NORTH STAR

Story By AMANDA WATKIN,

gENERAL sECRETARY, ROTARY gREAT bRITAIN & iRELAND

In this edition of the Rotary magazine, you will find some fantastic ​information about the audacious goal here in Great Britain and Ireland to ​rebuild and surpass membership levels of some 30 plus years ago, targeting ​60,000 members by 2028 – this is our North Star!

To know where we are heading, it helps to understand our past and the reason ​why are where we are right now.

It feels to me that our leadership has consistently been singing the annual ​mantra of plus-one net gain in our clubs forever. Of course, this made sense ​from a futures perspective but as a member of a club which chartered with over ​30 members that grew ‘easily’ to over 70 members by its 10th anniversary, did ​we listen to our leadership, or simply ride the crest of our personal wave?

I speak here as part of the leadership of that club, as part of the leadership of ​that district and even as part of the leadership for Rotary Great Britain and ​Ireland, way before taking on the role of General Secretary. We most certainly ​rode the crest of the wave without thinking about the inevitable crash onto the ​shoreline in front of us.

When we look back at the membership data, we need to lower the rose-tinted ​spectacles because membership has been in decline for many decades.

People pass to higher service, peoples’ life priorities change and yes, people fall ​out of favour with each other. The revolving door of Rotary is constantly turning, ​sometimes for good reason, and sometimes it could have been slowed down, or ​stopped.

We all have our own Rotary door(s), the one we came in through and the one we ​will leave by. The question for each of us is not if we leave, but when and why.

As I write this piece today, my firm belief is that it will be health/death that is ​written on my exit door. Some of the reasons why I feel this way are shared in ​this edition of the magazine and, of course, in the project impact stories you will ​all have ready in previous editions.

It’s not because the stories and information are about me, but because what is ​being showcased is the breadth of possibility that Rotary brings to me, the ​different ways I can connect with others, and how those connections lead to ​friendships and service which will surpass any I could find outside of Rotary.

But the question we seek to answer is why has Rotary membership declined at ​the pace it has over the past three decades? The answer is multi-faceted and ​nuanced, but let’s break it down in a more simplistic way, to the three ‘Cs’:

1. Complacency
   
2. Competition
   
3. Challenge
   

Complacency

When you’re riding high, it’s easy to take your eye away from the future picture, ​to miss the projections given from the small indicators of the day, and to simply ​enjoy the moment.

We have a global structure that brings in annual change, making it difficult to ​retain organisational memory, even with a fair level of continuity. Each year ​brings new priorities, new shiny areas to focus on and of course personal ​perception as who wants to be the voice of concern when we are by nature an ​optimistic, can-do collection of good people.

Even when we were being told by a small group of people, statisticians and ​marketing folk alike that future sales were going to be significantly difficult, we ​were not collectively ready for change. No Rotary member that I have come ​across (and there have been thousands over the last 20 plus years!) ever joined ​Rotary to help with ‘sales’; they joined to fulfil a passion or need within ​themselves and understandably so.

Rotary is a membership organisation and when you walk through the front door ​you are looking to meet other like-minded people. Our vision statement says it ​all: ‘Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create ​lasting change across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves’. It does ​not say ‘… and sell that to others’!

As a result, even when we step into leadership positions as volunteers, and I am ​in that position via my club just as you are, we remain primarily focussed on ​service.

Complacency is a strong term, but I’m using it to stimulate our collective ​thinking. We have been complacent, but that complacency has changed to ​concern, which leads on to the second ‘C’ of our story.

COMPETITION

Society has changed with more charities then ever being setup. According to ​PolicyBee, the UK had 168,893 registered charities in March 2023. At least ​another 20,000 not-for-profit organisations have charitable status but don’t ​feature on the register. The Charity Commission received 8,583 applications to ​register a charity in 2022/23, 48% of which were successful. In the same period, ​4,146 charities were removed from the register.

Why does this matter? Rotary clubs are not charities, but the majority do operate ​a Trust or Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO or SCIO for Scotland). This ​means that, by default, there will be a level of competition between clubs and ​others undertaking work across local, national and international communities.

Of course, this ‘competition’ is often turned into partnership or collaborative ​relationship, but why would a person join Rotary rather than simply give money ​and/or time to a cause-specific local charity?

One answer to this question is variety. Rotary does not limit the vision of its ​members. If you have found an issue, assessed the need and think you have a ​plan, Rotary members can help you realise that vision to make lasting change.

We are not a ‘cash-cow’ for any particular cause, but we do raise funds, and ​through The Rotary Foundation access grants support projects solving problems.

Wrapped into the answer above about variety, is our network. Even now as we ​teeter on a membership number of 33K people which still represents a ​significant network of skill, experience, connection and enthusiasm to draw from.

But we have to make the effort to connect and to connect in positive and ​meaningful ways; to connect without fear of being rejected because our idea ​does not resonate with someone else. That’s where the values and behaviours to ​be expected within our organisation can also set us apart from the competition. ​We do stand on the value foundations of Service, Fellowship, Diversity, Integrity ​and Leadership. How amazing is that?

Our competition though is not simply other organisations. In this technology age ​and fast-paced society, people have many competing demands. Family support ​and work to meet economic challenge come first, followed by ways to relax and ​de-stress such as Netflix (others are available!) and the gym. Where does Rotary ​fit with these competitive demands? Well, that brings us neatly onto the third ‘C’ ​of Challenge…

Challenge

When the world around us has changed, but we haven’t, then that is a major ​challenge. How quickly we notice how change can be a major challenge, and our ​willingness to embrace that change may also be a major challenge.

In the past 20 years, the world has changed and technology use has skyrocketed. ​In 2002, the share of individuals across the UK using the internet stood at 56% ​compared to 98% in 2024.

Expectations have changed, and even if we take pre-pandemic data from 2019 we ​can see that non-users are predominantly in the 75+ year demographic data set ​at 51%, but there are zero non-users in the 25-34 year age band. As we look to ​Rotary’s future, these people will form the major part of our membership, so we ​need to adapt and meet their digital expectations today.

Our challenge is the transition process, to ensure we do not disenfranchise ​members who have enjoyed and contributed to a very different member ​experience. Our clubs are integral in meeting this challenge, having plans that ​ensure strong member-to-member communication, with an inclusive approach to ​service and friendship.

On the macro-level Rotary Great Britain and Ireland must look ahead. New ​approaches to membership models, service potential and network connections ​have been strategically mapped. However, no matter what these plans may look ​like, they need collaboration and co-operation from all of us, as the existing ​members are a strong body with the ability to disrupt change if it challenges their ​experience, such that they no longer feel aligned to brand Rotary.

For North Star to work we need to trust and support one another. We need to ​make room for new membership models to mature. We need to accept that not ​everything is known at this stage, yet we are developing policy and procedures. ​We are a pilot for the Rotary world and other regions are eagerly awaiting the ​opportunity to adapt as we have been permitted by the Rotary International ​Board.

In all of this though, we need to understand what the challenge of this change ​brings for each of us. Human nature makes us look at the what’s in it for me ​question (WIIFM). The overarching answer to this question is the continuation of ​your Rotary; it gives you a chance to expand your network, providing a strong ​foundation for future generations, which is part of your legacy.

If we do nothing, then the pressure on each of us as current dedicated Rotary ​members will increase, with less people to deliver the support needed by ​communities both at home and overseas. If we do nothing, our network of like-​minded ‘friends’ will diminish, taking some of our personal-social benefit with it.

The change management needed to show the WIIFM of North Star means taking ​a bit of a leap of faith to be honest. Many people want/need proof of concept and ​this has been given over the past three to four years with the development of the ​first new model of Direct Membership. This model currently accounts for just shy ​of 400 members, with nearly 100 more in process. All these people are wanting to ​help or explore opportunities to deliver community support.

The WIIFM of this is the chance to expand your pool of volunteers and grow your ​network through building new relationships. We are all different and it takes time ​to build friendships, but it simply starts with that first conversation, so shall we ​take a positive challenge and commit to getting to know our new members today?

I hope you enjoy and are excited by the North Star story you’ll read in this edition ​and will come on the journey to help grow Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland ​back to the dizzy heights of community engagement that’s possible with 60,000 ​members by 2028!