Becoming A Member
Membership
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Sponsoring
of a New Member
The
bylaws of Rotary clearly outline the procedure for a
prospective member to be proposed for Rotary club
membership. The "proposer" is the key
person in the growth and advancement of Rotary.
Without a sponsor, an individual will never have the
opportunity to become a Rotarian.
The
task of the proposer should not end merely by submitting
a name to the club secretary or membership
committee. Rotary has not established formal
responsibilities for proposers or sponsors; however, by
custom and tradition these procedures are commended in
many clubs. The sponsor should:
- Invite
a prospective member to several meetings prior to
proposing the individual for membership.
- Accompany
the prospective new member to one or more
orientation/informational meetings.
- Introduce
the new member to other club members each week for
the first month.
- Invite
the new member to accompany the sponsor to
neighboring clubs for the first make-up meeting to
learn the process and observe the spirit of
fellowship.
- Ask
the new member and spouse to accompany the sponsor
to the club's social activities, dinners or other
special occasions.
- Urge
the new member and spouse to attend the district
conference with the sponsor.
- Serve
as a special friend to assure that the new member
becomes an active Rotarian.
- When
the proposer follows these guidelines, Rotary
becomes stronger with each new member.
Non-attendance
Rules
The
Standard Rotary Club Constitution specifies three
conditions under which a Rotarian's membership will automatically
be terminated for non-attendance. These
circumstances are: failure to attend or make up four
consecutive club meetings, failure to attend or make up
60 percent of club meetings each six months, and failure
to attend at least 30 percent of the meetings of one's
own club in each six-month period. Under any of
these three cases, a member will lose Rotary membership
unless the club board of directors has previously
consented to excuse such failure for good and sufficient
reason.
To
some individuals, these rules may seem unusually
rigid. However, being present at club meetings is
one of the basic obligations a member accepts upon
joining a Rotary club. The constitutional rules
merely emphasize that Rotary is a participatory
organization that highly values regular
attendance. When a member is absent the entire
club loses the personal association with that
member. Being present at a club meeting is
considered a vital part of the operation and success of
every Rotary club.
For
any Rotarian to miss four consecutive meetings, or
disregard the other attendance requirements, should be
considered tantamount to the submission of one's
resignation from the club. When a club terminates
a member for non-attendance, it is simply an acceptance
of a resignation and not a punitive action b the club
officers. All Rotarians know the consequences of
non-attendance, so it clearly becomes a conscious
decision by a Rotarian to withdraw from the club when he
or she fails to fulfill the attendance requirements.
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