Happy New Year!
As we start a new year in Rotary together, I am thinking about how this year will be different from past years. The COVID health crisis has caused all of us to think and do things differently in our everyday lives. It is no different for Rotary.
If I predicted last year that almost all of the Clubs in District 6380 would be holding their meeting online, you would have thought I had lost touch with reality. Today, Zoom has become the online format for most of our club meetings.
This year will challenge each of us to think about how we do Rotary in a different way. We will come out of this year stronger, more agile, and better able to open the many opportunities in our future.
Opening Opportunities is this year’s Rotary Theme. Creating opportunities to reimagine how we do Rotary are important to our sustainability as a service organization.
This year I will challenge your club’s leaders to continue to find ways to tackle the four pillars of the Rotary Action Plan.
First, to increase our impact in the community through your programs and community service. I am challenging each club to find one new project this year that will have an impact on their community.
Second, expand our reach by building awareness of our impact and the Rotary brand. Let’s shine a light on our many accomplishments by letting the communities we serve know all the great things our clubs are doing.
Third, enhance participant engagement by engaging members with a participant-centered approach that delivers value. I’ll ask each club to think about how we engage our members. It’s not about how many new members we bring into Rotary, it’s about how many members we engage and retain. I encourage each club to select new members carefully. Make sure that they are a good fit with your club and that your club meets their expectations.
Fourth, increase our ability to adapt by building a culture of innovation and a willingness to take risks. I am encouraging each club to hold at least one strategic meeting each year and develop a 5-year plan for your club. As you define what you want your club to look like in the next 5 years, revisit your plan and continue to develop and implement the actions needed to help achieve that vision.
Know that the district is here to support your efforts. As your District Governor I will be leading a district strategic planning process that will chart our course for the next five years. I will work to create new, innovative club models including a district passport club and community based Rotaract club. I will continue to promote Rotary throughout the district and build awareness of the Rotary brand.
Karen Gabrys
District Governor, District 6380, 2020/21
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