Rotary Club of Westminster East

At the last District Council meeting, the Rotary Club of Westminster was awarded a Presidential Citation.  This is the second year in succession the Club has been honoured with a Presidential Citation which is awarded in recognition of the Club’s commitment to fellowship and service.  It’s a great start to the new Rotary year and fellows of the Club will be working hard to ensure it continues to operate at the highest standard and make it three in a row next year.

The 2011/12 Rotary International President, Kalyan Banerjee, has chosen ‘Reach Within to Embrace Humanity’ as the theme for this Rotary year.  President Kalyan has set a challenging and ambitious programme for the year and a number of new projects will be introduced, including Four Pilot Programmes designed to improve recruitment and members retention, which the Rotary Club of Westminster East has a leading role. Use the links to find out more about the ‘Associate Member’ and the other elements of the Club Innovation Programme.

Everything is in place to make this a great Rotary year and President Kalyan and Rotarians’ around the world will be working hard to deliver the ‘Reach Within to Embrace Humanity’ goals.  At the Rotary Club of Westminster East President Brian, his Officers’ have set a tremendous programme which should strengthen our links with the Westminster community, promote Rotary home and abroad and grow our overall membership.

Club President Brian has put together a great programme for this year, which focuses effort on a great mix of existing and new projects.  The programme provides continuity of service in the community and also promotes the Club and Rotary.  The Club’s full programme will be formally launched in the next few weeks and there will be regular updates here to keep you up to date with the Club.

We know you will join us in wishing Club President Brain and Rotary international President Kalyan great success in 2011/12.

Recently Rotary International launched its Pilot Programme which with four elements enables clubs to examine new ideas, methods and organisational frameworks in order to improve overall membership development and ensure the future of Rotary as one of the premier humanitarian service organisations.

Earlier this month it was confirmed that the Club’s application for Associate Member was successful.  The other elements are Corporate Member, Satellite Club and Innovate and Flexible Rotary Club.  The Pilot Programme will run 1 July until 30 June 2014.

For the Rotary Club of Westminster East, the Associate Member Pilot will create a category of membership that allows prospective Rotarians to become acquainted with the Club, its members, programmes and projects.  Ultimately, Associate Members are expected to become full and active members.

As part of an overall world wide pilot programme, there are reporting obligations and the information gathered over the three years will be collated in order to evaluate the following:

Increase in

Club membership recruitment and retention

Support to The Rotary Foundation (program participation and fundraising)

Successful service projects (community and international)

Participation in club activities.

Improvement in

Leadership and engagement opportunities for members

Gender balance in the club membership

Overall diversity within the club membership.

Decrease in

the average age of the club membership

The Club is delighted to be part of the Pilot Programme and looks forward to being involved with the other Club’s around the world who are taking this opportunity to promote Rotary and secure its long term future.

Would your club like more flexibility in determining its membership requirements? Or perhaps you’d like to try different meeting logistics, but didn’t think you could because your ideas would violate the Standard Rotary Club Constitution or Recommended Rotary Club Bylaws. Maybe you’ve always wondered how corporate membership might benefit your club, only to find out that it isn’t allowed.

Now is your club’s opportunity to test new models of Rotary club membership by participating in one of four innovative pilot programs authorised by the RI Board of Directors. The programmes will 1 July and run until 30 June 2014.

The four programs are:

• Corporate member: Allows a corporation or company in the club’s area to become a member of the Rotary club, appointing up to four individuals to attend club meetings, serve on projects, and participate in other ways.
• Associate member: Creates the category of associate member to allow prospective Rotarians to become acquainted with your club, its members, its programs and projects, and the expectations of club membership, with the intent of becoming an active member within a designated period of time.
• Satellite club: Allows clubs to conduct multiple meetings during a week, each taking place at a different location, day, or time.
• Innovative and flexible Rotary club: Allows clubs to self-determine their operations to better fit the needs of their members and community.

If one of these programs sounds like something your club would like to try, submit an application by 15 April (extended from 1 April). Clubs do not need district approval to participate, although they must agree to the terms of participation. Clubs may participate in only one pilot programme.

Read more about pilot club opportunities, and submit questions direct to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .