We are at 34 members, Kevin wants to grow it to 45. Kevin encourages us to invite people to our meetings.
This is Brian’s second year as Membership Chair. He’s been a Rotarian since 1998 and is uniquely qualified for this role. His first club was very old school club in Vacaville. He moved to SF and joined the much smaller/newer Bayview Club. He and a friend later started SFSOMA club in 2014. This club now meets monthly, has 40 members and has a 50l.c.3. Every club is different. The Membership Summit last year developed a 3 year structured program. Membership is growing in rest of world and falling here especially since COVID. Retention is a huge part of membership. We need a membership culture. The service projects we work on are key to retention. We need a membership culture. The five things we should know and believe about Rotary are: membership matters, service is our product, attrition is real, retention is a long term goal and
Why join Rotary? The satisfaction of giving back, the camaraderie, personal growth, international projects…there are many reasons.
What makes up the club experience. Enjoy meetings, confidence in leadership, comfortable and meaningful relationships. Why do members leave? The culture isn’t a good fit, unmet expectations, time, financial and personal reasons. It is important to reach out to members who haven’t shown up, many quit within a short time.
Clubs need to have a membership plan—set goals, have a long term plan and every club member is responsible for the success. He suggested taking the pulse of your club—try Brainstorming, GAP analysis, targeted recruitment. Set a meeting aside specifically to work on this. Some clubs only meet once a month, since we meet more often, perhaps this would work. The key is finding a time that works for people and make it intentional. He suggested we emphasize the international aspect of Rotary. Be innovative, search outside the box.
Once you have a plan, you look for prospects—perhaps target certain community members, etc. Keep track of prospective members, invite them to meetings or projects. When it comes to onboarding, make sure to have membership packages, maybe mentors. Make it feel special, have a ceremony and invite family. Some ideas: Leave a Rotarian magazine at the library. We could get one in Spanish. We could do a global grant to work with a club in Mexico to attract Hispanic members. Rotary has a stuffy image, try to break through that image.
Think about retention. Retain existing members with meaningful involvement, opportunities for them to contribute to projects that interest them. Create a welcoming inclusive environment and organize social events to foster camaraderie. Seek feedback and address concerns, keep communication open and effective. Encourage mentorship and leadership.
Be a vibrant club. Good leadership, multi-year planning, shared vision, commitment to adaptability, has a relationship with the community and be welcoming and fun.
Meeting styles amongst clubs differs some. Many have speakers, others simply have a meal together or coffee. His club goes on hikes, bike rides, etc.
Do a community needs assessment to see what projects we could do, what services are needed…what are organizations doing? Could we partner with them or invite some of their members to join us. Keep in mind that Rotary is an international organization which sets us apart from other organizations.
Adding a satellite club made up of horse owners, or ranchers, or Hispanic community members. It only takes 8 people. They might bring in some great projects. Many different types of clubs and memberships are available. A satellite club at ALAS was suggested by Nancy.
Brian is an engineer and is currently working on the Treasure Island project.
“Rotary is a place where ordinary people can do extraordinary things.” — Irwin
Brian was thanked and was given one of our Polio Certificates.
CLUB MEETING August 18, 2025
President Kevin O’Brien’s second meeting of his second Presidency
Pledge of Allegiance - Stacey led us in the pledge.
Kevin got his grandson a new acoustic guitar that he wants to sleep with. He’s been taking lessons for the past five years and can play by ear. Kevin’s granddaughter is a really good pianist and vocalist.
Liz gave an update on Lobster Fest. Everyone has contributed or purchased a ticket to the event. There will be no more tickets sold after Monday. So far we’ve sold 142 tickets sold, almost the same as last year. We have amazing auction items, Kate has worked non-stop on auction items. Warren already has a $1,000 fund-a-need contribution.
Representatives from Dublin, Ireland, will be with us next week. They are promoting Dublin as the next RI convention.
Next week, grant our recipients will be here. Big Wave and Maiden Voyage will describe their projects.
Sue suggested that we could knit or crochet hats and scarves and donate them. She is willing help organize this. Susan added that we could bring them to our monthly Wednesday breakfast at the Lutheran Church. With the weather changing, they would be a welcome addition. Kevin also mentioned they could be included in the Coastsiders Hope packages.
Susan reported on the Pacific Beach Coalition clean up. Not a lot to clean up, but had a lot of fun. Warren, Ed, Mike, Dennis and myself along with three San Mateo club members. Very well organized, see website and Facebook for pictures.