IGNITE Rotary Membership, by Mel Powell

Posted by Wesley Bradford 
on Aug 28, 2012
 
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Mel Powell is a member of the District Membership Committee and President of the E-Club of the Greater San Fernando Valley (provisional, growing with 13 members and pending charter).  His Club meets twice a month in person and other times online.  Most members are from the San Fernando Valley and Burbank and Glendale, and he invites all Rotarians to visit it for online makeups at www.rotaryeclubgreatersfv.org.  They had a successful Food Drive on July 1 with the North Hollywood Club to feed 350 local families.  They will have a PolioPlus Dance Marathon (not really a marathon!), Dance for the Children, on September 15 in Sherman Oaks (started 2 years ago in a former Club).  They recruit sponsors at $20 each, many from outside of Rotary, for 3 hours of dancing on behalf of polio victims who cannot dance.

Among his other activities, Mel was appointed a member of the Rotary Zone 26 IGNITE Team for recruiting and orienting new members to Rotary.  The torch symbol represents leading the way to discovery and exploration, illuminating the way for others who will invite, unite and ignite new members whose fire and energy, when combined with our current membership, will help overcome the darkness of poverty, illiteracy, hunger and disease.  (August is Rotary Membership Month.)

Our Club should field a full team for more fun and more ideas for service.  The Club is the center of Rotary, and everyone needs to be involved.  We need to tell others how much fun we have and invite them to help us with our projects.  The 5 rules of Membership are:

  1. Make It Fun;
  2. Every member is on the Membership Committee;
  3. Membership growth — do something, decide what and how to implement it (the District has additional ideas on membership development);
  4. Retention — treat new members like a new member of your family;
  5. Keep It Fun.

New members should be assigned a mentor, in addition to the sponsor who brought in the member.  These 2 individuals should help each new member and the established Club members to bond with each other.