ROTARY YOUNG PROFESSIONALS INITIATIVES

Alan Blake discussed how the median age of the founders of Rotary was 38 - Paul Harris being 36.  The median age of our club is between 58-59 with 1/2 being baby boomers, 1/4 under 50 and 1/4 over 70.  Over the past 10-12 years, Rotary International membership has been flat (1.2 million since 2002) with growth being overseas and declining membership in the United States.  There are Interact Clubs for ages 12-18 and Rotaract Clubs for young adults 18-30.  Rotary does a good job for high school and college students but not with young professionals.  Alan has conducted some focus group discussions with young professionals 40 and under and discussed these results with our Board who suggested he do some research with other Rotary Clubs.  At a Rotary International Board meeting on September 2011, it was determined that "The future of Rotary is in our ability to attract new generations . . . this is imperative if Rotary is to continue into the next century."  At this meeting, it was also determined that volunteer rates peak in mid-life (late 30's and 40's), women are more likely to volunteer than men and young professionals are eager to bring new approaches to solving persistent problems.  In 2012, Rotary Districts 5950 and 5960 (Minnesota/Wisconsin), hired a marketing firm to conduct research and develop pilot programs that were tested in several markets around the United States.  Their goals were to learn/develop best practices for engaging younger members and sharing Rotary's messages with a broader audience.  Some of the key points of young professional programs/initiatives were membership cost, meeting/attendance structure (e.g. weekly breakfast or lunch), communication methods/frequency, meeting format/content and perception of being outdated/inflexible/unwelcoming/non-diverse.  The pilot programs found that young professionals focus on community service and networking events rather than weekly meetings; biweekly rather than weekly meetings; focus on social media and word of mouth publicity including follow-up conversations on Facebook, Twitter, etc.; and changes in meeting content/format.  What we are really talking about is CHANGE.  There are New Generations Clubs forming across the United States that have after hours meetings (e.g. 5:30 p.m.) with beverages/appetizers rather than a meal, lower membership dues, frequent social / networking / service projects and activities, and focus on communication via internet/social media.  How can the Rotary Club of Appleton best engage with young professionals in the Fox Valley?  Is this a conversation our Club is ready/willing to have at this time?  If so, what changes do we feel are necessary to attract and engage young professionals?  How can we gain buy-in and support of our existing members for any changes that may be necessary?  Members were asked to write down any comments/feedback to these questions.  If you were unable to attend this meeting, please forward any comments to Alan Blake or Kathy Dreyer.  At the RI September 2011 Board meeting, they determined that New Generations is the future of Rotary and that "we must instill a desire among Rotarians to attract and engage young professionals by building an understanding that engaging the next generation is the only path to the future of Rotary, highlighting that it's an exciting path as well."  Attached is Alan's presentation.