| Rotary Club of Calcutta |
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| E-CLUBS | |
| Making up on the web |
E-clubs were designed for potential Rotarians
who could not attend
regular Rotary meetings. They are valid clubs recognized by Rotary
International. You pay dues to your e-club and the district in which it
is based and to Rotary International.
But, you can only be a member of one club, either an e-club or a regular
Rotary club. It is possible to be an honorary member of one and a
regular member of the other.
- Todd Lindley email: lindleydds@primary.net
LIST OF ENGLISH
LANGUAGE E-CLUBS
ECLUB ONE MAKE UP YOUR ATTENDANCE AT:
www.rotary5450.org/eclub/
OR www.rotaryeclubone.org
25-Mar-2005
Here is a new web page with 14 links to Rotary eClubs up and running as part
of the new Rotary International pilot program:
http://www.rotilink.org/eClubs/
Here is another Rotary eClub for the growing list:
http://www.rotaryecluboftampabay.org/
D-7150’s CYBER CLUB CHARTERED
- Come to the Celebration! by Club President Marlene Brown
It’s official! Rotary eClub of NY1 of D7150 has been issued its official Charter
by Rotary International!
Jan. 2002, almost a century after Paul Harris founded the first Rotary club, a
group of Colorado Rotarians made history by forming a club RI's founder could
never have imagined, Rotary e-Club One of D5450.
June 2002, the 2001-02 RI Board of Directors, authorized by the 2001 Council on
Legislation, agreed to implement a cyber Rotary clubs pilot project whereby up
to 75 new clubs worldwide may operate online for a four-year trial. Rotary
leaders hope the program will create different types of Rotary clubs to better
meet the needs of Rotary in the 21st century, attract more young professionals,
increase membership.
Nov 2002, the Board selected clubs for the pilot. District 7150's submission for
a Rotary e-Club was
1 of 15 worldwide to be accepted. Marlene B. Brown, Past President of the Rotary
Club of New Hartford,
NY, appointed by the Dist Gov as District 7150 Cyber Club Committee Chairperson,
is President and
webmaster of the new Cyber Club. Rotary cyber clubs are just like traditional
Rotary clubs in many
respects. However, rather than having a set meeting time and place, the club
meets on the Internet, 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week. Members log on to the website and review topics under
discussion. Club members participate in at least 20 online meetings, asking
questions, and sharing views and suggestions with other members.
Attendance is measured by a minimum average of 10 hours of hands-on community
service per quarter in place of 'seat time' in a club, with members determining
the activity, time and place. A bold high-tech step for Rotary, the idea came
out of the desire to reach out to those who, for a variety of legitimate
reasons, cannot
regularly attend Rotary clubs that meet weekly at a physical location.
Clubs chosen by R.I. are from these Zones & Countries:
Zone 15, Finland;
Zone 5, India;
Zone 6, Kuala Lumpur; Zone 6, Singapore;
Zone 4, Hong Kong; Zone 4, Taiwan;
Zone 9, Korea;
Zone 21, Latin-America;
Zone 20, Brasil (2);
Zone 28, MI/USA; Zone 34, FL/USA; Zone 31, NY/USA; Zone 31, CT/USA;
Zone 7, Australia.
The “earthly” headquarters for Rotary eClub NY1 is located at The Children's
Museum in Utica, NY. Club
members will be performing their hands-on community service projects at the
museum. They already are at
work on our Centennial Project, a Rotary Resource Reading Room for kids and
adults, located at the museum.
18-Sep-2004
E-CLUBS FORGE NEW PATH
FOR ROTARY
Web-based Rotary clubs provide new experiences, convenient make-ups
for Rotarians.
By Joseph Derr
Among the legislation proposed at the 2004 Council on Legislation in
June was item No. 04-18, "to allow attendance credit for a 30-minute
interactive club Web site activity."
The passing of this item significantly expanded the definition of
make-up meetings, and by extension, Rotary activity. Now, if a member
misses a meeting, in order to receive attendance credit, he or she
can go online. This offers an alternative to making up a meeting at
another club.
The Council's recognition both attests to the number of Rotary club
Web sites - estimated at 4,000 and growing - and highlights a recent
trend in the Rotary world: Web-based clubs that are not merely Web
sites of physical clubs but legitimate clubs that exist exclusively
on the Internet.
PILOT PROJECTS PLANTED THE SEEDS
The first e-club, Rotary eClub of District 5450 (Rotary eClub One),
was initiated in June 2001 as part of the New Models for Rotary Clubs
pilot project and currently has 13 members. The Rotary eClub of
District 7150 NY1 and the Rotary eClub of District 7890 followed
under the three-year Rotary eClub Pilot Project (formerly known as
Cyber Rotary Clubs Pilot Project).
Twenty-six clubs are now participating in the eClub project, which
was adopted by the 2001 Council on Legislation to help extend Rotary
to those who, for a variety of reasons, are unable to meet
traditional attendance requirements.
"The majority of our members are folks who believe very strongly in
Rotary and all that it stands for but find that business demands
prevent them from meeting traditional club-meeting percentages," says
Marlene Brown of Rotary eClub of District 7150 NY1, which has seven
members.
Chris Joscelyne, president of eClub One, adds: "Our members have
given a total of 150 years of service to Rotary, and eClub One
provide the opportunity for them to continue to serve. Without eClub
One, these folks would be lost to Rotary."
A NEW ATTENDANCE EXPERIENCE
Joscelyne views the passing of the attendance-credit item in June
2004 as a victory for an idea that the club has championed for some
time.
"It's an endorsement of the information-rich attendance experience we
offer Rotarians who visit our club on-line for 30 minutes or more,"
he says. "We hope that the Council on Legislation enactment will
encourage Rotary clubs everywhere to embrace the concept of an online
make-up as a valid attendance credit."
To earn an attendance credit, Rotarians usually log on to the Web
site, read online material on a range of subjects, post comments, and
submit a form to the club secretary. "The overwhelming comment from
visitors is that our on-line programs educate, inform and inspire.
That's a great outcome for an investment of a 30-minute visit to our
Web site," Joscelyne says.
Joscelyne says in a typical week, eClub One welcomes some 2,375
visitors, 715 of whom participate in a meeting program and apply for
a make-up credit.
MORE THAN JUST A MAKE-UP
But full-time members of Rotary eClubs like to emphasize that their
clubs offer more than just a quick make-up. "A make-up visit to
Rotary eClub One is not a 'quick fix' but a real opportunity to
become a better informed Rotarian," Joscelyne says.
As fully functional and legitimate Rotary clubs, e-clubs pay dues,
participate in community projects, and function much like any other
traditional club, except that a Web site serves as the only meeting
place.
This virtual gathering has some Rotarians criticizing online clubs as
lacking fellowship, while others fear the replacement of weekly
Rotary meetings altogether with online activity.
John Minter, the founding president of Rotary eClub One, answered
critics of the cyber clubs recently on his club's Web site: "We do
not advocate the online make-up venue to replace anything but rather
to expand and enhance the wonderful world of Rotary."
ATTRACTING NEW BLOOD
The e-clubs are also attracting new kinds of full-time members, who
enjoy opportunities for service they would have otherwise missed.
The Rotary eClub of District 7890 currently has 10 members and is
made up of Group Study Exchange alumni who were inspired to join
Rotary following their experience.
"I had an incredible experience and was excited to continue my
involvement in Rotary when I got home," says Ruth Ursone, a member of
the D-7890 club. "That I can communicate with my fellow Rotarians
through the Internet, at times convenient with my work and school
schedules is a perfect fit."
The club's membership is a diverse group of young Rotarians, all new
to Rotary, says EmmaLee Smith, president of the D-7890 club. "Our
members come from a wide variety of professions - teachers,
journalists, graduate students, entrepreneurs."
Full-time eClub Rotarians counter concerns of lost fellowship online,
saying that the unique nature of e-clubs actually encourages greater
interaction among members.
"We have daily contact with each other online, and in many ways we
interact to a greater degree than a traditional Rotarian who only
meets with his or her club once a week," says Smith. The club meets
socially at once a month and club members participate on a regular
basis in community service activities, individually and with other
Rotary clubs.
GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND
E-club members are so excited about the new way to experience Rotary
that they are going beyond minimum requirements for membership.
"Several of our members exceed the minimum 12 hours personal service
per calendar quarter by many hours each quarter, a tangible
demonstration of commitment to our ideal of service," says Joscelyne
of eClub One, currently involved in projects ranging from youth
skills training in East Timor to foster parent support and Vocational
Service teams. The club also is participating in the Ranfurly Library
Book Aid project for the Pacific Islands.
The future of eClubs seems bright, especially to members who are
hooked on the concept. "I'm sure the numbers of e-clubs will grow
throughout the world, but I don't see them replacing the regular in
person meetings. I see e-clubs as more of an option to keep extremely
busy professionals involved in Rotary," says Brown of RotaryeClub of
District 7150 NY1. "As more and more folks become aware of the e-club
option, the membership of, and involvement in, Rotary will increase
dramatically."
Paul Harris could have never imagined e-clubs when he founded the
first Rotary club nearly 100 years ago. Whatever the future holds, no
one can doubt that e-clubs are providing a whole new way to
experience Rotary and bring new members into the Rotary world.
Source: R I Website
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Author:
Rotary Club of Calcutta, D-3291 Contact: 
click to
send mailURL: www.rotacal.org/3291/eclubs.htm Updated: 29 May 2011 |