Throughout districts in Rotary South Pacific, informative membership workshops are currently being held to explore practical ways that clubs and Rotary Community Groups can attract and retain members.

Primarily attended by club presidents and club membership chairs, these interactive one-day workshops cover key topics such as how to nurture a vibrant club culture that keeps members engaged and entices new members to join, and how to start new clubs that attract diverse demographics to Rotary.

The workshops are the result of close collaboration between the Rotary South Pacific Membership Team, Rotary Community Leaders (RCLs), and district governors and their teams.

Rotary South Pacific New Club Development Chair Michael Buckeridge is supporting the development and facilitation of these workshops. He says the three events that have taken place so far have shown positive outcomes.

“I would like to thank the leaders in districts 9423, 9790, 9660 and 9640 for their dedication to Rotary,” says Michael.

“Their hard work and commitment to promoting membership in their districts has made these workshops successful opportunities for networking, learning and growth.”

Michael is looking forward to supporting more memberships workshops throughout the South Pacific over the coming months. He encourages anyone interested in arranging or participating in such a workshop to reach out to him.

Read on to learn about the informative and engaging workshops that have taken place so far:

District 9423 (Western Australia)

In October 2024, club membership chairs and RCLs in Western Australia attended a workshop to network, develop their membership knowledge, and share their challenges and success stories.

Attendees gained many valuable membership insights, including a greater awareness of the variety of club models available, and techniques on how to induct new members so they feel engaged from the start.

After many months of planning by the district, the workshop was facilitated by District Governor Pat Schraven, District Governor-Elect Veronica Lawrance, Past District Governor Jerry Pilcher, and Michael Buckeridge.

Pat says the district has received positive feedback from attendees, including encouragement to hold similar workshops in the future.

“The connections made were priceless and more champions of what may be possible is a must for change,” says Pat.

“We should provide opportunities to develop our club membership chairs and provide opportunities for them to network.

“Listening to our people, their ideas that inspire each other, is worth the money spent.”

District 9790

In February, over sixty people in District 9790 attended a highly interactive membership workshop that has already sparked action in clubs.

For District Governor Stephen O’Connell OAM, who is a member of the Rotary South Pacific Membership Team, the event aligned well with his district’s focus on growing membership.

“We wanted the opportunity to work collaboratively with the Regional Council to get this membership initiative up and running, particularly in the areas of club transformation and starting new clubs,” says Stephen.

The day was full of interactive sessions that allowed attendees to reflect, discuss their learnings with each other, and devise an implementation plan for their own club.

“It was a terrific day. There was a real buzz in the room. It was fantastic,” says Stephen.

“We believe that the club presidents and membership chairs that were there have gone back to their clubs determined to build a more positive club culture.”

As a direct result of the workshop, there are now at least four new satellite clubs being built in District 9790. Starting a satellite club is an effective strategy clubs can use to enhance their culture and grow their membership by attracting people who would otherwise not be interested in joining their club.

The workshop was a success thanks to the planning and commitment of numerous people including Past District Governor Patti Bulluss, Carol O’Connell, District Governor-Nominee Paul Miegel, and the Rotary South Pacific Membership Team.

District 9790 is planning to run similar membership workshops in the future.

Districts 9640 and 9660

In February, almost thirty members from districts 9640 and 9660 attended a workshop in Grafton, located in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales in Australia. Held on Rotary’s 120th anniversary, a cake was cut by Clarence Valley Mayor Ray Smith on the day – a special touch commemorating Rotary’s rich history.

RCLs Robert Blanchard and Richie Goddard each facilitated a breakout session with the clubs in their respective Rotary Community Groups to explore how they could put the ideas from the workshop into practice.

“Having the workshop in Grafton allowed the clubs in both districts to share ideas, enabling a stronger relationship with each other,” says RCL Robert.

“Not only did we learn about how to create new clubs, but also effective ways to ensure our current members are retained and their expectations are met.

“The breakout sessions sat extremely well with the overall theme of our Rotary Community Groups: creating projects with a bigger impact on our communities, where community members would want to join our clubs.”

For RCL Robert, one of the most memorable takeaways from the day was an impactful statement made by Michael Buckeridge about growing Rotary’s membership: “There is no elevator to success, you have to take the stairs.”

The workshop was the result of collaboration between many people including District 9640 Governor Lisa Hunt, District 9660 Governor Bruce George and Past District Governor Dave Harmon. Numerous members of the Rotary South Pacific Membership Team also provided support.

If you’d like to arrange or participate in a membership workshop, contact Rotary South Pacific New Club Development Chair Michael Buckeridge.