Rotary – What Is It?
In simple terms, Rotary dwells in possibility. That is why we are here. Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. Do you see the beauty of Rotary? The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. Rotary helps you to find out why. Even now in many European and American Countries people are wondering what Rotary is. Like the city of Bangalore, which was once upon a time considered as a paradise for retired persons, people in these countries still think that Rotary is for the elderly retired persons. Retirement to many is saying “Bye” to tension and ‘Hello” to pension. But for many the transition between the present burden and distant paradise is not easy to bridge. How good they are in striking a balance makes their retirement phase of life fruitful or dreadful. May be that is why many elders are seen in Rotary in these countries. However, in developing Asian countries such as India, Rotary has attracted youngsters. There are more women now willing to join Rotary. From 2018, the figures show that the membership in India has grown from 1.39 lakhs to 1.56 lakhs in 2021. There are over 22,000 women Rotarians in India now compared to a little over 15,000 in 2018. The total number of clubs have also increased to 4.200 in 2021 from 3,700 in 2018. Well, Rotary has many programmes and Literacy Development is one of the key areas. I am not going to dwell upon that topic here, but I want the emphasise that literacy helps in building a good public image for the individual and the organisation. I am going to concentrate on membership development which is now a challenge. While analyzing why the membership in Rotary has declined in many countries, one particular reason comes to my mind. The organisation still believes that membership is by invitation. Though this practice has been considerably watered down, it is still a barrier because elderly Rotary members do not invite youngsters below the age of 30 that easily to join their club Youngsters, especially professionals, who are battling it out for growth in their chosen career should have the necessary motivation to join Rotary and this can be provided only by those they consider their equals in thought. Today, when the growth of Rotary is dependent more on young professionals, the membership development plan, must be like a modern human resources policy that can allow the youngsters to work and also serve the community in ways that are most suited for a locality. Young people have to see themselves as part a club which can nurture their extra hours after work. We must speak to them without difficulty or barrier caused by our own impression that we are special. There is no greatness about a person who is forced to join a service organisation. In fact, only those who are really very humble can claim to be service minded. Once there is a sense of inclusion, awareness about the other person comes naturally. Awareness is life and life is awareness. There is no other way. It is only because of exclusion of certain people in our mind that we have excluded them from Rotary. How to attract young minds to Rotary? Much has been said and debated for over 30 years and the results have been only marginal. Today’s young people, especially those who are working 16 to 18 hours a day in hi-tech areas, are becoming more exclusive characters and they find it difficult to mingle freely with others in the society. When we say we need young professionals we assume that they are earning members who probably have a family of their own. Probably this will constitute about 10 percent of the youngsters in the age group of 25 to 35 and unless Rotary has something extraordinary for them, the idea of joining may not sink in. We are assuming that they can afford the costs involved and hence probably we are narrowing it down by another 2 percent. Targeting such professionals who in their initial years of working do not mind hopping from one job to another and from one city or country to another, requires a very high level of information to be fed to them about what they can hope to achieve by joining Rotary. To me the one reason that can appeal to such youngsters will be the need to make their community more literate or free from hunger and disease. Now, in many advanced countries, the Government takes care of education and health care and there may be little or no role for these youngsters to play and hence one appeal may not attract all everywhere. So, what is the one appealing factor that can make such young professionals who can afford the costs involved with Rotary to join the movement? Among a few reasons such as peace in the world, I think that the prospect of developing as a leader of a group of people and guiding them for something more than what they can be, may be an appealing point. Rotary is supposed to impart the culture of inclusiveness. This is not a new philosophy. It is about falling back to a way of life, ordinary but magnificent. This is the way to safeguard the future of Rotary and this can be done by attracting young professionals who are not bothered about the stifling procedures but about delivering measurable results for the community as leaders. I have met so many people who had varying degree of influence on my life. But at a right moment, a chance event that occurred, brought forth the right individual in my life sending it in an important direction. I intuit higher meaning in this mysterious happening. I was looking for more fulfillment in my life and I won’t put up with anything that seems to bring me down. With this person I was beginning to glimpse an alternate kind of experience – moments in my life that feel different somehow, more intense and inspiring. But with this wonderful person, coincidences were happening more and more frequently and it struck me as beyond what would be expected by pure chance. I felt destined as though my life has been guided by some unexplained force.
The relationship with this person is an experience that induces a feeling of mystery and excitement and as a result, I feel more alive. That person is the person who introduced Rotary to me and made me see how wonderful a life spent in service can be. If you can be such a person to those around you who are not in Rotary, membership will increase to over 2 lakhs in India within few months. There are many wonderful things that will never be done if you don’t do them. Building a Public Image for Rotary is one such thing. Developing a good public image and an effective public relations programme for Rotary is long overdue. Let us assume that the terminologies such as Public Image and Public Relations have been in vogue and have been part of building organisations for the past 60 years. Rotary International has also been in existence in most developed countries during the same period of 60 years. Why is it that we are still talking about building a good Public Image for Rotary? It is said that God made Man in his image. Man, immediately started building a good image for himself from that time! I mentioned that God made Man in his image. God is what we are not. The wretchedness of people, conceit and ego of human beings is not the image of God. The original image of man has taken a beating. What is an image? Image is the impression that a person or thing presents to the public. It is a picture in the mind. It is said that there is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept. This means that the public should see and clearly understand what Rotary portrays. In their enthusiasm to attract members, did the clubs portray a clear concept of Rotary to the public? The answer is many times no. Every Rotarian is a public image of Rotary. Organisations are known and respected by the people who are associated with it. If the individual and collective reputation of the members in Rotary does not match the expectations of the public or the values for which the organisation stands for, then the public image of the organisation will be unsatisfactory. If we have not built a good public image for Rotary, it is because many of us bury in the past, not only the problems, but also often the best and most valuable part of Rotary. So, what is the first step in image building? How can a good public image be built for Rotary? What should we do? First, we shall be the best. Then we shall be the first. Rotary does something very different from a business enterprise or government. Business supplies either goods or services. Government controls. A business is discharged when the customer buys the product, pays for it and is satisfied. Government has discharged its function when its policies are effective. Rotary neither supplies goods or services nor controls. So, what does Rotary do? Rotary’s product is a changed human being. Rotary’s product is a cured patient a child that learns, a youngster who grows up into a self-respecting adult and a nation that has rid itself of diseases such as polio. So, what can Rotary’s image be? It can be – Rotary is a human change agent. If this is the talking point and people realise that Rotary is a change agent, a catalyst for peace, this image of Rotary will sink into the minds of people slowly. The great Napoleon once said, “I will defeat an army million strong. Not a nation one strong.” If every one of us say, “I am Rotary,” who can stop us from growing? Imagine the public impact of that statement and how the image of the organisation can be transformed into a reliable, respected and coveted service organisation. I conclude by asking you to ask yourself – what will you do tomorrow to build Rotary’s public image? And what will you stop doing? The highest reward for you doing service through Rotary is not what you get out of it, but what you become by doing it. Remember, you have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.