A Periodic e-Newsletter to Rotary Leaders across Zones 23 & 24 and Beyond

August 28, 2007
Issue 3

2,906 Attend Presidential Membership Conferences (PMC) -
The seventh and final North American PMC was held this past weekend in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Starting with the weekend of July 13 & 14th and each subsequent weekend, we saw a remarkable turnout of Rotary leaders attending to learn and share new and innovative ideas about Membership Development. Each PMC was keynoted by RI President Wilf Wilkinson. The idea was to rally the attention of all Rotarians across North America to reverse the recent trends of declining membership.

If the attendance and tremendous enthusiasm reported at each of the PMCs is any indication – it's clear Rotary's leaders at all levels of the organization have "gotten the message." Here is a summary of attendance (in the order the PMCs were held): Philadelphia, PA: 425; Nashville, TN: 275; South Bend, IN: 335; Denver, CO: 375; Vancouver, BC: 411; San Jose, CA: 630; Ft. Lauderdale, FL: 455.

Not only was the 630 attendees at the San Jose (Zone 23/24) Conference a pacesetter for all seven PMCs – another 79 Rotary leaders from Zone 23 attended the Vancouver, BC Conference. This means over 700 Rotarians from Zones 23/24 attended a Presidential Membership Conference! Truly outstanding!!

In San Jose, President Wilf thanked the attendees by saying, "These conferences give me energy because I can see how important membership growth is to all of us. It's a fantastic experience to see so many Rotarians working together for the future of Rotary."

Just as he had done in all of the conferences, the president stressed that membership growth is important for Rotary. "The time is past for talking about Rotary membership growth. It's time to begin the work."

For a recap of the PMC in San Jose, along with photos – please visit the link at: www.RotaryZone2324.org.
Note: You may need to return to the site if you see the "Coming Soon" sign displayed. Likewise, the outstanding Conference Committee, chaired by PRID Sam Greene, is listed near the bottom of this link.

Everyone did an outstanding job! Congratulations! Now the real work begins! It's up to each of us to do our part by personally sponsoring at least one new member in the coming months... and to encourage others to do the same!

The Rotary Foundation and Lessons Learned for Membership Development -
Preliminary unaudited results for 2006-07 indicate that for the first time in the history of the TRF, contributions to the Annual Programs Fund exceeded US$100 million as Rotarians worldwide generously contributed more than US$102.5 million to the Annual Programs Fund. This demonstrates the success of our "Every Rotarian Every Year" effort. It also represents the solid support of leadership. If we can achieve this kind of dramatic increases in support of TRF's Annual Fund by emphasizing "Every Rotarian Every Year" – imagine what we should be able to accomplish of we develop a counterpart thrust along the lines of "Every Rotarian Sponsor a New Member Every Year."

FYI – RI General Secretary Ed Futa has reported that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is seriously considering a grant of $100 million for Polio Plus. In addition discussions are underway with another potential funder about a grant – possibly in the range of US$5.5 million. Why are these levels of support for Polio so important? Chiefly because Rotary and its partners are in the critical final stages of achieving our vision to make the world Polio Free. Significant funding is still required to fulfill our promise to the children of the world. How are we doing? See below.

Polio Cases Reported at all All-Time Lows -
We just received a report this morning that reads in part: "The more virulent type 1 poliovirus, which caused most cases of polio in India up thru last year, seems to be ebbing. For the first time since the launch of the eradication initiative, India has recorded very few cases of P1 this year. Against 648 cases last year, only 45 P1 cases have been reported till August 10."

For the very latest scorecard in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, visit this website weekly: www.polioeradication.org You may also access this link through our Zones 23/24 Resources Website.

Nominating Committee for RI Director (Zone 23) -
The Nominating Committee for RI Director from Zone 23 (to serve on the RI Board of Directors from Zones 23/24 for the term starting 1 July 2009 thru 30 June 2011) will be meeting in September to interview individuals whose names have been suggested for consideration. An announcement of the Committee's decision will be made later in the month by RI General Secretary Ed Futa.

LA2008 Rotary Convention eSignature -
We've heard from may Rotarians – especially throughout Rotary Zones 23/24 and 22 – "How can I help promote the LA2008 R.I. Convention?" Here's an easy way to begin the process: (1) register for the Convention yourself; then (2) add this official "eSignature" to the bottom of your e-mails, district and club websites and newsletters. And urge others to do the same. The 99th Annual R.I. Convention in Los Angeles may well be a record breaker for North American Rotary conventions. You can help play an important part in making history!

Paul Netzel
RI Director 2007-09
Zones 23-24

You can find more information on Zone events on the Zone Website Calendar.