Information Guide for New Members
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Dear New Rotarian: Welcome to the Rotary Club of Santa Rosa West. We hope this is just the beginning of a long relationship during which you will share with other Rotarians. "Serving through Membership" Rotary clubs carry out a variety of service projects that address critical issues including poverty, hunger, illiteracy, substance abuse, pollution and of course fulfilling our promise to eradicate polio. It is important you familiarize yourself with our club and begin learning how our District and Rotary International operate. By learning about Rotary programs and activities, you will find avenues of service that will change your life, as well as those you serve. Service, after all, is the reason Rotary exists. Our 4 – Way Test is a statement of integrity. It guides our demeanor as Rotarians, business leaders and members of the community. We also show others what Rotary is about by inviting friends, associates and colleagues to our club meetings in order to encourage their interest in service participation. It is imperative each of us participates in strengthening the club by inviting and supporting new members. There is much to learn and many people to get to know. One way to do this is to focus on finding ways to serve in the club as soon as possible. Please let the Membership committee, your sponsor or any other member of the club know if you have questions or you need assistance. ROTARY IS SERVICE ABOVE SELF Yours in Rotary, Michael Moore |
TABLE OF CONTENTSRotary International Beginnings Club Identity & Basic Information Partial List of Major Community Projects Adherence to Rotary International Ideals |
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OFFICERS & DIRECTORS |
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ROTARY INTERNATIONAL BEGINNINGS Rotary was founded in 1905 by Paul Harris, a Chicago businessman who wanted to develop a network of business acquaintances of high integrity who were service minded. In 1908 San Francisco became home of the first Rotary Club in Northern California. Oakland came next in 1910, and the first club to reach Santa Rosa was established in 1921. Since then, Santa Rosa has expanded to five clubs. Virtually anywhere you travel in the world, you will find and be welcomed at a Rotary meeting. You are likely to discover Rotary membership will open doors of fellowship and opportunity to you in many ways. Wear your Rotary pin proudly and people will recognize and respect you as a Rotarian. There will be recommended reading at the end of this orientation guide, so please be sure to read more about the International Rotary family you have just joined.
The Rotary Club of Santa Rosa West was founded in 1965. It is one of 43 clubs in Rotary District #5130 which stretches from San Francisco to the Oregon border. Santa Rosa West has a reputation for being a strong and close-knit club. Our members are known and respected in the Sonoma County business community. Expectations are high for projects undertaken by this club because members possess strong business skills, exceptional levels of creativity and they are dedicated. For member efforts in the club year 2000-2001 Santa Rosa West received 8 awards at the District Conference in May 2001. Santa Rosa West led the district in developing a presence on the Internet to assist our members in communicating and to help in recruiting new members. You should expect to visit our web site at http://www.sr-rotary-west.org weekly for regular updates on club activity. To have a successful club each member must participate in some of the work. If we share a little work, we also share a lot of fun. S.R. WEST ROTARY CLUB’S MAJOR SERVICE PROJECTS Service projects undertaken by our club may be exclusive to our club, performed in cooperation with other Rotary Clubs, or in partnership with outside organizations. A more complete list of major projects is found in the membership directory, but here are a few of the successful projects our club has undertaken:
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Adherence to Rotary International ideals Although you will make some good friends and you may find that Rotarians seek to conduct business with you, this is a service club, not a business- networking and leads-generating organization. We respect and honor each other’s businesses. Business integrity is a foundation of the organization, but Rotarians come together to make the world a better place, rather than to solicit business from each other. Hence the slogan "Service above Self" will be heard often at meetings. Other ideals of Rotary International are reflected in our 4 – Way Test. Memorize the test and display it in your place of business. As Rotarians, consistent adherence to high ethical standards is essential to the integrity of our organization. The Rotarian’s 4 – WAY TEST Of the things we think, say or do
With few cultural exceptions, you will find that Rotary meetings consist of familiar elements no matter where you visit. Each club has its own "personality", but Rotary principles of integrity and the overall mission are consistent throughout the organization, regardless of country. Regular attendance is an important element of Rotary membership which enables you to keep abreast of club activity, the specific projects in which you are involved. It also is a venue for interesting weekly programs which are educational, informative and fun. Santa Rosa West frequently hosts students participating in Rotary-sponsored programs who share their view of the community. We are periodically honored by presentations from Rotary clubs abroad. These improve understanding between our countries and help us to build a feeling of kinship with Rotarians from around the world. Occasionally representatives from other clubs within our district present programs to inform us about their international projects. Local civic leaders are invited to present information on issues of local interest. When you attend club meetings, you will be expected to sign in and pick up your badge. Return your badge for storage at the end of each meeting. Perfect attendance is what we strive for, but every Rotarian should be able to achieve 80% attendance, except in unusual situations or illness. If you feel you have an exceptional situation, rather than just miss meetings, please contact the club secretary for information about options to protect your good standing in the club. We do recognize that club participation is an important as attending weekly meetings. Every member should participate on the board or on a committee. Some clubs permit attendance at certain board and committee meetings to count towards attendance records. As of this writing, Santa Rosa West is considering whether this should be done and how to develop guidelines for it that would make the club stronger through slightly more flexible participation. Santa Rosa West strives to achieve club attendance will above 90%. Regular participation of all members contributes to the high levels of camaraderie and cooperation within our club. Attendance records of each club are reported regularly to Rotary International. Considered an important "vital sign" as to a club’s overall health, attendance, and other records let our district and international leadership know how to support our club and help in development of Rotary policy. Many members of Santa Rosa West Rotary Club have excellent or perfect attendance over an extended number of years, though probably none have attended each weekly meeting at our club. They maintain their excellent record by "making up" at other clubs when they are unable to attend their home club meeting. When you are unable to attend a regular club meeting, you are expected to make up at another club. Should you be leaving for a week’s vacation, you can make up within two weeks before you go, by visiting a club during your vacation or make up within 2 weeks after you return. Whenever you make up at another club, you will receive a receipt to be turned in to the club secretary as evidence of your attendance. Within Sonoma County there are several nearby clubs that meet every day of the week – some at lunch and some at breakfast. The door to every Rotary Club is open to you and no reservation is needed. You need only show up to participate and maintain your record of attendance. Should you need to leave a meeting early, there is an opportunity to leave following the business meeting and before the speaker. Most clubs, including Santa Rosa West, charge a fee at the door for early departures. Additionally, if you must leave early, out of courtesy, please introduce yourself to the guest speaker before the meeting and inform him or her of your need to leave early and offer an apology for not being able to stay for the program. For a complete listing of
clubs in District #5130, visit www.rotary5130.org Bringing new members into our club keeps it dynamic and strong. All members, even new ones, have an obligation to keep an eye out for prospects who lend diversity of background, career and interests to the club. New members should be business owners and key executives with hiring and decision-making authority. The membership committee provides guidance to the club as to new member criteria. Prospective members are brought to the club a time or two as guests of another member who will become their sponsor. The sponsor introduces the prospect to others at the club and explains Rotary to the prospect. If interested in being considered for membership, the sponsoring Rotarian issues a formal invitation to the prospect and proposes the prospect to the board. During the ensuing period between invitation and initiation into the club, prospects may attend meetings accompanied by their sponsor (at their own expense), but they are not re-introduced to the general membership during club announcements. Attending meetings during this period is allowed to keep prospects interested and to help them start quietly becoming familiar with the club. It is unusual for a member not to be accepted once approved to receive Rotary information, but membership is not guaranteed until final board approval is given. For that reason some prospects choose not to attend meetings again until they are notified they are approved for membership. Approval can take up to 4 to 6 weeks. Club bylaws state that prospects must have approval from the Board of Directors to receive Rotary information. Once approved to receive Rotary information, a prospect is scheduled to attend an information and orientation session. At the end of that meeting, the prospects who choose to commit to join the club, sign a statement they have been informed of the costs, attendance requirements and other obligations, and they give written approval for their names to be published to the rest of the membership. As final admission must receive board approval, the prospect agrees to accept the decision of the board. Once the names of prospective new members are published to the general membership, members have two weeks to bring any concerns to the attention of the board. The bylaws state that four board votes are required to prevent a prospect from becoming a member.. |
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Within our club there is an ongoing need for committee members. It is likely that you will be contacted by one or more committee chairpersons as soon as you join. Make a point to learn from them what their committees do and select a committee to serve on as soon as possible. The overall service categories with the club include: Club Service: Any of a number of jobs such as
Community Service: A variety of community projects, often undertaken with other organizations to help the needy, to make the community better and to provide for the needs of Youth International Service: Unique opportunities to share goodwill and support the global efforts of Rotary International in such projects as Polio Eradication or to help clubs around the world with their local projects. Within the District, there are many opportunities to serve in district leadership roles or to assist with putting on district-wide events. District service representatives coordinate vocational service with all clubs, act as resources to club committee chairpersons and support District Governor. Districts select representatives to attend important Rotary International meetings where decisions are made which affect the future of clubs. There are also numerous opportunities to serve on projects that involve international travel and interaction with clubs around the world. RECOMMENDED READING FOR NEW ROTARIANS Getting Started in RotaryABC’s of Rotary Frank Talk |