International
World Community Service
District Assembly 2002 / 2003 (9 May 2002)
Summary of Notes by Les Lee, 16 May 2002
This years group session at District
Assembly had a changed format on the basis that many clubs had ideas or even
plans for the year ahead. The aim of
the session was to allow those attending to learn from the experience of
others.
·
Help Chairmen with their club
assemblies if needed and discuss issues that may arise.
·
To convince Chairmen that the
district committee are there to give support and help throughout the year if
need.
·
Encourage Chairmen to convince their
members to support the growing International WCS needs.
Five
syndicates were each given a separate topic and it was left to each group
leader (A district committee member) to use these as a starting point but allow
the group to develop discussion and report back. The following were the topics
and the reports by the group leaders:
1. How can we improve communications between Clubs and District?
2. What are your views on best practice for Club Assembly?
4. How do you achieve a balance between International and Community
Projects?
5. How can you use International projects/ events for Publicity /
and to attract new members?
1. How can we improve
communications between Clubs and District?
·
Summary of what is available at
Present.
E-mails
Website
Half year meetings
Newsletters
·
These are all excellent sources but
it does require individual clubs to become involved and provide input as well
as "just taking" information.
·
It is important that clubs provide
information about their plans for the years as it is useful to know what other
clubs nearby are doing.
·
With club groupings the Assistant
Governors should be encouraged to be aware of this information also when making
their visits.
·
Have plans- but once projected at
Club Assembly they cannot easily be changed to account for response to
disasters. Should clubs take this into account when making their plans?
·
It was suggested that district
considers a resource list including such items as: -
How others raise money?
Check list
on Quiz’s
Displays and
Equipment available for promotions. E.g. (Shelter box.)
Lap top and
LCD equipment.
·
Contact list of all International
Chairmen on the Website and Hard copy should be available.
·
Specific areas with responsibilities
similar to the GSE split should be considered?
·
Plans for 2002 /2003
All chairmen should be encouraged to have some form of Electronic
contact. This method is more cost effective and quicker. Whilst those without
electronic methods themselves there should try to get someone in their club to
receive messages for them. Something possibly to discuss with the clubs
communications chairman or Secretary.
·
Consideration must be given to a
fall back situation.
2. What are your
views on best practice for Club Assembly?
·
Each club has its own way of dealing
with assembly from fairly formal sessions to those that of dealing with the
plans for the year at a normal meeting. These are sometimes several weeks after
the new year had started.
·
Some involved written plans with
budgets in principle, to others that relied on committee minutes.
·
The type of assembly was carried out
either by tradition or as the President decided.
·
It did appear that assembly was not
always treated as the most important meeting of the year, especially by members
that were to support the chairman.
·
Good planning is essential. This can
be done early with room to consider issues raised at District Assembly. The plan however has to be the clubs.
·
Any plans must be realistic, have
support of the President and the degree of support from committee and club.
·
Awareness of the projects available
(Project Library, Clubs own, World Community Service)
·
Council should support prior to the
Assembly
·
Assembly is the opportunity to sell
the plan to all members. Some groundwork is essential. “Failing to Plan is
Planning to Fail”.
·
Try a new approach to your
presentation at Assembly although time available may be a constraint.
·
International is not all projects.
Build some fun into your projects and fun raising. Include Twinning.
·
When it comes to manageable projects
look locally, get a balance between pure fund raising and hands on type
project. i.e. Vision Aid, Tools for Self Reliance
·
Foundation seems impersonal from
Humanitarian type projects and seen as more education related.
Is difficult to capture public imagination for support.
Foundation appears purely fund raising.
·
International service projects not
only include collection but service type activities but all are associated with
provision of Humanitarian Aid.
·
For WCS projects there is difficulty
in identifying recipient partner clubs to participate.
Need for a trustworthy local
contact.
Can provide immediate or quick
response
Photographic evidence needed during
progress.
Detailed accounts essential.
·
RIBI Project Library.
Emphasis moving to Rotary organised projects however clubs still
maintain contacts with pet projects through long association with them.
·
Collection projects low cost highly
productive and provides good fellowship and local awareness of Rotary.
Boxes again little cost, high value and good for publicity.
4.
How do you achieve
a balance between International and Community Projects?
·
There is again a wide variety of the
way clubs approach this subject many of which are born out of tradition but it
was considered that however you arrived at the plan there should be an
International Budget.
·
Some have core projects and others
have new projects or a mixture of both. Variety can create interest.
·
Some clubs rely on a Fund raising
committee to meet their needs and others events are organised by the committee
responsible for initiating the project.
·
Whatever method is used, it should
be a bottom up method of planning by the committee to get full participation.
·
As clubs cannot budget for disasters
but as the need is usually urgent, clubs may wish to consider including in
their budget allowance for a disaster fund.
·
Build on the relationships made with
other overseas clubs, organisations or individuals.
·
There appears to greater preference
for projects and ‘hands on’ rather than just giving money.
·
Greater consideration for material,
equipment etc. type projects. The
collection of spectacles (Vision Aid) and tools (Tools for Self Reliance) have
proved particularly popular with Rotarians and have been well supported by the
public.
·
Greater group involvement, share
ideas with other clubs (Not to pinch them). The grouping of district committee
members with the same Assistant Governor should make this easier if used
positively
·
There should be an Achievement list
collated and published to show what has been done, who did it and a point of
contact.
(Note this can easily be done however it does rely on clubs
providing the information. Last year we achieved about a 50% response) Could do
better.
5. How can you use
International projects/ events for Publicity / and to attract new members?
·
For membership we should be
attracting the right type of members not just to increase numbers.
·
Include publicity in your plans from
the start.
·
Involve active non-Rotarians in your
projects - they can add value and may
find it worth joining.
·
When supporting a project ensure you
and Rotary gets recognition from it.
·
Speaking at external organisations
can promote your projects, Rotary as well as possibly attracting new members.
·
Make contacts with local media.
Local Radio and Local TV are now more interested in current interest projects.
·
Use disasters as a means to promote
projects like boxes or specific appeals with local interest. Press coverage on
the disasters only lasts about ten days. Make the most of that time.
·
Look for the unusual angles.
·
Good publicity does not just happen.
Plan for it.
From the
flip chart and the comments made at the presentations this is my best
assessment of the items raised. These are your comments and as we learn from
each other you may find them useful during the year. I assure you those points that have district involvement will be
fully discussed at our first meeting with hopefully some feed back to you and a
report at the Half Year Meeting on the 31st October at Tilsworth.
1. Please let me have your
Achievement forms for last year (2001-02) before 31st July.
2. Let me have a copy of your plan
for the year ahead (2002 - 03) as soon as possible.
Check out the
District International World Community Website www.rotary1260.org/users/intnational
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