Rotary membership can be one of the most fulfilling decisions that you can make. The act of giving back or doing good in the world may be common to all Rotarian’s, but the individual benefit we gain is tailored to our unique participation level and there are a lot more people out there that may be looking for that opportunity but no one has asked them.
The more Rotary members we have, the more good we can do in our communities and this also results in more people gaining the personal benefits such contribution makes.
The work of Rotary in our communities is not a secret, but how someone may join us sometimes seems like it is. Whilst there is some people actively seeking organisations like Rotary, by far the most effective way to seek new members is to engage in a conversation, answer questions and facilitate an opening for them to come along and find out more.
The ’elevator speech’ is a simple tactic where with a few prepared facts, you can engage in a short story of your Rotary journey and use this to draw interest in the person finding out more. As an informal approach, with the flexibility to adjust time and content to the audience, it is probably the most effective tool available to us engage new membership opportunities. Whether it be 30 seconds or 2 minutes, this is a small investment in your time that may lead to a lifetime of change for someone else.
As the Membership Chair for District 9920, I have recorded an example elevator speech and posted this on our District 9920 Facebook page. A version of this is also included in our August District Bulletin. I encourage you all to give your elevator speech a go when you get the next opportunity. What have you got to lose? At worst case you end up as you are now, but at best case you gain the opportunity to engage a new member and help change someone else's life.
Mike Jaggs
Rotary D9920 Membership Chair 2025-26