Rotary Membership Development Updates
Cc: 2025-26 RI Directors
Dear Rotary leaders,
As we begin the new Rotary year, I’m pleased to report a few recent decisions by Rotary International’s Board of Directors and Council on Legislation that will support your efforts to grow membership.
The title of Rotary coordinator has been updated to Rotary membership coordinator, and assistant Rotary coordinators will become assistant Rotary membership coordinators. Although the titles for these roles have changed, the responsibilities have not. Rotary membership coordinators will continue the important work that Rotary coordinators have done to support club and district membership efforts. The RI Board of Directors made the changes to help members quickly understand what kind of support and expertise these regional leaders provide. The new titles are also better aligned with Rotary’s Action Plan and more consistent with those of other regional leaders.
District membership subcommittee chairs are now required roles
Sustainable membership growth requires attracting new members, engaging all members, and developing new clubs. Since 2021-22, districts have had the option to report subcommittee chairs for each of these important aspects of membership. At its April meeting, the Board agreed to require each district to appoint and report subcommittee chairs for membership attraction, membership engagement, and new club development. The subcommittees they lead should apply their unique skill sets to grow membership in their districts:
- The district membership attraction subcommittee builds relationships with prospective Rotary or Rotaract club members.
- The district membership engagement subcommittee recommends and promotes resources and activities that can help improve the club experience and engage members and participants.
- The district new club development subcommittee finds opportunities to develop and nurture new clubs so they can provide an excellent club experience.
District governors or membership chairs can report the 2025-26 chairs of these subcommittees through My Rotary. If you aren’t sure how to do that, start with this helpful guide.
Fewer members are needed to charter a club
At the Council on Legislation in April, the representatives voted to allow new clubs to be chartered with as few as 15 members, instead of the previously required 20. Making it easier to start clubs is an important tactic both for expanding Rotary’s reach and for increasing our impact. Establishing new clubs allows us to bring Rotary to more communities or just to offer different club experiences for prospective members where Rotary already is. The change takes effect on 1 July.
We will gradually update our materials to reflect these important changes. If you have any questions or need additional information, write to us at membershipdevelopment@rotary.
Thank you for all you do to support membership growth.
Sincerely,
Brian King
Director of Membership Development
Rotary International
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