricktown Rotary and NW Rotary were both in the Oklahoman for the stellar commitment to the PIVOT project for foster kids aging out of the system.
There are dozens of other Rotarians that I could name right now taking VOLUNTARY action to make our world a little nicer, a little safer, a little better. That’s the people I want to hang with.
Oklahomans are celebrating the opening of a new tiny home community and neighborhood center for young people aging out of foster care in Oklahoma City.
There are 15 new fully furnished dorm-sized tiny homes in this community.
Bricktown Rotary Club and Northwest Rotary Club purchased all of the appliances.
On Saturday, July 13th over 40 Rotarians met in Ponca City to view the artwork, enjoy training, represent their clubs in voting and tour the historic E. W. Marland Mansion.
Rotary Club of South Oklahoma City recognizes a local Servant Leader of our community for her dedication and service to the community and her team at McDonalds.
2023-2024 Rotary year ended with the district increasing membership by 77 members…. not great, but it’s a positive start in reaching our 3-year membership goal of becoming a 2000 plus member District before end of Rotary 2024-2025.
Reaching a goal of 2000 members in a Rotary District can be challenging but achievable with strategic planning and effort. Here are some common challenges and potential solutions that you have shared with me during my club visits:
CHALLENGES:
Member Retention - Keeping current members engaged and active can be difficult.
Membership Diversity - Attracting a diverse range of members in terms of age, gender, profession, and cultural background
Perceived Value - Prospective members need to see the value in joining and staying in the club
Community Engagement - Ensuring the club is visible and actively involved not only in your local communities, but in the communities of your fellow Rotarians in other clubs and districts.
Leadership Development - Developing leaders within the club who can drive membership growth
Communication - Effectively communicating the benefits and opportunities of Rotary membership (what is your Rotary 30 second story)
Competition - Competing with other organizations and time commitments for potential members
SOLUTIONS:
Retention Programs - Develop programs to keep members engaged, such as interesting meetings, service projects and social events
Mentorship - Establish a mentorship program where new members are paired with experienced Rotarians to help them integrate
Diverse activities - Offer a variety of activities and projects that cater to different interests and skills
Public Relations: - Enhance the club’s presence in the community through events, social media, and partnerships with local organizations
Membership Campaigns - Launch targeted membership drives and campaigns with clear goals and incentives
Member Benefits - Clearly communicate the personal and professional benefits of Rotary membership, such as networking, leadership, development, and community service opportunities.
Training - Provide training for current members on recruitment techniques and how to effectively share their Rotary story.
Feedback Mechanism - Implement a system for collecting feedback from members to continuously improve the club.
Innovative Meeting Formats - Experiment with different meeting formats (virtual, hybrid, flexible timings to accommodate various schedules.
Recognize contributions - Regularly recognize and celebrate the contributions to keep them motivated and appreciated.
By addressing these challenges with targeted strategies, our District and our clubs can work towards becoming a 2000 member plus district at the end of this Rotary year.
Your District 5750 Membership Team is available to assist you in your membership goals and we are available to talk to your club about membership. Please feel free to contact me anytime with your questions and concerns and to request us to speak to your club. Phone operators are standing by.
We have a lot of work to do to develop strategies to recruit new members, retain and develop our members, develop new clubs and/or new club models, and to develop mentorship programs; however, I am confident that we will achieve all our goals and develop the right processes to reach these goals.
Yours In Rotary,
Chili
James Richard McQuillar
District 5750 Membership Chair
jmcquillar@cox.net
CP 405-659-2116
Mustang is a 100% Paul Harris Club
During Mustang Rotary's first meeting in July, Fred Ayers passed the gavel to incoming president Rob Foley.
During Fred's term as president, the club participated in many projects and accomplished becoming a 100% Paul Harris club!
Rob will now take the wheel, and we are all excited to see where our small but great club goes in the future!
Ponca City Rotary celebrated all that was accomplished in 2023-24 year and geared up for the coming year.
They installed new officers and directors and inducted four new members (9 for the year!). They presented several foundation recognitions. This includes 2 new Paul Harris Fellows, 13 who leveled up this year and 2 new benefactors (4 total for the club). They took a moment to recognize their 4 Paul Harris Society members along with the 2 major donors!
Rotary Club of Edmond Installs New Board of Directors
Local community leaders were recently installed to the 2024-2025 Rotary Club of Edmond Board of Directors. Rotary District 5750 Governor Jack Werner was on hand to instate the new officers on July 10.
On Monday July 8th GJCC BCL and Computer Tech student King David Kolawole visited Rotary who was the Student of the Week. He met Liz Partridge and Tanya Ferguson with
Integris Health whom were the guest speakers, Ramey Brinkman with Congresswoman Bice Campaign and Dr Michelle Chapple the Rotary President along with other Business and Community Leaders.
On Monday July 22nd GJCC BCL and Security student Joshua Chatman visited Rotary who was the Student of the Week. He met Marlon Banner Congresswoman Bice Field Rep and George Shafer the Director of Bunker 58 E Sports at the American Legion along with other Rotarians.
.png)
