Service Blog

Based on My Rotary, a site maintained by Rotary International for all, and each, of our more than 1.2 million Rotarian members worldwide, August 2018 is “Membership and New Club Development Month” Obviously both membership and new clubs are essential elements for Rotary to continue doing good.

Let’s take the second, first, as easy. Not aware of any “new club development”. However a brief “one paragraph” moment. Our Rotary Club of Sturgeon Bay (“RCOSB”) was a new club, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Green Bay (RCOSB was organized on 20 April 1920, and chartered on 1 May 1920).  Out RCOSB has THREE new clubs that spawned from RCOSB sponsorship:

• Kewaunee on 15 April 1924
• Sturgeon Bay Breakfast on 17 February 1992; AND
• Door County North (in Baileys Harbor) on 16 June 2011

So as our RCOSB is approaching its 100^th Anniversary, add these sponsored clubs too and that’s over 200 club years giving service to our communities and our world (actually 229 = 98+94+26+11); that’s an AWESOME RECORD for the Rotary Club of Sturgeon Bay!

Now back to “first is membership.” When your President (me, Mark Jinkins) proposed goal of “no growth” for our RCOSB membership and then asked our club members for confirmation or direction, YOU had an overwhelming show of hands – our RCOSB members (YOU!) raised the goal to grow membership. Past President Tieman records indicate 93 members, our first year of growth in the last 5 years reversing a multi-year trend of declining membership the 4 years before last year (and for years before that as well).

How many? Our District 6220 Governor Ann Fuge asks for 3%, so rounding (cannot have a part member) initial appears to be 3 new members for the year BUT  the “average” Rotary Club loses 11% of its membership each year (we all know that our RCOSB is above average) so again rounding that’s 11 members on average our club will lose (maybe more or maybe less, but that’s average). Add:  our RCOSB goal goal is to add at least 14 new members between 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019. That’s more than one new member a month, so let’s get to it.

Each of you as members of our RCOSB needs to invite one or more of those you know that might be a potential member to one or more club meetings. Invite them to one or more of our club socials, like the Fifth Thursday at the Sturgeon Bay Yacht Club Thursday 30 August 2018 5:30 pm to 7 pm, or our Holiday Party the evening of Thursday 27 December 2018, and every other Rotary event. How about helping clean that mile of road our club keeps clean, or ask if they’d help by being a volunteer the first Saturday in May for our “Sturgeon Bay Shipyard Tours”? Your club members like meeting people you know and making them feel welcome, and your club leadership appreciates the help that serves our community and makes the world just that much better.

Don’t know how to propose someone as a member, then contact our RCOSB Membership Chair Scott Bader (Mobile: 920-493-2106; Email: srbader@coldwellbanker.com)