District Governor Representative Shurie Scheel Visits

Last Wednesday, District Governor Representative Shurie Scheel visited RCFC with an official update from the District.  DGE Scheel lives in Thermopolis, WY  where she is active in many charities in addition to Rotary. The focus of this presentation was on the People of Action Campaign for Rotary International.  View the recording at https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/5gL0lqEbZo6u0l26S-PgO1mmth_9pUyB2Zdb25jyf7jeZ_3yzXgDth22Y2BF-n0.9_QZ8Ez6V9BmUO_4
 
The first slide was Rotary’s Vision Statement, “Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change - across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.”  New Rotary strategies have been proposed, but, now in the face of the COVID crisis clubs are struggling with some of the basics - funding, attracting new members and communication.  This is clearly a time for introspection.  Maybe the world is catching up to the Rotary Vision Statement with the unofficial COVID response - “We’re all in this together” (writer’s addition).
 
New RI president, Holger Knaack has emphasized the importance of growing Rotary - new members, expanded reach and sustainability.  Fostering multigenerational clubs is essential to achieve these goals.  RI’s Strategic Planning Guide is available and should be shared by all clubs with all members.  Planning may need to be on a 3-5 year basis to offset the frequent (annual or biannual) changes in club leadership.  A common failure of some clubs is to not carefully track progress after initiation of plans and goals.
 
The new (current) strategic priorities are:
  1. Increase Our Impact
    1. Eradicate polio and leverage the legacy
    2. Focus our programs and offerings and
    3. Improve our ability to achieve and measure impact
  2. Expand Our Reach
    1. Grow and diversify our membership
    2. Open new channels and  
    3. Increase Rotary’s openness and appeal
  3. Enhance Participant Engagement
    1. Support clubs to better engage new members
    2. Develop a participant-centered approach to deliver value
    3. Offer new opportunities for personal and professional connection and
    4. Provide leadership development and skills training
  4. Increase Our Ability To Adapt
    1. Build a culture of research, innovation, and willingness to take risks
    2. Streamline governance, structure, and processes and
    3. Review governance to foster more diverse perspectives in decision-making
The Board of RI has approved a 7th area of focus- “Supporting the Environment”.  Questions followed via Zoom both immediately after the talk and later after the official close of the meeting.