Alternate Membership Options For Rotary Clubs to Consider

Alternate Membership Options For Rotary Clubs to Consider Michael Hayes

Membership Types Rotary Recognized Two Types § Active members – Referred to as “Rotarians” § Pay Dues to RI and the Districts, § Enjoy full Rights of Membership § Counted as “Club Members” by Rotary International § Honorary Members – Referred to as “Honorary Rotarians” § Pay no Dues, no rights of membership, not counted as “Club Members by Rotary International, designated at the discretion of the club 2

Club options for “Alternative Members” Clubs may create alternate membership types for Active Member Status. Clubs should consider § Their objectives for alternate membership § Announce their intentions and discuss the plan (yes, have a plan) with their members: § Alternate membership types may be considered “unfair” by some members § Some members may wish to pursue the alternate membership § Understand the impact on the club before “jumping in” 3

Types of Alternative Memberships Clubs have flexibility in the types of membership they offer. These include § Corporate memberships § Partner memberships § Rotary membership for Rotaractors § Passport memberships § The only limitation to types of membership is the imagination! 4

Types of Alternate Membership Corporate Membership is the most common. Attributes of this membership may include: § A designated primary member from the corporation will be the dues paying member, alternate members attend meetings in place of or in addition to the primary member. § The business entity may be a business, educational institution, government institution, or any other employer. § Club bylaws define dues, meal costs, etc for the primary member and the alternate attendees. 5

Benefits of Corporate Memberships § Convenient way to establish a connection between the Rotary Club and a Business § Provides the business a low risk Community Service / Interaction / Leadership development opportunity for employees § Offers values based businesses the opportunity to expose employees to a values based service organization § Provides opportunity for the Rotary Club to become relevant to the business community § Represents a long term membership growth opportunity for the Rotary club 6

Types of Alternative Membership Rotaractor Memberships § Rotaractors are eligible to be Rotaractors and Rotarians. Clubs may establish guidelines to make it easier for Rotaractors to join: § Allowance for or exemption from meal costs, club costs, pay only Rotary and District Dues § Rotaract Corporate Membership § One member is named, others can be alternates § Club bylaws address attendance by multiple alternates 7

Types of Alternate Memberships Family Memberships § Same Concept as Corporate Memberships § Primary Family Member is the Rotarian, other family members are alternates § Club bylaws address the attendance of multiple family members 8

Types of Alternate Memberships Passport Members § Passport Clubs for frequent Rotary travelers exist to provide a home club for someone whose Rotary Experience is visiting clubs while traveling § Passport clubs have reporting and participation requirements for Passport members § An existing Rotary Club can modify its bylaws to accommodate Passport members as club members 9

Incorporating Alternative Memberships Modify the Club Bylaws § Decisions affecting bylaws § Qualification and Election as of Alternative members § Attendance of Primary and Alternate members § Dues and meal costs for Primary and Alternate members § Management of votes and quorum § Holding office § Participation in Projects 10

And While Your Club is Evaluating its Bylaws Other Membership issues to Consider § Do the selection/election of new members provisions conflict with the election of alternative members provisions? § Do the club bylaws inhibit membership growth, either due to the rigor of the process or the time required for admission? § Should the club incorporate provisions to allow development of a Satellite Club? 11

References § Guide to Corporate Memberships https: //my. rotary. org/en/document/guide-corporate-membership § Flexible Options for Clubs - https: //my. rotary. org/en/clubflexibility § Club Flexibility FAQ - https: //my. rotary. org/en/club-flexibilityfaq#membership_types § Anything else you might want to know about membership https: //my. rotary. org/en/learning-reference/learntopic/membership 12

Questions? 13