Original petition request for a regional pilot structure for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands
RI Board Petition – Regional Pilot Australia, NZ & 14 Pacific Countries
31st October 2018
In 2011/12 a proposal to revitalise Rotary was developed to address a decade of significantly falling membership in this vast region. Unfortunately, the proposal did not proceed.
The objective was to not only address a 13% decline in membership in the previous ten years, but also to facilitate more consistent delivery of RI Programs and provide a coordinated if not single voice to ensure Rotary was more effective in the region and growing.
Regretfully, seven years later, the decline in membership continues and is down 24% in the last decade; this has resulted in a plan to significantly reduce the number of Districts in the region.
2021 marks the centenary of Rotary’s establishment in Australia, New Zealand and the 14 Pacific countries, and our challenge is to secure our future in this fast-changing world. To do this, we need to ensure that Rotary remains relevant, contemporary and flexible. We need to be bold.
What is Needed & Why
Rotary International’s new vision statement and strategic plan presents an ideal and positive opportunity to come up with a more effective and coordinated local structure to support Districts to manage culture and public image with national and regional responses in a way that attracts and retains membership in this fast- changing world.
With an ageing Rotarian population in the region, there is an urgent need to promote a strong brand - one that attracts new members and is relevant to our multi-cultural communities and demographics, facilitating membership growth and encouraging community, government and corporate partnerships and ultimately more donations and bequests.
We need a coordinated and strong Rotary voice to enhance our public image and effectiveness in a similar manner to other service and volunteer organisations.
In addition, we have a critical need for a local structure to provide proactive change management direction and support.
The region is about to approach the most significant change in the last 100 years when the number of Districts will be reduced achieving significant efficiency gains as we seek to grow and replace an ageing membership.
A coordinated regional approach to strategy, leadership, training and development, public image, and local Rotary entities and programs, will avoid the pitfalls of change, and assist us to embed a new culture whilst bringing all our members with us.
To meet these critical needs, we seek approval to form a working group to establish a pilot for a regional structure for Australia, New Zealand and 14 Pacific Countries. If the RI Board approves this pilot, we envisage working with RI staff on the parameters of the programme with an anticipated commencement date of 1st July 2020. This will allow time to carefully work through the approach, costs, benefits and risks.
Our Approach – How
This pilot approval will enable us to bring together representatives of the District Governors, the District Governors Elect and the Nominees of this region with others from RI, to develop and manage national strategic action plans for structure, communications, public image, membership, culture change and change management.
Plans will include the development of training resources to proactively support States and / or Districts to plan and manage redistricting, culture change and public image as we seek to increase our impact in the region, expand our reach, enhance participant engagement and most importantly, increase our ability to adapt and flourish for another 100 years.
A key aspect of this petition is to work closely with RI resources in this regional pilot. There is much to be done. A central feature will be our “without reservation commitment” to the internationality of the Rotary brand, our vision statement and our new strategic priorities.
Financial Implications
In the long-term redistricting will result in substantial cost savings, but in the short and medium term, there will be extra costs in implementing the regional structure pilot, which will in time be offset by the reduction in the number of Districts.
The goal is significant membership growth, and improved community, corporate and government partnerships in the medium term. This will generate more income and over time the restructure will be overwhelmingly cash positive.
We request US$10,000 be initially allocated to cover four face-to-face meetings with four representatives from Australia and two from New Zealand from 1 Jul 2019 to 30 Jun 2020. These will be supplemented by online meetings from 1 Apr 2019 and beyond, as necessary.
Conclusion
The District Governors of Australia, New Zealand and 14 Pacific Countries are unanimous in supporting this petition and have consulted with District Governors’ Elect and Nominee, who are also in support.
As well as discussions with Governors’ Elect and Nominee, we have liaised with key past Governors and regional Rotary leaders who also support for this petition.
Finally, we are acutely aware of RI President Barry Rassin’s call to “be the inspiration for positive change and to face today’s challenges head on with courage, optimism and creativity”.
Front of mind also is General Secretary John Hewko’s challenge to the Governors’ of this region to innovate and “avoid falling into the trap of addressing 21st Century challenges with 20th Century solutions”.
RI Board’s approval to this pilot will not only assist us avoid the considerable pitfalls of change, but also ensure Rotary International is more effective and efficient and acts with a coordinated voice to ensure we flourish in this part of the world.
We look forward to the Board of Rotary International approving this exciting pilot, which will also provide a valuable source of learning that may help RI in the future.
Signed 2018 - 2019 Governors Australia, New Zealand & 14 Pacific Countries
Related
Response from Rotary International General Secretary, John Hewko
5 February 2019
Mr. David C. Egan Governor, District 9500
Dear Governor Egan,
Thank you for submitting a petition requesting both approval to form a working group to establish a regional pilot structure for Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands, and initial funds of US$10,000 to cover planning meetings for the pilot. The RI Board considered this petition at its January 2019 meeting.
The Board acknowledged that all district governors of the region unanimously agreed to this petition and appreciates the amount of discussion and work it has taken for the group to get to this point. Your understanding of the regional challenges around brand awareness, declining membership, community partnership opportunities, and change management will prove essential as discussion to redraw the district boundaries of the region progresses.
Under the guidance of Past RI Director Noel Trevaskis, various regional and district leaders undertook similar conversations and meetings to address the declining membership challenge and brand awareness issues. Several district changes scheduled to take place in future Rotary years have been submitted and already approved by the Board. Any additional changes your group envisions would also be welcomed for review by the Districting Committee.
The Board approves your request to form a working group to establish a pilot for a regional structure for Australia, New Zealand, and 14 Pacific Countries as outlined in your petition.
While the Board supports your region's desire to continue discussing further changes, it is not able to approve any funding for such meetings to take place in person. As we are doing with other groups in the organization, we ask you also, to consider how to utilize technology to best connect and discuss this pilot and redistricting opportunities without holding an in-person meeting that requires funding from Rotary. Should you determine meeting in person is required, the region would be responsible for payment of any associated costs. You might also want to hold this meeting during a planned regional meeting such as a Rotary Institute to keep costs minimal.
The RI Board looks forward to seeing your plan for a regional pilot structure in Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands.
Sincerely,
John Hewko
