District 7370 Membership Info

Vol. 2, Ed. 3

New Member Orientation

Retaining good members is as critical to Rotary's long-term viability as inducting new members. A key element of retention is new member orientation. Your members will be more likely to stay in your club if they are fully educated about Rotary and your club's specific programs and projects. A structured new member orientation program facilitates this Rotary education and helps the new member become acclimated to your club.

A new member orientation program can be conducted in many different ways. It's up to your club to determine the specific framework that best meets the needs of your new club members. Regardless of the structure your club uses, it's always helpful to begin the orientation by asking new members what they hope to get out of the program. At the end of the orientation, review their comments to ensure that all expectations and goals were addressed.

Your club should decide which topics are important enough to cover right away and which ones can wait until after the new member has been in the club for a while. You want to educate new members without overwhelming them with too much information too fast.

Many clubs have found that a multisession approach is most effective. They divide their core topic areas into several sessions to be conducted over several weeks. This approach helps the new member better retain the information since it's organized into topic areas and covered gradually.

Here's one example of a new member orientation structure:

Session 1: Club Policy and Procedure
- Club structure/committees
- Club meetings
- Attendance
- Finances
- How to propose a new member
Session 2: Opportunities for Service and Fellowship
- Current projects
- RI programs (Rotaract, RYLA, etc.)
- Foundation programs (Group Study Exchange, PolioPlus, etc.)
Session 3: History and Traditions of Rotary International
- Origin, growth, and achievements of RI
- History and achievements of your club
- The Four-Way Test
- Object of Rotary

This particular structure is just one example, of course, and might not be appropriate for your club. You may decide to cover the topics in a different order or number of sessions — or to cover a different set of topics altogether. What's important is finding a structure that works for your new members and covering the programs and topics that are most applicable for your club.

It's also important to give your new members materials about Rotary. In addition to any club brochures you have developed, some helpful orientation publications include:

Topics that aren't essential to the functioning of your club may not get covered in the initial new member orientation sessions. Other topics might only be covered as an overview. To provide more in-depth program coverage and address any topics that were initially skipped, you may want to follow-up with your new members throughout the year with continuing education sessions. Topics for these sessions could include RI structure, The Rotary Foundation, Rotary meetings (for example, district conference and RI Convention), and activities beyond the club (such as Rotary Fellowships and Rotary Volunteers).

Once your orientation sessions are finished and your new members have been in your club for a while, be sure to ask for their feedback on the orientation process. Getting their input after they have been in your club for a while gives them time to reflect on whether or not the orientation program fully prepared them to become involved members of your club. Their comments can help you evaluate your club's chosen program and make any necessary adjustments.

When a club takes the time to conduct an effective orientation program, new members become knowledgeable about Rotary and feel confident about their role in their club. This increased level of awareness can lead to greater commitment and involvement in Rotary — and greater retention in the club.

New Member Orientation Best Practice

Districts 5040 and 5050 (Canada & USA) combined their new member orientation efforts by conducting "Rotary Night School," an evening session in which new members from 11 clubs learned more about Rotary and the benefits of membership. Rotarians with less than two years of Rotary service attended the session, where they watched videos, listened to presentations, and participated in question-and-answer sessions intended to increase their knowledge of Rotary and strengthen their commitment to club membership.

New Member Orientation Resources

If your club would like to start a new member orientation program or reinvigorate its current one, consider getting a copy of New Member Orientation (414-EN). This RI publication is full of ideas for new member orientation, including family involvement, running an orientation program, mentoring, and continuing education. You can order this publication for US$1 or download it for free on the RI Web site.

For more ideas on conducting new member orientation, contact your district membership chair, district trainer, or regional Rotary International membership coordinator (RRIMC).

Editor:
Jana Bodensteiner, coordinator, Membership Development

Rotary International	Phone: +1-847-866-3000
One Rotary Center	E-mail: membershipminute@rotaryintl.org
1560 Sherman Avenue
Evanston, IL 60201 USA

Learn more about Rotary membership development at http://www.rotary.org/membership/index.html