Presidents Corner

 

 

Congratulations
on becoming a
leader in your club.

This page provides resource material to
assist Club Presidents in their role and is
based on commonly asked questions.

We encourage you to take some time and
work through the contents of this page
and read the Presidents Manual – Lead
Your Club which is provided to you as
part of Pre-PETS.
 
 
Checkout the Presidents Page on the RI Website:
 
 
What you do: As Club President, you lead and motivate your club, ensuring that club members feel valuable, inspired, and connected to each other.
 
  • Preside over club and board meetings
  • Appoint committee chairs and members
  • Conduct club assemblies
  • Create a budget and manage club finances, including an annual audit, set and monitor your goals in Rotary Club Central which can be accessed through My Rotary
  • Develop a safe environment for youth participants
  • Work with your district governor and assistant governor
How to prepare for your role: The year of planning before you take office is crucial to achieving the objectives you set out for your club. As president-elect, you work with your assistant governor and incoming leadership team to set annual goals that support your club’s strategic plan. In this year you should:
  • Assess your club’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and risks in order to set goals
  • Develop an action plan for your annual goals, which support long-term achievements. Load your goals into Rotary Club Central and use this tool to monitor your progress throughout the year. (The Presidential Citation that is available immediately after the RI Assembly provides details of the Rotary Annual Theme and is a great checklist for the activities a good Rotary Club should be striving to achieve. All clubs are encouraged to use this to guide in their planning and strive to earn the award.)
  • Appoint committee chairs
  • Ensure continuity in leadership and service projects
  • Attend President Elect Training usually held in Sarnia in early April and Pre-PETS Training sessions
Presidents Timeline: Here is your Presidents Timeline which provides a month by month guide to help you prepare and plan for your year.
 

Club Presidents Compliance Sheet: This document details significant matters that your club needs to comply with.

Club Presidents Compliance Sheet  (Word Download file)

Four Reasons to set goals for your year:

1. FOCUS

Setting goals for your club gives your members something clear to aim for and removes ambiguity. They will be more likely to hit the bullseye if they are aiming at a target. 

2. PROGRESS

Setting a goal provides clubs with a benchmark to measure themselves against. When there is an end point to progress towards, they will be able to see how much further they have to go. 

3. ACCOUNTABILITY

Goals create a catalyst that moves club members to act with a purpose. They will be more likely to accomplish a task that has a goal vs. a task that does not. Every member has access to Rotary Club Central to view the achievement status of the club’s goals to hold themselves and each other accountable.    

4. MOTIVATION

A goal provides something to get excited about. Having a finish line in sight can motivate clubs to focus their energy to reach the end. It pushes members out of their comfort zones and gives them a sense of purpose – making the accomplishment feel even more fulfilling! 

Need help entering your club’s goals? Visit Rotary’s Learning Center to take a course on how to enter club goals in Rotary Club Central. 

 

Club Membership Dues are levied at the International and District level.

International membership dues are billed by RI semi-annually on July 1st and January 1st of each Year.

District Dues are billed annually based on the membership at July 1st of each year. They are billed by the District Treasurer in July. The District invoice also covers the Per Capita Dues,  District Conference Levy and in the case of Ontario Clubs an insurance premium. 

 https://my.rotary.org/en/membership-dues

Note: To ensure you are billed only for current active members ensure that the RI Membership database is updated on a regular basis and all email addresses are valid as the billing process is based on this database.

 

Club Insurance: (Section Under development by DGE David Elliott and Todd Farrell Insurance Chair)

US Clubs are covered by RI Insurance whilst Clubs in Ontario are covered by the District Group Insurance Policy.

Our District Insurance Chair Todd Farrell is available to help.

Sample ceremony guides:
From time to time you may be called upon to perform an induction or an award. Here are some sample texts that you may find useful. Feel free to adapt them to meet the needs and culture of your own club:
Online Support: Support and resources are continually being updated and improved and My Rotary provides an extensive amount of resource material, supporting documents and information for Club Presidents, Officers and club members.  Learn how to create a My Rotary account. 
 
A key section for Presidents and other club leaders is under "Manage" > "Club & District Administration". You can also view Foundation giving for individuals, your club and the district under Reports or Contributions. 
 
….and there is always your friend GOOGLE. Just simply search for an issue, topic or document by using your preferred search engine. Take care when reviewing the searches returned to ensure they are returning current, valid information and not out of date material or “Fake news”.
 
The Learning Centre provides a wealth of online just in time training that you can take from the comfort of your own home. It can be accessed via My Rotary and it is regularly updated and very flexible. You can sign into a session and then return to where you left off to resume a session at a later time or date. Make your other club officers and members aware of the wealth of training material available to assist them with their roles.
 
Club Runner App: To have ready on the go access to organizational and membership information about your club from the District Club Runner site download the “ClubRunner” app.  Available from the app store for both Apple and Android devices.
 
Branding….the Logo..! The Brand Centre that can be accessed via My Rotary gives you all you need to ensure you use the Rotary Brand and Marks in the correct way. You can download logos, create your own club logo, produce your own brochures and posters using the various templates. There are stock pictures and videos to help you promote Rotary. Just take a peek to view the opportunities you have to create your own professional promotional material. Our District Public Image Chair is available to offer advice and help. Click here for a quick guide about our logo
 
Other support is available from
  • Immediate Past President
  • Assistant Governor
  • District leaders
  • Email or call Club and District Support at the RI HQ, Evanston.
In conclusion…thank you for taking on the challenge to lead your club to new heights and above all have fun and enjoy your year of “Dogoodery!” in making the world a better place.