| An association of some 30,000
autonomous clubs in more than 160 countries, Rotary International
is one of the world's largest service organizations. The goal
for a club's membership is an up-to-date and progressive representation
of the community's business, vocational, and professional interests.
An important distinction between
Rotary and other organizations is that membership in Rotary
is by invitation. Rotary clubs invite individuals to join
and become members.
Membership is vital to a Rotary
club's operations and community service activities. A primary
goal of the club is to continually expand the club with committed
members who have the interest and ability to get involved
in service and humanitarian projects. Prospective members
must:
-
hold - or be retired from - a
professional, proprietary, executive, or managerial position;
-
have the capacity to meet
the club's weekly attendance or community project participation
requirements;
-
live or work within the
locality of the club or the surrounding area.
The membership process
Often a person being considered for membership is invited
by a member/sponsor to attend one or more club meetings to
learn more about Rotary. The sponsor may then submit the name
of the candidate to the club's membership committee.
An individual who is interested
in membership but doesn't know any Rotarians can contact
the local club directly. Search the Where
Clubs Meet and Rotary
Web Sites to find contact information for clubs. Other
resources include a Rotary club in an adjoining community,
the local chamber of commerce, the public library, or other
non-profit service organizations.
Classifications: professional
representation
Rotary uses a classification system to establish and maintain
a vibrant cross-section or representation of the community's
business, vocational, and professional interests among members
and to develop a pool of resources and expertise to successfully
implement service projects. This system is based on the founders'
paradigm of choosing cross-representation of each business,
profession, and institution within a community.
A classification describes either
the principal business or the professional service of the
organization that the Rotarian works for or the Rotarian's
own activity within the organization. Some examples of classifications
include: high schools, universities, eye surgery, banking,
pharmaceutical-retailing, petroleum-distribution, and insurance
agency. |
