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2016 - 2017 District Governor Neil Berg
 
District Governor Message
August is Membership Month in the Rotary calendar

And there is no more important issue in Rotary today, at least in North America, than membership.  Rotary International has developed a North American Regional Membership Plan, which includes:
1. Engagement & retention, and
2. Attraction. 

Seems simple enough, right?

Rotary International convenes a meeting of representatives from each District in the world every three years to review our constitution and bylaws.  This latest Council on Legislation this spring enacted some of the most sweeping changes ever, allowing for innovation that allows Clubs to vary their meeting times, define what even constitutes a meeting, and to expand their pool of prospective members. 
 
Because of these changes, membership just became a lot more flexible – clubs now have greater flexibility in when, where and how they meet and the types of membership they can offer.  A Club can now:
  • Structure meetings however they like, as long as it meets twice a month.  Socials and service projects can count for attendance as meetings. Meetings can be online or in-person.
  • Set their own attendance expectations – either relaxed or tighter.  The Club is still expected to report attendance to District.
  • Offer different types of membership: corporate, family, associate or younger people.  And surely there are others.
  • Can offer membership to a Rotaractor perhaps at a lower financial or time commitment.  A Rotaractor can now join a Rotary Club without giving up their Rotaractor membership.
Retention and engagement are the two sides of the same membership coin.  We do a pretty good job of attracting new members; where we could be better is in retaining those members. We would suggest that retention is a measure of the level of engagement of members and the expectations that are set when a new member is inducted.
One great new idea: the start-up of regular meetings of Club Membership Chairs in specific geographic areas to exchange ideas and take action, is being contemplated by Membership Development Chair Tony Knight and his team.  If you‘re interested in this concept, let him know.
 
Our Zone Coordinator led a webinar late last month which outlined these COL changes, some mandatory and most optional.  Some of you were able to listen; if you missed it, the webinar was recorded and is available at Great Ideas to Share.  We would really encourage every Club President and every Club Membership Chair to invest the one hour to give it a listen.
 
Our communities can only benefit from more Rotary and more of you the Rotarian; and to do that we will continue to need more willing hands, more inquisitive minds and more caring hearts as we serve humanity.
 
We were touched by the heartfelt letter from a Rotaractor in last month’s District Bulletin (eBulletin-July2016) about experiencing a polio victim first hand.  They are among us!  It is certainly not too early to start thinking about what you and your Club are going to do to publicise World Polio Day on October 24 in your local community.
 
One thought: last year, the major junior Western Hockey League’s Red Deer Rebels provided discounted game tickets to Rotarians and others and the Club contributed a portion of the sales proceeds to PolioPlus.
 
And of course, it is never the wrong time to say: thank you for all you do for Rotary and for being a Rotarian who Serves Humanity.
 
Talk soon,
Neil
Read more...
Reporting on your Service
Member Development Chair Announcement
It is with great pleasure that we introduce Rotarian Tony Knight, Past President of the Rotary Club of Calgary West, as the new Membership Development Chair for District 5360.
 
Tony had some great success in his year as President of his Rotary Club in engaging current members and attracting new members.
There is no more important issue in Rotary International than that of membership.  We need more helping hands, bright minds, and willing hearts to continue to do good in the world.
 
As Membership Development Chair, Tony will build a team of Rotarians to further develop and enhance the District’s membership strategies.
Please join me in welcoming Tony to this important role in our District.
Save the Date - Make Dreams Real Oct 22, 2016
Click the Poster to Register
Build Relevance and Value

Tips for Building Relevance and Value into your Service Club’s Media Contact List

 
There are different names for it. Pitching the story, selling the story, placing the story getting media coverage! Whatever you call it, your goal is to generate media coverage for your cause, event, notable speaker or any other topic related to the work of serving your community.
 
Robyn Braley
Calgary West
Airdrie Proud !

The Rotary Club of Airdrie is proud to be celebrating its 33rd year!

Over the last 33 years, the Rotary Club has donated more than $660,000 to causes locally and internationally. This number is exclusive of funds for Youth Exchange or raised by matching grants. 

Cargo needs transport from Calgary to Toronto

A few weeks ago SAIT offered Rotary in Calgary over $30,000 of new EMS Equipment for free.

We were allotted about 20% of the equipment for our Calgary South WCS Committee for our Panama medical equipment project.
 
A friend at Ledcor built us a sturdy wooden crate gratis. The crate has been loaded with the equipment but we have some extra room so we are topping up with donations for kids, all of which I have.
 
We are also arranging for shipping to Panama. Our contact in Panama is trying to negotiate a free air shipment on Copa Airlines from Toronto to Panama City.
 
She has asked me if we could try to arrange a free flight on Westjet or Air Canada from Calgary to Toronto. If anyone has a contact at either airline that might be able to help please contact me.
 
Thanks for your help
 
Rick Scott
RC of Calgary South
Res: 403-270-7969
Cell: 403-860-6060
RYPEN - R E V I V A L!!

Rotary – preparing the new generation

 
September 22 - 25 at the Southern Alberta Bible Camp (Lomond)
Registration forms will be available soon!
 
Our intent is not to change the camp overnight, it is a true revival, to take the camp to its origins and to focus on youth leadership training.. over time.
RYPEN – is an opportunity for young people 14-18 to challenge themselves, build friendships with like minded people, personally develop, and build life skills and/or awareness.
Who is coming to camp?  Students with undeveloped potential who need a helping hand to develop leadership, initiative and responsibility skills.  Those who would benefit from confidence building, encouragement and a chance to learn about his/her own innate capabilities.
This year, our leaders will be training prior to the camp in the areas of the role of the volunteer,  rapport building and disclosures, community web of support, suicide awareness, completing the Little Warriors online Prevent It! program, self-care, and getting to know each other!  Our trainer and camp facilitator is a former camp leader!!  Trevor Brown brings a wealth of experience and skills from his work locally, provincially and volunteering internationally, and has been working with youth in a variety of roles across Alberta for the past 13 years. 
 
Trevor ran a consultant business called Operation Humanity that worked with schools, agencies, and municipal/provincial governments that provided presentations, facilitation and consultation on youth initiatives and events.  He travelled provincially to help create and facilitate multiple youth councils that engaged the youth voice in municipal and provincial politics and social issues.  It was through this work that Trevor began working closely with a local not for profit to provide suicide and bullying prevention programming to youth in Southern Alberta.   Trevor was instrumental in the grant writing, creation and implementation of the many incarnations of the Building Bridges programming.  In approximately 8 years of operation, Trevor and the Building Bridges program engaged over 3,000 youth with experiential learning opportunities including 5 summer camps.  
 
Trevor is an energetic and engaging facilitator that has been well recognised for his work in Southern Alberta.  On a personal note, Trevor has a 4-year-old daughter that he loves dearly, cares for 5 crazy cats and has travelled to over 20 countries on 4 continents. 
 
We will also have some very special guest speakers!!
 
 
Rotarians can book number of students sponsoring to hold spots with Karen Johnson at
 
 
 
 
 
 
Member Resources
 
Whether you’re new to Rotary or a longtime member looking for ways to get more involved in your club or district, there are information and resources to help you achieve your goals.   
 
Visit www.Rotary.org, Log in to My Rotary with your username and password,
Hover over Learning and Reference
Drop down to 
LEARN BY ROLE
 
Click around and find more resources, complete more of your profile, add a photo, find customizable Club and Event logos, learn about interesting member groups, etc. etc.
 
The more you visit, the easier the website becomes to navigate and the more connected you feel.
Fans from Finland

Rotary Chinook held a meeting Aug 2nd at Village Brewery Tour which included lunch, tour and tasting.

     
In addition, the club members received a further surprise and were joined by three visitors from Finland.  
Mikko Akio (middle of photo) was a Chinook Rotary inbound student in 1989.   Sons - Ahti and Elias. Mikko spoke briefly to the club members and stated being an inbound student had a very positive impact on his life. 
 
 
‎Best regards, George
 
 
Online Event Ticketing Programs
 
Ever increasing, we purchase items online: airline tickets, goods and services, concert tickets, coupons, etc.
 
So why not Rotary Event tickets.
 
Clubs are often in need of a one-time use event ticketing software portal. Instead of reverting back to spreadsheets and pencil tracking, try online services that introduce ease of use, client tracking, and reporting with indices reports letting you know how well sales are doing at any moment.
 
First have someone in your club review the various ticketing approaches and to make a selection.
Second make a list of Needs and decide on options and requirements.
Third compare component costs of the different software and compare to budgetary requirements and examine how payments are collected ensuring that your club has the appropriate online banking or PayPal accounts.
Fourth compare Social Media linkages - does the software make it easy to promote your event on all Social Media Platforms which is critical for a successful event.
Fifth do online comparisons of the ticketing systems by reviewing a demo.  All provide online learning and help desks to ensure your event ticket sales run smooth.
 
Three that have been used by Clubs in the District are: 
 
There are more ticketing platforms out there, each with its unique brand and features but within an afternoon of research you too can be on the leading edge of event planning, promotion, and prosperity.
Speaker's Corner
 
To assist in your search for quality speakers at your meetings, please see below and submit suggestions.

new MP logo EN
 
 
Host a Veteran or Active Member of the Canadian Forces at Your Next Meeting!
 
The Memory Project  Speakers Bureau connects veterans and active serving members of the Canadian Forces with volunteer speaking engagements in their community. Our volunteers include veterans from the Second World War, the Korean War, Peacekeeping initiatives, the conflict in Afghanistan, and more.
 
All our programming is completely free!
 
It’s never too early to book for Remembrance Day and Veterans Week, as we operate on a first-come, first-served basis.
 
To book a speaker, please fill out our online form here.  
If you have any questions, please contact Meaghan Dalby directly via phone (1-866-701-1867 ext. 392) or email
 

 
Speaker suggestions can be submitted anytime to Charlene Bearden, District Administrator.
 

                        

RI President John Germ

2016 - 2017

     
 

Forty years ago, a man named George Campbell, the owner of the company I worked for, invited me to join Rotary. Back then, that was a common practice in the United States. Your boss invited you to join Rotary because he thought it would be good for business and good for the community, and you said yes. It’s not surprising that our membership surged during that period.

George warned me not to use Rotary as an excuse to slack off at work. Even so, I always had time to attend lunch meetings and serve on committees. I never had to worry that taking a long lunch once a week would hurt my advancement, or what my boss would think about the occasional Rotary phone call at work.

Today, things are different. Companies are less generous about time, and not every manager looks favorably on community service. It’s hard to enjoy a Rotary meeting when you’ve got emails piling up on your phone. It’s harder than ever to balance work with Rotary – and the model that gave us so much growth a few decades ago is part of what’s holding back our growth now.

That’s why the recent Council on Legislation adopted some innovative measures that allow clubs to vary their meeting times and expand their pool of prospective members. Clubs have more flexibility now to respond to the needs of their members and to clear away as many barriers to membership as they can. But there’s one barrier to membership that only you can remove, one thing that every prospective member needs to become a Rotarian: an invitation to join a Rotary club.

Whenever I tell a group of Rotarians that we need more willing hands, more caring hearts, and more bright minds to move our work forward, everyone applauds. But those hands, hearts, and minds won’t magically appear in our clubs. We have to ask them to join. And an invitation to Rotary is something that only you can give. An invitation is a gift. It’s saying to someone, “I think you have the skills, the talent, and the character to make our community better, and I want you to join me in doing that.”

I’m the president of Rotary International, but the only club I can invite someone to join is the Rotary Club of Chattanooga, Tenn. I can’t make your club or your community stronger. Only you can do that – by inviting the qualified people you know to join you in Rotary Serving Humanity.

 


JOHN F. GERM

PRESIDENT 2016-17

ROTARY CLUB OF CHATTANOOGA

TENNESSEE, USA

John F. Germ is board chair and chief executive officer of Campbell and Associates Inc., consulting engineers. He joined the firm as an engineer in 1965 after four years in the U.S. Air Force. He serves on the boards of several organizations, including the board and executive committee of the Public Education Foundation, Orange Grove Center Inc., and as board chair of Blood Assurance Inc. He also is founder and treasurer of the Chattanooga State Technical Community College Foundation and president of the Tennessee Jaycee Foundation.

He was Tennessee Young Man of the Year in 1970; Engineer of the Year, 1986; Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year, 1992; and Tennessee Community Organizations Volunteer of the Year, 2009. He is a recipient of the Boy Scouts Silver Beaver Award and the Arthritis Foundation Circle of Hope Award. In 2013, the White House recognized him as a Champion of Change.

Germ joined Rotary in 1976 and has served Rotary as vice president, director, Foundation trustee and vice chair, aide to the Foundation trustee chair, chair of Rotary’s US$200 Million Challenge, RI Board Executive Committee member, RI president’s aide, Council on Legislation representative and chair, membership zone coordinator, chair of numerous committees, area coordinator, RI training leader, and district governor.

Germ has received RI’s Service Above Self Award and The Rotary Foundation’s Citation for Meritorious Service and Distinguished Service Award. He and his wife, Judy, are Benefactors and members of the Arch Klumph Society of The Rotary Foundation. They have four children and six grandchildren.

Bulletin Editor
Charlene Bearden
Russell Hampton
National Awards Services Inc.
Sage
You are receiving this email because you are a Rotarian in District 5360.
 
Rotary International District 5360 Inc.
201 - 4 Parkdale Crescent NW, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 3T8
Tel: (403) 670-2624
 
     RI President:  John F. Germ     -     District Governor: Neil Berg