RUNNING YOUR CLUB MEETINGS PDG Shyamashree Sen RC Calcutta Metro City R.I. District 3291

Your Leadership is Vital In appointing & meeting the Club Administration Committee; In planning engaging & ‘fun” meetings; Planning Board of Directors’/ Club Officers’ Meetings; Planning Club Assemblies; Preparing for visits of district leaders – AG & DG; Overseeing club finances/reporting requirements, especially updating membership requirements.

Create an Engaging Club Experience Keep members connected & involved; Assess your club; Use Rotary Club Health Check & Member Satisfaction Survey; Make your club more flexible.

How to be Flexible? Meet twice a month; Try a different meeting day & time; Use service projects & social events as meetings; Offer alternative membership types such as associate, corporate or family as long as they are active members paying RI membership dues; Offer dual membership to Rotaractors who meet the qualifications.

At Regular Meetings Give members time to share ideas. Use meeting time to plan activities & projects. Let members speak about themselves. Give each meeting a different theme. Rotate meeting locations. Make meals optional. Discuss Rotary business for the 1st half of the meeting & use the 2nd half for fun activities. Invite prospective members to speak on topics related to your projects.

Social Events Hold an annual retreat with your club to have fun & reflect on the work done in the past year. Meet once a month at a restaurant or other venue to socialize. Plan events & outings that include family members & Rotaractors. Celebrate personal milestones & other special occasions in your members’ lives.

Networking & Training Events Hold a networking meeting to build relationships & rapport with one another. Conduct a networking event with business professionals in the community to increase visibility of your club, bring in new members, and form potential partnerships. Plan a training event to enhance members’ leadership skills or teach them a new skill that will help them carry out a project.

Service Projects Partner with other organizations to expand your outreach. Ensure members are involved in activities that genuinely interest them. Create regular opportunities to volunteer in the community & discuss the experience in a subsequent meeting. Ask newer or younger members to propose and lead service projects, with an experienced member to guide them.

Board Meetings/Club Officers’ Meetings Board meetings are held each month. Special meetings of the board are called with reasonable notice by the president or upon the request of two directors. (Article 5 Section 3 of the Recommended Rotary Club Bylaws)

Club Assemblies 1st one immediately after District Training Assembly; (Share plans developed at DTA) 2nd one after 1st of July;(Discuss year’s goals) 2 weeks prior to DG visit; (To prepare for it) During DG’s official visit; (Club’s status with DG) January/ February (Review progress towards club goals) April/May Ideas to complete the projects & activities)

Governor’s Visit DG has to visit all clubs in the district; It would be nice to coincide it with some important event; Identify projects the club would like to take ; Make a report of the club’s committee plans, activities and accomplishments. The DG’s office would send a check list of items to be shown to the DG on the official visit.

Annual Meeting The Annual Meeting of a Rotary club is held no later than 31 December, attended by all qualified members to: Elect the officers and directors who will serve for the next Rotary year; Pass the accounts of the previous Rotary year; To appoint (re appoint) the Auditor for the current Rotary year.

So go ahead and plan great meetings for the whole year … remember, as Aristotle said, “Well begun, is half done…”!