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August 20Vol. 25 No. 2
Jose Francisco “Jess” Cifra sworn in as governor by PRIP Bhichai Rattakul
Past RI President Bhichai Rattakul administered the oath of office to DG Jose Francisco ―Jess‖ Cifra during the distri
installation ceremonies last July 3, 2011 at Sofitel Hotel in Manila. Spouse Helen and the Cifra children, PDG Bobb
Viray (at right) and over 1,000 guests witnessed the momentous occasion.
At the beginning of his insightful address, PRIP Bhichai described Governor Jess, a classmate of his when Dr Bhich
was RI President and Gov Jess was President of RC Loyola Heights in 2002-03, as one whose time has come and wh
is more than qualified to serve as governor of District 3780. The main theme of PRIP Bhichai’s message is tha
―vocational service and integrity are the bedrock of Rotary.‖
Lt. Gov. Daniel ―Boone‖ Ongchoco, Chairman of District 3780 Silver Year Installation, happily reported the following
facts and figures about the event:
Start of District 3780 silver year
First time for a past RI president to serve as installing officer in District 3780
First time to have 50 Rotary clubs congregate in a multi-club induction ceremony
First time to recognize 179 Paul Harris Fellows (including 20 Major Donors) for a Rotary year right on installation night
Last but not the least, first time to breach the 1,000 attendance mark (1,084 to be exact) for a District 3780 installation--breaking the old record set way back in 1997
The event was hosted by the Rotary Club of New Manila Heights.
District’s silver year to be commemorated today, August 11
Past district governors of District 3780 in the last 25 years shall be recognized and honored at today’s silver year cele-
bration at the Manila Hotel.
Also at today’s occasion, the carefully researched and attractively designed coffee table book EMBRACE: The Heart of
Service that chronicles some of the most life-changing and heart-warming club projects as well as historical highlights
the district, shall be formally launched with former President Fidel Ramos as guest of honor.
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We literally and figuratively hit the ground run-
ning in the month of July. The first day of the
new Rotary year saw more than 30 clubs
host ―Children’s Parties‖ within their respective
jurisdictions. PRIP MAT Caparas had suggested
that clubs should hold parties for children as a
means to commemorate the start of the newyear. This was replicated in all of the other 9
Rotary districts in the Philippines. A summary
report of the event in our district has been pre-
pared by AG Pastor ―Mar‖ Reyes, Community Service Chairman.
Less than 48 hours later, we witnessed and participated in the
most successful District Induction (Installation) rites in recent
memory. More than 1,000 Rotarians attended the event, with
the guest of honor being no less than the well-loved PRIP Bhichai
Rattakul. Close to 50 clubs opted to participate in the mass club
inductions administered by DG Jess Cifra. During the same af-
fair, 20 new and continuing Rotary Foundation donors topped by
179 new and continuing Paul Harris Fellows were feted and
given recognition. The first issue (July) of the Governor’s MonthlyLetter was published and printed in record time and distributed
during the same event. All these in just the first 3 days of the
new Rotary year.
It was also in the past month when we saw 16 Rotaract clubs in
the district participate in the Rotaract District Assembly hosted
by the Rotary Club of Loyola Heights. More than 150 delegates
were in attendance in the whole day affair chaired by PP Bomber
Olivares of RC Paraiso and ably supported by District DRR Marby
Montellano and SNG Chair Benjie Tan Alonzo.
For the first time in so many years, the Club trainer’s position
was revived. RC Valencia successfully hosted the Training the
Club Trainer’s Seminar under the able supervision of Dep
District Club Level trainer, PDG Dulce Coyukiat. Close to 80 v
eran Rotarians attended the seminar which had been design
to equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge that
allow effective implementation of training programs at the c
level for the next three years.
The past month also saw The Group Study Exchange committ
(chaired by PP Bobby Romero of RC Commonwealth) select a
finalize the composition of the GSE Outbound team headed
District 5000, Hawaii. The team will be led by PP Roby Mont
lano of RC Timog. They are scheduled to leave around the s
ond week of August.
By the end of July 2011, DG Jess Cifra and his team will ha
completed close to 20 Governor’s visits and 10 club inductions
All these and we are just getting warmed up. Expect more in A
gust, the Membership and Extension Month in Rotary. Expect t
chartering of the first youth-based Rotary Club – The Rotary C
of Timog Central (composed of former Rotaractors and G
team members), and the first eClub in District 3780 and the sond in the whole Philippines. Much more emphasis will
placed on membership development (recruitment of qua
members and retention of those who are already part of our
tary organization) as we aim to bring all the clubs up to char
strength (or more) by the end of this Rotary year.
Finally, please allow me to end by quoting Rotary Internationa
30 th President, Armando de Arruda Pereira, RY 1940-41:
"Just as Rotary itself can never keep its place unless it is co
stantly growing, so each individual Rotary club cannot afford
stand still while the stream of life moves onward."
District Secretary’s Report By DS Jesus ―Jesse‖ Tanchanco
Silver Edition of the Governor’s Monthly Letter
EDITORIAL BOARD
DG JOSE FRANCISCO ―Jess‖ Q. CIFRA
Publisher
JESUS ―Jesse‖ TANCHANCO (RC Loyola Heights)
District Secretary
EDUARDO ―Duke‖ ZULUAGA (RC New Manila East)
District Chair, Public Image
RICARDO ―Ric‖ SALVADOR (RC Holy Spirit)
Editor
GARY TING (RC Pag-asa)
Assistant Editor-Business Manager
WINSTON SIA (RC VisMin)
Associate Editor-Webmaster
Associate Editors for Sub-Districts
PASTOR ―Mar‖ REYES (RC SFDM)
MA. ELENA ―Marilen‖ LAGNITON (RC Cubao EDSA)
JUN SACAYAN (RC Batasan Hills)
BOBBIE LAGUITAO (RC Cubao Kamias)
FAUSTO ―Osty‖ MANLAPAZ (RC New Manila East)
Printer Relations Manager
BETSY BULANADI (RC Mega EDSA)
Manager – Circulation & Distribution
The Silver Edition of the Governor’s Monthly Letter is available in both printed formand in web-linked digital format. To obtain the digital file simply send your name andemail address to the Editor, Ric Salvador, phone no. 0919-361-6406 or by email to
Rotary CalendarThe Rotary calendar is a resource for planning weekly meet-
ings. Clubs may also plan programs and training events based
on these special Rotary year observances:
July No Rotary designation
August is Membership and Extension Month
September New Generations Month
October Vocational Service Month
November Rotary Foundation Month
World Interact Week (week including 5 November)
December Family Month
January Rotary Awareness Month
February World Understanding Month
23 February: World Understanding and Peace Day/
Rotary’s anniversary
March Literacy Month
World Rotaract Week (week including 13 March)
April Magazine Month
May No Rotary designation
June Rotary Fellowships Month
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Feedback reports not include this coverage shall be ack
edged in the next issue of the G
ernor’s Monthly Letter. The Edi
List of Clubs whose
reports of children’s
party have already
been turned over to
the GML(July 30, 2011)
1. Bagong Silangan
2. Batasan Hills3. Biak na Bato
4. Broadway
5. Camp Crame
6. Cosmopolitan Cubao
7. Cubao Central
8. Diliman
9. Diiman Heights
10. Holy Spirit
11. Kagitingang Cubao
12. Kamuning
13. Kamuning West
14. Loyola Heights
15. Metro Diliman
16. Midtown Diliman
17. Midtown Quezon City
18. Murphy
19. New Manila Heights
20. New Manila QC
21. North Balintawak
22. PagAsa
23. Prima Vida
24. Roxas
25. Sta Mesa Heights
26. San Francisco del Monte
27. St. Ignatius
28. Timog
29. Uptown Novaliches
30. West Triangle
Biak na Bato - Children's party & giftving for 70 kids at Palmera 4 Homes
Fairview
RC Broadway - Book-reading party for 150 grade II Pupils of Diosdado Maca-pagal Elementary School, Bgy. Tatalon
RC Camp Crame - Story-telling party for pupils of PNP OLC Pre-School
RC Holy Spirit - Party with games, singing, gift-giving for 50 SPED pupils of Dona Juana Ele-
mentary School, Bgy Holy Spirit
Kamuning West - Book donation andtory-telling party for SPED pupils of
Batino Elementary School
RC Uptown Novaliches - Party for children of Tawid Sapa 2, Bgy Kali-
gayahan, Novaliches
RC West Triangle - Party with games, singing,gift-giving for 42 underprivileged pupils of CFC
Ancop Canada Learning Center in Bgy Culiat
RC Metro Diliman - Party with games, dancing,story-telling for 65 preschoolers of Yakap Day
Care Center Bgy Paligsahan
RC Diliman Heights - Party for 48patients and parents in a ward of Na-tional Children’s Hospital last July 2nd
RC New Manila Heights - Party for 50grade I students of P. Tuazon Elemen-
tary School
C Sta. Mesa Heights - Party for 50 day-are children and their parents in Bgy
Salvacion, Laloma QC
RC Diliman - Party for 25 ch ildren atrangay Day Care Center, UP Village
RC Loyola Heights - Party for 120children of Barangay Loyola Heights
C Murphy - Party with parlor gamesd gift-giving for 30 kids at Transfigura-on Church Social Hall, 18th Ave. QC
RC New Manila QC - Party & g ift-giving for 100kids in each of 3 barangays.. Then, for TahanTahanan Pediatric Oncology Center of EAMC,
with RC North Balintawak & RC Roxas
RC SFDM - Party & story-telling for 140 kinder pupils, with launch of supplemental feeding anddonation of books & furniture, Sinag-Tala Elem.
RC St Ignatius - Party, games & story-tellingfor 50 children from Sitio Gilid ng Katipunan,
held at Blue Ridge A.
RC Diliman party-goers
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My dear brothers and sisters in Rotary,
There is an old saying in India: “When you help your neighbor’s boat across the water, you find that your ownhas reached the shore.” By helping others, we often findthat we have helped ourselves as well.
Each of us came to Rotary to serve – and found the joys
and satisfactions of friendship and fellowship. In August, the month wededicate to membership and development, we focus on spreading themessage of Rotary. By serving well, without hiding our Rotary light under the proverbial bushel, we find ourselves closer to our own goal: a stronger,
more vibrant Rotary for generations to come.
Public image and membership go hand in hand. Too many people – intelli-gent, educated, involved people – simply have no idea what Rotary is. Thisis something we need to confront. We have heard again and again aboutcommunities where, despite all the good work that Rotary clubs do, manypeople are unaware that those clubs even exist. This is not the way for-
ward for our organization.
Serving well is the essential first step – but it is only the beginning. Wehave to raise our profile with all the tools that are available to us, and there
are more tools today than there ever were. We have to use social mediasuch as Twitter and Facebook, and we have to be sure our clubs have anonline presence. Having a website is not enough; it must be up to date, itmust be appealing, it must reflect the work we are doing. And it must offer a way for prospective members, once they see what we do and becomeinterested, to take the next step.
Rotary has so much to offer. It is up to us to let others know what a fantas-tic organization we have, and to show people how they can integrate Ro-tary into their lives. Service does require time, and time is something no-body has enough of these days. So we need to ensure that all the time wespend with Rotary is worthwhile – that it is rewarding and never wasted.When we reach within ourselves and our clubs, when we learn what we arecapable of and harness that power, we will elevate our communities as
never before – and elevate Rotary as well.Kalyan Banerjee— President, Rotary International
RI President’s August Message
The Membership Development Committee, in full geaimprove the quality and quantity of Rotary Clubs in District started outlining its programs and strategies
RY 2011-2012. With the vision to strengthen all RotClubs, the Committee identified several projects whaim to promote Rotary to prospective members and community as well.
As kick-off activity, the Committee conducted a successful MembersDevelopment Seminar held on 04 June 2011 at GT Toyota Asian Ctural Center in UP Diliman. This was hosted by the Rotary Club of Mphy with PP Eduardo Ferriol as co-chairman and in cooperation with Public Image Committee. The purpose of the seminar which was tended by more than 350 participants is to guide Rotary Clubs on how
recruit possible members and project the positive image of Rotary.
To evaluate the effectiveness of the aforementioned training and asfollow-up activity, the Committee is holding a grand District FellowsNight scheduled on 29 October 2011. This is the first in the District apioneered by the Chair of the Committee and Governor Jess Cifra. Tconcept of the project is to gather all Rotarians from the District focelebration- a celebration of their involvement in Rotary. The evenopen to non-Rotarians as well who are interested to join the organition. Most importantly, it is a way to honor and recognize Rotarians wnever get tired of promoting Rotary by attracting new members. Felloship is an important aspect of Rotary. Historically, it is through fellowsthat Rotary came into existence and remains as one of the most wid
joined organization in the world.
Realizing the main objective of the Committee, the District welcome
new addition to the Rotary family- the Rotary Club of Timog Cenestablished primarily through the effort of the Rotary Club of TimQ.C. The Club, composed of young professionals, Group Study change (GSE) alumni and former Rotaractors, is led by Pres. KristFelix.
The month of July came swiftly but all efforts have been concentratedthe Committee in meeting its objectives and vision for the District. Ware hoping that all Clubs will be cooperating in the future membersdevelopment projects of the Committee. Rest assured that we will everything and stop at nothing in order to strengthen each Club thro
increasing the number of quality members.
District membership development strateg
starts with strong momentumBy PP Rey David — Chairman, District Membershi
Development Committee
District Membership FactsOnline directory of Rotary International last July 25, 2011 show
88 clubs in RI District 3780
2,135 Rotarians
Largest club is RC Loyola Heights with 62 members
Full Listing of Clubs in the District may be viewed via thdigital version of the Governor’s Monthly Letter
August is Membership and Extension MonthStart thinking about the new membership development initiatives your clubcan undertake throughout August to celebrate Membership and ExtensionMonth. Consider scheduling the topics for each of the month’s meetings tofocus on a different facet of membership development.Find suggested topic ideas in the Membership Minute Archives page onwww.rotary.org.
District Events in AugustAug 6 Interact District Assembly 8 am—5 pm QC Science HS
Aug 11 District Silver Anniversary 3 pm—6 pm Manila Hotel
Tribute to Past Disdrict Governors
Launch of EMBRACE: The Heart of Service coffee table book
Guest of Honor: Former President Fidel V Ramos
Aug 23 RCC Seminar 9 am—3 pm Hotel Intercon
Aug 27 The Rotary Foundation Seminar 9 am—5 pm QC Sports Club
Inspirational Speaker: Fr. Jerry Orbos
Aug 28 Rotaract District Induction 4 pm onward Sir William
Hotel, Timog
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Why Clubs should have foreign sister clubsBy PP Mar Reyes, RC San Francisco del Monte
Many clubs, by fear of perceived expense and
difficulties, shy away from forging sisterhood
relations with foreign clubs. We do not have to
be big clubs or clubs endowed with huge re-
sources. Any club for that matter can enjoy
the benefits of an enduring and enriching ex-
perience, from doing service together, and
having fellowship, with a foreign club. After all, Rotary is sup-
posed to promote world peace and understanding and at the
same time making our world a better place to live in. So, what is
the better way to experience the ―internationality‖ of Rotary? Get
into a foreign sister club relationship.
How do we get started? The late Louie Lopez, SFDM’s charter
member and past president started it all with our club. Because
of his vast business dealings in Japan, Singapore, Hawaii and the
USA, he saw to it that his business partners and acquaintances
introduced him to clubs in the countries he visited. Rotarians who
travel abroad can exert a little effort to know clubs in the places
they visit. Professional and alumni reunions are a rich source of
getting to know foreign clubs. Only last June 29, 2011, we met
Rotarian Dolores Bediones from the RC Honolulu Sunrise, in
Makati. Her husband is a past president and many of her rela-
tives (she is a Panlilio) are Rotarians. She was tasked by her club
to check us out because they want to have their 1st foreign sister
club. She said a member of their club has a friend who attended
a high school reunion of the Ilocos Norte High School in Laoag,
and our Past President Arnold Guerrero happened to be there
and handed out his calling card. Other clubs began with non-
Filipino members of their clubs. But the biggest source of infor-
mation could be rotary.org, ProjectLink and Rotary magazines.
The rewards of sisterhood relations should not be limited to o
portunities for financial assistance like grants or direct donatio
A club grows and develops when it builds and nurtures sist
hood relations. Effective and interesting international serv
projects must always be in the menu because clubs from don
countries are often on the look out for projects to fund. But mof all, it is the excitement and enriching experiences we get fr
joint activities that make all our efforts worth our while. In my p
sonal experience, when we were invited to attend the Discon
Japan of D-2480, hosted by our sister club RC Isesaki, who
member Tetsuo Ushikubo was the District Governor, I was p
sented among others, by DG T Tetsuo, with a ―special gift‖. O
member Takahiro Yoshida interpreted for me. DG Tetsuo actua
handed me a specially folded parchment paper, with colors a
strings, unique designs and delicate attachments, which is h
marriage contracts are presented in Japan. DG Tetsuo told me
should take care of our sisterhood relations like we take care
our marriage, and not let the bonds (strings) be detached or b
ken because it is their intention to keep our relationship an
during, enriching and fruitful one. It was one Rotary moment I w
never forget!
Editor’s Note: This article has been abridged due to space limitatioThe full manuscript includes more specific suggestions of PP Mar fosuccessful sisterhood relations. Click this link, Foreign Sister Clubin the digital version of the GML. Rotarians may contact PP Mar Reye
for more information through email: [email protected].
The GML shall welcome write-up of your own club’s experience
sister club relationships that could be shared with others in the Distric
Club secretaries upgrade understanding of their role & responsibilitiesBy PE Roy Taruc, RC Diliman Heights
June 18, 2011 presented a unique opportunity for then secretaries-elect of District 3780. It wa
a time of discovery, a time of learning and a time of training in cyberspace transactions on th
occasion of Secretaries-Elect Training Seminar [SETS 2011-12] hosted by the Rotary Club of D
man Heights.
The event was called to order by the incoming District Governor himself, DGE Jess Cifra. DS
Jesse Tanchanco delivered the welcome remarks, followed by the introduction of guests an
delegates by Lieut. Gov. Suzzette Lee. In the morning sessions, topics covering basic roles o
club secretaries were discussed by the dynamic speakers: ―Roles & Responsibilities of Club Se
retary‖ by GP Becca Dela Cruz; ―Monthly Attendance‖ by GP Bong Cruz; ―Semi-Annual Report‖ DDS Angel Gahol; ―Philippine Rotary Magazine‖ by PP Ed Trinidad; and lastly ―Club Bulletin‖ b
PN Bon Tagum.
―Hands-on‖ training characterized the afternoon sessions: ―Basic Computing - Creation of Ema
Account‖ by SP Jorge San Diego; ―Browsing of Rotary.Org Portal‖ by CP Winston Sia; an
―Member Access Registration‖ by PE Roy Taruc.
SP Jorge San Diego together with IPP Yumi Mabini awarded certificates to the Co-Host Clubs: R
Batasan Hills, RC Kagitingan Cubao, RC Neopolitan Fairview, RC New Manila East, RC Quezo
City Circle, RC San Francisco Del Monte and RC VizMin. DG Jess gave an inspiring message
Rotarians present, and awarded the host club, RC Diliman Heights, with plaque of recognition for the success of SETS 201
12. District Admin Chair Lyndon Wong delivered his closing address to end the occasion.
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Close to 80 club trainers, who must forthwith ensure that club members have the knowledge and skills necessary to carry out their responsibilities and up to date on Rotary, participated in the District Training the Trainers Seminar held last July 16, 2011.
The once-in-three-years Training the Trainers Seminar held last month was hosted by the Rotary Club of Valencia, QC.
PDG Dulce dB. Coyukiat, Deputy District Trainer and convenor of the seminar, set the tone by explaining how the one-day seminar had been designedhelp prepare club trainers for their very challenging task of training Rotarians. And to emphasize further the key role of training in Rotary, PDG Dulce nounced that club trainers of the district shall hold bi-monthly meetings, with the first of such meetings to be held on September 3, 2011 at the Rotary C
ter, for updates and sharing of practices.In his message, District Governor Jess Cifra reiterated the fact that indeed, training Rotarians is not “a walk in the park,” but one that calls for commitmability and a passion for excellence.
During the seminar, the club trainers had the opportunity to listen to and get engaged with noted resource persons who are considered best qualified their assigned topics. PDG Marikit “Kit” Reventar of D3820 presented Leadership Training Cycle at Club Level and related this to the training cyclesinternational and district levels. PDG Danilo “Danny” Fausto, Chair of Rotary Leadership Institute, presented the topic on Facilitating Learning, TrainRotarians, and Interactive Training Method in his trademark eloquent style. PDG Jaime “Jimmy” Cura of D3830 presented Championing Servant Leadship. Servant leadership covers concepts and practice for leading Rotarians who are themselves already proven leaders and are in Rotary as voluntewith limited time. PDG Marquez “Mark” O. Go of D3790 spoke on the Roles and Responsibilities of an Effective Club Trainer Under the Club LeadersPlan. Understanding the training needs of individual Rotarians is a necessary first step, according to PDG Mark Go. DGE Rufino “P enny” Policarpio cussed two important considerations when training Rotarians: Nonverbal Communication and Time Management . Then, PDG Danilo “Dan” EspinoDeputy District Trainer, facilitated a Group Dynamics /Workshop where the participating trainers were tasked to develop group reports about club trainin
The first Rotary eClub in District 3780 is formed By Silver President Ernesto "Nitoy" Velasco, RC Loyola Heights
The Rotary Club of Loyola Heights is sponsoring the first Rotary internet Club or eClub in D3780. Club chartering is now being processed by RI and shobe completed in August 2011. The eClub has 40 charter members, mostly Filipino-Americans based in the US. A number of them are from the PhilippiTheir meetings will be online but they also plan to hold physical meetings in the US at least once a month and Skype meetings with those based inPhilippines. If everything works out, they plan to send a 40-member delegation to our District Convention in Tagaytay City in April 2012 enroute to thconvention in Bangkok.
Among the well known members are Past RI PresidentMAT Caparas (the only Filipino RI President todate), Ga-wad Kalinga chairman Tony Meloto, recent MembershipDevelopment seminar guest speaker Atty Alex Lacson andmany more distinguished personalities. The Charter presi-dent is Ernie Delfin, a PP of RC Newport Irvine D5320. Hewill be joined by 12 other former Rotarians based in the USand the Philippines. The rest are new in Rotary.
The formation of the first eClub in the District is a brainchildof DG Jess Cifra who has been a close and long time friend of CP Ernie Delfin. DS Jesse Tanchanco has been appointed DGSR for the new Rotary There is a plan to do the Governor's Visit and Induction via Skype. To know more about our district's eClub, you may visit their websitwww.gkerotaryclub3780.org
Trainers complete their preparation to train RotariansBy the Editor
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Trustee Chair’s August Message
The Rotary Foundation supports your Ro-tary service
A few months ago, Lorna and I attended three districtconferences. The conference programs featured severalRotary Foundation activities, and we heard from Ambas-sadorial Scholars, Rotary Peace Fellows, Group Study
Exchange teams, and representatives from a number of excellent projects in which Rotarians and the Foundation
have worked together. I reflected on how much our Rotary Foundation iswoven into the fabric of our Rotary service.
After the conferences, I went directly to a meeting of the Future VisionCommittee. The committee heard from one of our RI senior managers,who had tested the process of applying for grants and found the globalgrants application to be too complex. We also discussed the definition of basic education within the areas of focus, possible strategic partnerships,
and training for those districts not in the pilot.
There were many other topics, but I mention these to demonstrate that
there are big items and small items that need attention as we work our way through the pilot. We are all experiencing some frustrations as webuild the Foundation for the future. The three years of the pilot will seem along time for many of you, but we are shaping something that should helpus serve humanity more effectively in the years ahead, and we need to
test that we are getting it right.
From that meeting, it was straight into the Finance Committee meeting,where senior staff and trustees spent a day and a half working through thebudget to ensure that our operating costs could be as low as possiblewhile still giving you the service you need. Our aim is to ensure that wespend the maximum amount on programs.
This is our Rotary Foundation, and there are many people working in
different ways to give you the best possible support in your Rotary ser-vice.
Bill BoydFoundation Trustee Chair
Past RI President 2006-07
Membership DevelopmentPRIP MAT Caparas reviews obstacles to growth
In an incisive article on Membership Development the first FilipinoPresident MAT Caparas (1986-87) stressed that, “Club growth isyear-long subject that clubs address from early in the year because tcapability of a club to perform its mission depends greatly on the sand quality of its membership. Indeed, the members are really the cluthere would be no club without them, and who the members are det
mines what the club will ultimately be. August is, therefore, a very iportant month for the club and its leadership.”
PRIP MAT Caparas then discussed some practices that had tendedimpede growth of membership. Until 1966-67, “the rules of the orgazation tended to discourage any active membership campaign, for oone member could be accepted from every useful occupation in ttown. Practically all of those occupations were filled up by the charmembers at the organization of the club, and there were no one wthe necessary qualifications to fill the remaining classifications.”
“As a possible remedy, the classification principle was loosened allowing admission of additional active, senior active, and past servimembers. But the pace of increase of membership in clubs stayed slodue to the membership and classification committees. Every propo
for membership had to go to the membership committee, which lookinto all the negative things about the man, to make sure his good chacter and reputation were beyond question. If approved by the mebership committee, the proposal was referred to the classification comittee, which would make sure that the subject was not engaged inbusiness or occupation that could compete with the business or occpation of a current member. The result was the unfortunate public impression that Rotary was elitist and exclusive, which made it even modifficult for clubs to attract and enlist new members.”
PRIP MAT Caparas noted that even with drives to increase membship, “in the last 25 years Rotary grew world -wide by barely 200,0members, or less than 10,000 a year. Many believe Rotary can ashould do better. But it must be noted that a good number of the clu
that hardly grew are situated in countries and areas where having evone or two clubs is already incredibly remarkable.”
Membership drives provoke debate between Quantity and Quali“Quantity says even a Deadwood can help financially. And Quawould go so far as to accept Deadwood that is not Badwood, but insisthat a club with too many Deadwood would wind up dead. The usuupshot of that debate would be an agreement to make it known thatis easy to join Rotary, that it is not difficult to be a Rotarian, that tobligations are light and few, and that anyone with a decently payi
job can be a Rotarian if invited. But membership in an organization thseeks to serve above self cannot be easy, and one who joins it wthat illusion will likely resign on learning the truth. That is probably whhappened more than once.”
PRIP MAT Caparas then reminded Rotary clubs: We should by
means make membership in Rotary pleasant and gratifying. The reglar meetings should be enjoyable, by turns entertaining, informativchallenging, and catering to all interests in the course of the year if nall at once. The time and place of the meeting should be acceptable most of the members. But, above all, the club should be actively volved in causes and undertakings that the members can be proudand in which they would want to be personally involved.
Read the full article written by PRIP MAT CaparasRotarians On The Internet fellowship website www.roti.org
The Governor’s Monthly Letter is linked to:
Rotary International
District 3780 Website
Latest News Update from RI
Last Month’s Issue of GML
Rotary Leader Online
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llow District 3780 on these
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