Rotary’s Global Membership Migration…
and what it means for clubs in developed countries - Part 1
You’ve no doubt heard the
statistic that our global membership has remained static at 1.2 million for
over 20 years, and you may also have heard the statistic that we induct and
lose 100,000 members per year. What you may not have heard (unless I’ve spoken
at your club recently) is that the 100,000 that join Rotary’s ranks each year
not all joining in the same regions as those 100,000 who are leaving. There are
a few notable exceptions, but it is overwhelmingly Rotary in the western or
“developed” world that is losing those 100,000 members a year, and Rotary in
the developing world that is gaining them.
I remember when I first got
involved in Rotaract in the 80’s, there were clubs everywhere in D9520 (then 952)
and our neighbouring D9500. By the time I left Rotaract and became a Rotarian
in 1997, there were only 2 or 3 struggling Rotaract Clubs remaining, including
Edwardstown which folded in 1999. But as I sadly watched Rotaract fade away
locally, it was growing at a staggering rate in the developing world.
Earlier this year at the Sydney
International Convention, we heard from Ramkumar Raju, the Rotaract Representative
(Rotaract equivalent of DG) from D3320 in India, who spoke about the
astonishing projects undertaken by Rotaractors in India. In that one district
there are over 25,000 Rotaractors. Clearly population density has a lot to do
with these figures, but I can now see parallels between what was happening in
Rotaract then, and what is happening in Rotary now.
There’s a word that seems to be making its way into
Rotary membership conversations lately, and that word is RELEVANCE. And with
good reason. I believe Rotary in the developed world is struggling with a
relevance deficit. Rotary is a very important part of my life, and right now, I
couldn’t imagine life without it. But clearly, Rotary is not relevant enough to
the members who leave us, or the public who never join us.
I recall spending a lot of time on Maslow’s theory
many years ago when I was studying marketing and retail management, and how
defining and meeting customers’ needs was paramount in marketing your product
and motivating your customers to part with their cash. Those books are all
gathering dust in my shed now, but I’m starting to understand how life in a
society without basic infrastructure, electricity, potable water and
sanitation, shelter, healthcare and education can act as a considerable
motivator to join an organisation like Rotary. A service club must appear very
relevant in this environment.
In our comparatively fortunate and distraction
ridden society however, the motivation to join a service club is clearly not as
strong. Rotary is losing its relevance. People are still volunteering, they
just aren’t willing to prioritise attendance at meetings as a valuable use of
their increasingly rare spare time.
In next month’s issue I will have a crack at
addressing how we can become more relevant in our developed world, and you can
expect my old mate Maslow to get a mention again.
In the mean time, I’m looking
forward to catching up with AG Lesley and the Rotarians from Group 1 on
November 16 when we hold a membership seminar in Mildura.
PS Rotaract is starting to make a
comeback here in D9520, and no-one is happier than me!
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