Welcome to Assistant Governor Richard and all our members to our first eClub Assembly, here we set out our plans for the next Rotary Year 2012/13.
To begin the Assembly we invite you to view the video below The History of Rotary, so that everyone understands how Rotary began and how it has grown into the network it is today. Who would have thought Rotary would be associated with Public Loos!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJiyl3FR5mw&w=420&h=315]Our Plan for the Rotary Year 2012/13
Aim & Focus: – To consolidate the eClub and put at the centre of all we do Service above Self.
Objectives:-
- To increase membership with a view to getting 10 members in each of the key areas.
- To work in partnership with other Rotary Clubs and agencies.
- To raise awareness about Rotary in our communities, workplaces, within our friendship circles and within our families.
- Continued support and development of our current members.
- To carry out the five avenues of Service through specific projects and have fun in doing them.
Method:-
All Service to be carried out by our members and coordinated by the Action Groups as previously published over previous weeks. (Please see Service Projects and Administration Action Groups Plans on previous posts, plus President Tim’s proposed Goals for Year 2012/13 again in previous posts, summaries are shown below). See also attached report on programme submitted to District Governor.
Indicators of Success:-
- At least 10 new members are recruited.
- All members login onto website as a minimum once a month.
- one third of members attendance at each physical meeting.
- Continuity plan for next three years in place.
- Service projects are carried out and achieved.
Evaluation:-
Review carried out in December to ensure we are on track for the 2nd half of year. Review carried out in June to evaluate the year.
The President’s Projects for the Year 2012/13
- To support work at Gloucester City Farm – move Duck Pond and other activities
- To fund raise for some equipment for the Acorns Children’s Hospice
- Where possible to help in the development of Interact Clubs across District 1100
Service Projects Action Group Plans (for full details see Service Projects Plan post)
- To develop and run one International Project – Purchase two Shelter Boxes in 2012/13. For those who are unaware of this charity take a look athttp://shelterbox.org . See Events Calendar for details of a workshop on Shelter Boxes in July.
- Fill 40 Shoe Boxes for Christmas. Again if you don’t know about this project please take a look athttp://www.rotaryshoebox.org/ We will need to do this in two locations in our area covered.
- Mobile phone collection
- Support the work of British Heart Foundation
- To support the Cafe & Shop project with Swindon Special Needs School
- RIBI Technology Tournament. For more information review http://www.ribi.org/what-we-do/youth-competitions-and-awards/ribi-technology-tournament
- Mock Interviews
Administration Action Group Plans (for further details see Admin Action Group Meeting)
- to ensure we produce an eClub Budget and account for funds in a proper way
- to get the eClub Charitable Status in place and have opened a Charity Account – volunteer required to do this, please respond to Janice
- to refresh the website and make it more eClub friendly – underway
- to coordinate the eClub weekly programmes and calendar of events and activities – volunteers to undertake this work have been found
- to produce a fun event which raises funds – Emma and her sister Alice would like to create a calendar using Alice’s make up artist skills.
Foundation Action Group Plans (still to be finalised with Jill Johnston)
- End Polio Now – Pigs and another collection with Choir at Christmas
- Group Study Exchange involvement
- Learning more about The Rotary Foundation
Membership Action Group Plans (still to be finalised with Rachel Ashley)
- Improved mentoring scheme in place
- to ensure that the eClub is actively delivering Equality & Diversity
- organise eClub Members attendance at District Conference
Marketing & Public Relations Action Group Plans (still to be finalised with Katharine Hope)
- membership campaigns in three areas
- some work in mental health awareness
- improved use of social networking
The President asks that we take on these general things within our eClub in 2012/13
Getting involved in District 1100
- there is still a lot to do in getting traditional Clubs in our District to understand how as an eClub we can work in partnership with them, this needs to be two way and really embrace the concept of Joined up Rotary – it is great that members are offering to go to the different Zone meetings near where they live, so that other Rotarians can meet them, they can contribute to the discussions and can help spread the message about our eClub;
Membership Development
- we need to encourage every member to take on a small role in the eClub, as many people help to make the workload lighter – there are lots of little jobs to do and thanks just recently to Yvonne for taking on the role of Equality and Diversity Officer, Dave for that of Health and Safety Officer, Kevin for Protection Officer, Katharine for Sports Officer;
- we do still need to grow our membership – if every member just had a target for 1 new member in the coming year 2012/13 we’d double our membership, personal contact and enthusing others at work (just ask Janice);
- we need to try to get into a routine of logging in at least once a week, just to catch up on the programme and what events might be coming up, yes we are an eClub for busy people, hence our 24/7 operation – there are some great conversations happening on our site, we need everyone if possible to join in;
Building Relationships
- please continue to use both the website and social media like facebook to build relationships with each other. However we can also use traditional methods, like the telephone, skype, and even meeting up – the informal ad hoc meetings at lunch times have been good to see happening, we will build in a once a month physical meeting in our next year’s programme, plus the activities that the Action Groups are organising will help in the relationship building as well as fund raising or practical service;
- learning about each other is also really important as we grow as a team – thanks to Yzanne for her My Job and Life Talk, it would be good to have more of these in the future, volunteers welcome;
Future Meetings Structure
- we need to get all members involved in the decision making, so each month on the alternative weeks of the programme it will be an Open Meeting, where members can up-date us on their Service above Self in their own communities, or what they’ve been doing with the eClub or something else that might be interesting to members. The other alternative week will be a programme for decision making and reports on other matters about Rotary;
Finally words from our President Tim, “So our plans are in place and I look forward to working with you all in making them happen, it is exciting that we are starting to grow as an eClub. Thank you AG Richard for his excellent presentation and I look forward to hearing eClub members’ comments, contributions, thoughts on the plans put forward today. As we’ve always said Rome wasn’t built in a day, this year is our time to consolidate our foundations and really get our eClub motoring.”
We ask all members who attend the eClub Assembly to consider the plans and comment below:
- do you agree with the plans being put forward?
- could Action Group coordinators leave a special comment about how they see their year
- are there other things you’d like included in the plans?
- have you a question you’d like to ask AG Richard?
Finally don’t forget to keep a check on the Calendar of events, which we will keep up-to-date with our own events and ones that other Rotary Clubs are sending us invitations to help with.
I think SGP have said all we need to for the moment with regards to our plans for the year, if you’re not sure on plans please see our previous post.
We are excited at fundraising Debbie co-ordinated through the Duck Race and are looking forward to helping at Avebury Rocks this weekend, where we should raise a substantial contribution to a shelter box. Our next”big” project will be Shoe Boxes and we look forward to placing the order for these soon.
With the departure of Conrad from SVP, we hope he will still be able to help with the plans for March with the technology competition, along with Rachel, we’d love to hear from both of you if you can help.
We’d really welcome feedback and help from the club on our plans and input in making them succeed – we can’t do it without us all clubbing together to make them work. We do post all our plans on this site so people can comment/commit etc – please do!!
Indeed Debbie did a good job with the Duck sales in respect to the Rotary Club of Old Town Duck Race, but let’s not forget me, Janice, Maria, Ola and Kevin who also sold quite a number of them to bring our total to over 500 Ducks, next time if everyone in the Swindon area gets involved, we could sell more. In respect to decisions for how the money will be spent, proposals will be made at our Business Meeting this month.
I re-emphasis again that it is important to build relationships and remember that our eClub is spread over the District not just the Swindon area. Today for instance I’ve met up with two of our eClub members and discussed the Gloucester City Farm Visit on the 28th July, this will be at 11.00.a.m. Picnic Lunch, learning more about the farm and discussing how we might get the pond moved, the visit will conclude at 2.30.p.m. With Becca I also discussed Tools for Self Reliance, she has two tool shops in Gloucester who are willing to have boxes in the shops to collect the tools.
After District Assembly – Janice was quite keen that we did the International Project – Baby Clothes, I believe the Rotary Club of Swindon might do this as well, so perhaps we could explore working with the Swindon Club in this project.
I wasn’t forgetting anyone – just mentioning Debbie in her capacity as co-ordinator of it.
I still think we should do an eInteract Club! I am sure the powers at be said yes at Slimbridge!
Sounds like we have a fun but packed year ahead of us. It would be really good to build our numbers in each area as it is really nice to see some of the informal support and friendships that can be made alongside the membership. Would also be great for doing small, more local awareness raising etc. As most know i can talk for England but so many of my friends still consider Rotary to be an old boys club. Hopefully as we start to become involved with things and can speak about what we are doing and the enjoyment we receive and give, others will want to know more. Until then, i will start with putting up posters in places that i have a link with and where people can easily find me if anyone wants to know more.
Really interested in the baby clothes idea. We have a fair few, strangely enough and I currently send my ok stuff to India, but would happily collect up from freinds and family if i knew there was a way of bulk sending things.
Would love to know more about Acorns Hospice to. Have several friends who have experience of using hospices for both adults and children and the work that they have supported the family with has been incredible. Excellent choices President Tim
I am so excited that things are beginning to take shape and more structured plans are now in place and it is good to read other people’s excitement too in the above posts. The eClub will develop over this year as we continue to find our feet, discover what we can achieve together through Rotary, don’t be in a rush to push for everything to be up and functional immediately, let’s enjoy this time of discovery and getting to know each other and taking the time to do just that.
I am also excited that we are now forming the officer’s roles more, with Action Group coordinators having plans to gel their teams and have activities that enable more members to take responsibilities, and also having Junior and Senior Vice Presidents to support the Admin and Membership aspects of the eClub that will enable it to run smoothly.
In the Admin Action Group our focus will be on communication and building membership in partnership with the Membership Action Group. Two of our provisional members have volunteered to coordinate the Weekly Programme programme and the Calendar of Events calendar, being the point of contact for members and other Rotary clubs / District to ensure all events are on the web site for member’s information. The weekly programme will take on a format of bi-weekly ‘talks’ either from a member about their life, work or an interest or from a visiting ‘speaker’ to tell us about their organisation / interest – each Action Group will be given up to 5 dates throughout the year by our new coordinators to arrange a ‘speaker’. Another week in a month, will be an open meeting for you all to share what you are doing within the eClub (so we all get to know what is happening from activities, organising, attending meetings, etc) and also for members to share what they are doing within the community outside of Rotary as all this is still Service Above Self. Then the 4th week of the month will be our eClub Business Meeting. Being an eClub, with members spread out over the District, communication and using various means to communicate are essential, and developing this and learning what works best I see as being key.