Rotary Clubs Enter New Era

From 1 July 2010 a new kind of Rotary club will be accepted world-wide

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To be known as Rotary e-clubs, they will not gather for a typical Rotary meal, business meeting and guest speaker. Instead, they will meet on-line with all their operations supported by web technologies and electronic communications. The concept has been tested in a proof-of-concept pilot that commenced on January 4, 2002. On that day, Rotary E-Club One was launched in Colorado, USA. Later, thirteen additional Rotary e-clubs were launched and added to the pilot study.

The study revealed two viable models for web-based Rotary clubs. The first model is a "pure" Rotary e-club that conducts 100% of its Rotary business on the Internet. Typically, members have one face-to-face dinner meeting per year, usually at the RI Convention. Members are likely to come from a wide geographic area which may be global. Rotary service is undertaken in the community where a member lives, or groups of members collaborate and work together as teams on service projects in needy communities where no member resides. Rotary E-Club One of Colorado, USA is a good example of a pure Rotary e-club.

The second model is a "hybrid" Rotary e-club that conducts most of its Rotary business on the Internet, but meets face-to-face once a month for a dinner meeting. A hybrid Rotary e-club is a good option when all the members live within a relatively compact geographic area that enables them to travel to the monthly face-to-face meeting. Rotary service projects are undertaken within the geographic area and beyond. Rotary E-Club of Singapore is a good example of a hybrid Rotary e-club.

Over 500 Rotary districts throughout the world will be able to establish a maximum of two Rotary e-clubs per district, following a successful vote at the Rotary International 2010 Council on Legislation (Rotary's "parliament") in Chicago, USA.

There are critical strategic decisions (some quite complex) that a Rotary District must address before prescribing the type of Rotary e-club (pure or hybrid) and membership reach (district or global). Unless these fundamental issues and their key drivers are addressed at the very beginning, there is the risk of failure.

Successful Rotary e-clubs (pure e-club model or hybrid e-club model) have a number of common attributes including:

1.clarity of purpose

2.commitment to excellence

3.intelligent leadership

4.sound organizational planning

5.meaningful projects and activities

6.continuous contact with members

7.harmonious member interactions and fellowship

8.careful membership development

9.close engagement with the Rotary District

10.effective use of appropriate technologies

A website has been established at www.rotaryeclubs.com to provide information and resources for the establishment and operation of successful Rotary e-clubs. The website will not be prescriptive but it will be a reference point offering information, document templates, best practice recommendations and other helpful resources, drawing upon the experience of Rotary E-Club One and the other successful Rotary e-clubs that performed with distinction during the proof-of-concept pilot.

by: Chris Joscelyne

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