Rotary without ​borders

Story By Tim Mason, Special Adviser Team Lead, Direct Membership

Wow! We had a wonderful presentation last month at our Direct Member ​Drop in Café from Rotarian Anju Bhatti from the Thames Valley Direct ​Member Hub. She was recommended to join Rotary by a Rotarian in India, ​and was able to easily join Rotary International in Great Britain & Ireland ​this year through the Direct Membership programme.

Anju is just one example of the Rotary Direct Membership Network which is a ​living, breathing network of Rotary members who connect virtually and ​physically.

We have a forum-type space which brings people together online 24/7 and allows ​for full flexibility to take part in Rotary activities, compared to the fixed traditional ​meetings which clubs have.

Through Rotary Direct Membership, we encourage members to meet with club ​Rotarians and with each other at times, and for reasons, which are convenient ​and relevant to them. And as a direct member, you have access to the fully ​online environment with seminars and workshops on the Direct Membership ​Network.

Whether you are at home or on holiday, you can contact the local Rotary club to ​join in with their events or attend meetings to further expand your Rotary ​knowledge, and form more connections.

Generally, club members meet on set days and at set times, completing the ​same projects. It’s an arrangement which suits some people, but not everyone. ​Direct Membership is Rotary Great Britain and Ireland’s new model for a more ​modern membership and/or exploring membership options of Rotary.

We want Direct Membership to be a personal journey of discovery, fitting in with ​members’ lifestyle and within an area which suits them. They are connected to ​Direct Member Hubs in a District so they are involved with their local community. ​We seek out local projects or activities run by Rotary or others which aligns with ​their interests and passions. The Hubs can also assist helping them develop their ​own projects.

There are various online opportunities to engage with others to build ​relationships, such as informal meetings over coffee, online Drop-in Cafés once ​a month or Hub meetings.

We are developing an onboarding programme, where members can learn more ​about Rotary, use the Rotary International Learning Centre and, within the Rotary ​GB&I Website, post within the members’ Hub about what they’ve been doing to ​learn more about Rotary activities across the network.

Can you remember being invited to join Rotary? I can. It was 1981 when a car ​accident meant regular visits to a local garage and solicitor where both invited ​me to join the local Rotary club in Aylsham, Norfolk.

It was quite an experience for a young youth worker to join this esteemed ​institution. My mentor at that time instilled in me that it was every member’s ​duty to seek new people to join Rotary International, an organisation dedicated ​to service together in the community and to be a catalyst for change.

Today John Hewko, our Rotary International General Secretary and CEO, urges us ​all to help grow Rotary, adopt modern technology and innovation. In Rotary ​Great Britain & Ireland, we are enabling this through a number of different ways ​and in particular through the Direct Membership pilot.

The world has changed since 1981. Even I have needed to join 10 different Rotary ​clubs since then as I moved around the country with my work. Each time I ​moved, this meant exploring and finding a new club. That’s why variety and ​flexibility is needed.

Now I no longer need to belong to a club, Direct Membership allows me to ​belong to Rotary International as I carry my home with me like a tortoise!

I have a passion to see Rotary grow and evolve, listening to the messages from ​Rotary International, following the strategies for change to become stronger in ​the 21st century.

Direct Membership provides opportunities for busy people to explore Rotary in ​their own time, within their own capacity and in whatever way suits them. It gives ​us the ability to recruit, retain and refresh Rotary in these islands creatively and ​by keeping it flexible and inclusive.

It helps build relationships, learning experientially how Rotary can make a ​difference in our world, nation and community. And if it’s time for someone to ​leave their Rotary club, for whatever reason, then Direct Membership enables ​them to stay as a Rotarian where they are encouraged to continue to help ​wherever they are needed.

Equally, if there is a desire to set up a new type of Rotary in an area, Direct ​Membership helps build momentum if people become active members of ​Rotary, whilst bringing others together to form a new group or club.

Direct Membership is fluid, putting people first, enabling them to connect, build ​relationships and take action. It keeps members linked to Rotary activity in their ​local area by being part of a Direct Member Hub, as well as giving the benefits of ​the Rotary GB&I network. This is Rotary without borders.

By joining Rotary this way, we offer the ability to be involved, learn the ropes and ​be inspired. It shows the world that Rotary is a can-do organisation doing good in ​our communities.

Our people-centric organisation is showing how connected people can be the ​magic which the world needs to make a difference.

To find out more about Direct Membership visit: rotarygbi.org/direct-​membership