There were a lot of submissions this month. Unfortunately we were not able to get all of them in. Watch for them next month. Stories must be sent in 5 days before the end of the month, in Word format, with any pictures separately in either JPG or PNG format.
The topic of this month’s DG message is in part due to reflections on situations I have seen during my recent round of Club visits, and in part due to preparing the launch of the nomination process for the D7040 District Governor for the 2026-27 Rotary year.
We are a volunteer organisation based largely around individual Clubs, with members juggling multiple responsibilities and demands on their time – family; career (and contrary to what some may think, retirement is a “career”); Rotary; other volunteer and service obligations.
At the Club level, we have small Clubs and large Clubs, some with a preponderance of older members, others with many younger members, and some which are more of a generational mix. And many Clubs face the same leadership and management challenges – finding members willing to take on the roles and responsibilities of President and other Club officers. Why is this the case? There are as many reasons as there are members – I’ve done it before; it takes too much time; I have too many other obligations; maybe when I retire; my travel schedule would interfere. All of these can be valid reasons for not stepping forward, but if we all take that view, then our organisation collapses. So how can we manage?
As District Membership Chair for District 7040 I want to share with you my three top membership goals for this Rotary year.
#1) Finishing in the top three in our Zone ( Zone 28) in membership growth.
#2) Increase Rotaract in our District by 30 new members.
#3) Increase membership in the District by 5%.
The above goals I believe are realistic and achievable but I need everyone’s help to attain them. What are your club’s membership goals? I hope all club presidents have entered their goals in Rotary Central especially their membership goals ( it’s never too late to enter or edit a goal). I also hope all clubs have membership chairs in place and a committee to support them. We also have to look for opportunities to include people, not reasons to exclude them. I was very happy that 39 people gave up a Friday night to participate in our last L&D session on membership, and hope to have another one in a couple of months. Your feedback and ideas are always welcomed and appreciated. I can be reached at rotarianjamiej@gmail.com. The world needs more Rotarians, so lets grow Rotary together.
The 2024 District Conference (May 3 -5) in scenic Clayton, New York will feature a Friday evening welcome Reception that all attendees are invited to attend.
Find old friends, make new friends, make dinner plans or just enjoy the company of fellow Rotarians at this first night get-together.
By the way, now is the time to register! Conference prices will go up at the end of December.
Posted by Hadi Mortada, Assistant Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator (ARRFC)
What Is Every Rotarian, Every Year?
This initiative encourages every Rotary member to:
Participate every year in a Rotary Foundation program that makes a difference in the world. Contribute every year to the Foundation’s Annual Fund at a sustainable amount. The Foundation recognizes a club as an Every Rotarian, Every Year Club if its giving reaches US$100 per capita or more and all dues-paying members give $25 in a year.
Today, about one-third of Rotarians participate in this initiative. Thanks in part to the generosity of these donors, the Foundation awarded more than 1199 global grants in 2021-22 for large-scale, sustainable projects. Think about how much more Rotary could accomplish if every member gave at least $25 to the Annual Fund.
Thank you for supporting the Every Rotarian, Every Year initiative.
Congratulations to the following clubs that earned a Rotary Citation for 2022-23. Certificates will be sent by email to the clubs if you have not received yours yet.
Arnprior Cornwall Sunrise E-club of District 7040 Premier
Gananoque Kemptville Kingston
Ottawa-Stittsville Potsdam Saranac Lake
How do we achieve the Rotary Citation for Rotary clubs?
1. Go to Rotary Club Central.
2. Review the available goals.
3. Select and set at least half of the goals available.
4. Achieve your goals.
5. Report your achievement in Rotary Club Central by 30 June.
Note: In addition to achieving and reporting achievement of goals by 30 June, Rotary International must receive each semi-annual dues payment in full within 60 days after the invoice is issued, or before receiving the 60-day reminder, to be eligible for the Rotary Citation.
Our next session on Part 1 (every Rotary member, especially newer ones can attend) will be Saturday, January 6th at the Best Western in Cornwall. The day begins at 7:30am with Continental Breakfast and fellowship. The day includes lunch and LOTS of Rotary knowledge-stuff you never knew you didn’t know!
REGISTER NOW to reserve your seat on the District website under Events.
No charge and many materials!
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Notre prochaine session sur la partie 1 (chaque membre du Rotary, en particulier les plus récents, peut y assister) aura lieu le samedi 6 janvier au Best Western à Cornwall. La journée commence à 7h30 avec le petit déjeuner continental et la camaraderie. La journée comprend le déjeuner et beaucoup de connaissances du Rotary que vous ne saviez pas que vous ne saviez pas !
INSCRIVEZ-VOUS MAINTENANT pour réserver votre place sur le site Web du district sous Événements.
CYBER SECURITY TIPS – Cyber Theft has SKYROCKETED in the last two years, including one Rotary Club got hit just 2 months ago.
The most common method of theft as of late is a “cyber bandit” intercepts an invoice that your club was expecting, maybe a vendor or a supplier that was part of a fundraiser. The cyber bandit changes the invoice to have their bank information inserted for payment and VOILA, the club has lost $10,000. It happens so much more than you could believe. I’ve had 3 clients this year have it happen, and I’m just one broker.
