D7230 has seen a net growth of 80 members since 1 July - a phenomenal 7.19% growth that dwarfs the growth of all other 21 Districts in Zone 32. The overall membership growth in our Zone was 1.71% as of 31 March.
Zone Membership Chair Herb Klotz organized a panel discussion on New Clubs fueling membership growth. Our District was represented by the Heritage E-Club that has grown from 20 members when it was chartered in December 2018 to 33 members today. Heritage Membership Chair Rahat Hossain was joined in a panel discussion that included leaders from two other new clubs started in the past 3-4 years from our zone. All three clubs have been very successful in growing their membership since being chartered - Mary Ammielle of Roc City (Rochester), and Melanie Druziako of Tri-County (Vineland-Millville-Buena-Newfield), NJ. They are very different types of clubs and have all been successful with growth. The discussion moderated by Louisa Horne, Zone New Club Advocate.
Rahat Hossain pointed out that the growth of her Club has been fueled by the passion of the members in undertaking projects both in the local community here and in the community they left behind. Club leadership has been sensitive to what her members are most interested in. Most members had been doing projects on their own and now these are being channelled and done through Rotary both here and in Bangladesh. One challenge is to prioritize their projects to balance them among the Rotary areas of focus.
Responding to a question on diversity, Rahat said the Heritage Club is diverse in terms of age – the oldest member is 85 and the youngest member is 33 and almost everywhere in between. By profession, they have doctors, engineers, business owners, CEOs, retired senior UN Officials, pharmacists, academics, accountants, as well as homemakers. Along with this diversity, they also have the common bond of heritage. Most of the new members have come through referrals – the Club has 4 couples and one family of 4.
Regarding Public Image Rahat said her club believes public image is extremely important for their success. Area 5 Assistant Governor and the Architect of her Club, Bina Ahmad consistently reminds Club leaders of this. "We have a vibrant Facebook presence and a regularly updated website, where we highlight our projects and our activities. We follow the Rotary brand guidelines to ensure uniformity with the Rotary Brand. Our members regularly share posts on their own social media pages," Rahat said. They engage the community via their online presence, including a WhatsApp group..
Herb Klotz, Zone Membership Chair
Louisa Horne, Zone New Club Advocate
Rahat Hossain, Heritage Membership Chair
Mary Ammielle, Roc City (Rochester)
Melanie Druziako, Tri-County (Vineland-Millville-Buena-Newfield), NJ