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Rotary International |
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| GENERAL SECRETARY'S REPORT | ||
| 2007 RI Convention June 2007 |
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Edwin H Futa, RI General Secretary Report to the 2007 RI Convention Salt Lake City, Utah, USA June 2007 It is my pleasure to make this annual report to the Rotary International Convention, in keeping with the requirements of the RI Bylaws. I hope that the information provided here will enlighten Rotarians about the Secretariat’s work in 2006-07 to support the program of RI President William B. Boyd and the actions of the RI Board, The Rotary Foundation Trustees, and the Council on Legislation. If you have questions about the report or comments that you’d like to make, send me an e-mail with the subject line “Report to Convention.” FUTURE PLANNING In 2006-07, we’ve made great strides on long-range planning as the RI Strategic Planning Committee and the Foundation’s Future Vision Committee worked to identify missions, priorities, and goals. At the Secretariat, we created the position of strategic planning manager to coordinate, facilitate, and align all strategic planning efforts of Rotary International, The Rotary Foundation, and the Secretariat to ensure the achievement of the organizational goals. The manager was hired in January. Since then, he has been working closely with both committees, senior management, and a cross-functional Secretariat planning advisory team to help achieve consistency and alignment. In April, the Foundation presented the mission and priorities of its future vision plan to the Council on Legislation, which endorsed these elements by an overwhelming majority. The five priorities that will guide the plan’s implementation are: 1. Simplify all programs and operations. 2. Align program outcomes/descriptions with the future vision plan. 3. Increase participation and sense of ownership at district and club levels. 4. Provide sufficient resources to achieve the program goals. 5. Develop a business model that supports the future vision plan. At its June meeting, the RI Board will review proposals for RI’s mission, vision, priorities, and goals. All of these efforts mark important steps for our association, allowing us to create a more dynamic organization that is prepared to capitalize on opportunities and meet future challenges. Look for more information on Rotary’s plans on the RI Web site and in upcoming issues of your official magazine and Rotary World. TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES One critical current and future challenge facing all organizations today is technology needs. In March, a new chief information officer was hired and has been working on opening an information services office in India to keep pace with the demands for development of new applications and other urgent needs. Expected to become fully operational in June, this new office will house a team of developers who will be able to complete the growing number of projects needed to improve service to Rotarians while containing costs. This office will also handle some data entry and computer support functions, but our international office in Delhi will continue to provide all direct service to Rotarians in the region. The Information Services staff in both Evanston and India will be focused on completing very specific goals in the coming year, including a redesign of the system that houses all our membership information. The new system should allow staff to respond more quickly and completely to Rotarian requests and provide more accurate information, while protecting the privacy of members’ personal data. Another major technology initiative is the rebuild of Rotary.org, which is a cross-functional project involving staff at all levels. Scheduled to launch in the first half of 2007-08, the new site will be streamlined, easier to navigate, and more interactive. As the public face of Rotary International, Rotary.org provides an opportunity to tell the Rotary story to the world. By emphasizing the key Rotary concepts of service and fellowship, the revamped site will more effectively communicate Rotary’s good work to the general public, while offering members more timely news and information in all nine Rotary languages. We will also release a photo database with the new site launch that will give members access to a large, and growing, selection of photographs of Rotarians and Rotary projects. THE FINANCIAL PICTURE Through 30 April, 2007, the investments for both Rotary International’s general fund and The Rotary Foundation’s funds have performed very well. If these results hold through the end of the fiscal year, net investment returns could exceed $11 million for RI and $90 million for the Foundation. The 2007 Council on Legislation made some key decisions affecting RI’s financial condition, including adopting a dues increase of US$1 per year starting in 2008-09 and requiring clubs to pay one-twelfth of prorated RI per capita dues for each new member per full month of membership before the next semiannual period for which dues are payable. The Council also changed the required level of the general surplus fund from 100 percent to 85 percent of the highest level of annual expenses during the most recent three-year period. Although these measures strengthen Rotary’s financial position today and in the foreseeable future, containing costs remains a top priority for RI staff. This year, we have made significant operational enhancements that include improving RI’s cash management and bank processing, providing public relations grants that enable clubs to greatly expand our media presence in a cost-effective way, and moving systems operations to India, to name just a few. The long-range planning underway for both RI and The Rotary Foundation will help us operate even more efficiently and continue to develop new cost-saving measures. I encourage you to read the Treasurer’s Report for a more complete picture of the association’s financial position. MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT The triennial Council on Legislation met in Chicago in April and worked its way through 337 proposed pieces of legislation, many of them related to membership development. The Council adopted measures that exempt recent Rotaractors from paying an admission fee to join a Rotary club, allow clubs to bring in community leaders who have “demonstrated personal involvement in community affairs and a commitment to service and the Object of Rotary,” and qualify Rotary Foundation alumni to become active members of clubs. In addition, the Council voted to change attendance requirements from 60 percent to 50 percent of regular meetings in each half of the Rotary year. The Council voted down several proposed enactments to reduce the weekly meeting requirement. In recognition of Rotarians’ interest in this subject, the RI Board recently approved a new six-year pilot project to examine the effects of meeting frequency on overall club success. Set to launch on 1 July, the project’s goal is to include about 200 clubs worldwide. Participants will determine their meeting schedules based on member preference rather than RI policy. These clubs will report to RI annually, providing insight into the relationship between meeting frequency and contributions to The Rotary Foundation, membership development and retention, success of service projects, and other elements of an effective club. The RI Board took other action to promote membership by adopting the Recognition for Smaller Club Membership Growth, a certificate program designed to increase the size of the 25 percent of clubs with fewer than 20 members. Based on their starting figures and with the approval of the district governor, clubs will receive a certificate for meeting membership goals established for the program. MEMBER FEEDBACK During the past year, RI has reached out to members through surveys that solicit opinions on a wide range of topics, including membership costs, club public relations efforts, club demographics, and Foundation programs. We’ve learned that clubs are changing. In some parts of the world, for example, the demographic make-up of clubs includes a growing number of women — as high as 29 percent in the Caribbean and 26 percent in the Philippines. Worldwide, however, women comprise only 15 percent of members, a figure far lower than the actual percentage of qualified women professionals. In terms of age, we’ve learned that recruiting younger members remains a challenge. Worldwide, only 2 percent of the membership is under age 30, with regions reporting from 0 percent to 6 percent of members in this age group. Clubs are also changing their meeting times in response to member needs. Whereas Rotary was once almost exclusively a lunch club, today only 35 percent of clubs meet for lunch. Almost 10 percent meet for breakfast, 46 percent for dinner, and 9 percent save their members money by foregoing a meal altogether. This savings can be considerable, given that meals account for anywhere from 9 percent (India) to 58 percent (RIBI) of the cost of membership. RI dues, on the other hand, amount to only 2 percent (Japan and Korea) to 13 percent (India) of membership costs. The feedback we receive from these surveys will inform Board and Trustee actions and will also help determine the kinds of resources and tools developed by the Secretariat and our service priorities to Rotarians. I encourage all Rotarians to provide their input by responding to surveys received in the mail or posted on our Web site or by communicating directly with RI staff. It’s the best way we’ll know what’s working and what we need to improve. COMMUNICATIONS One area we are always striving to improve is communications. Advances in technology have made it possible to communicate with our members more frequently and at lower cost. This year, we launched Interactive, an online multimedia magazine featuring photo essays and video and audio clips, along with short items about interesting Rotarians and projects. We also developed an RSS feed that automatically sends news headlines and other Web content to subscribers. As we revamp our Web site, we plan to offer ways to communicate more easily with RI and give us feedback on our news stories and other features. We’re also helping clubs share their project successes with the media and the general public. This was the second year of the Public Relations Grants program, which drew an unexpectedly high response. We received about 3,300 grant requests as opposed to less than 200 in 2005-06. Over 2,200 clubs from 100 countries applied, and 1,700 received grants of up to $3,000 to help cover expenses for broadcast (radio and TV) placements, billboards, newspaper supplements, print (newspaper and magazine) ads, transportation (taxicab, bus, and transit shelter) placements, and other media outreach to the general public. The program gave preference to Rotary clubs that used materials from the Humanity in Motion campaign, now in its third year. This year, all clubs received the Humanity in Motion III four-disc set, which contains TV, radio, print, billboard, and Internet public service announcements from the first two campaigns and focuses on Rotary’s work with polio eradication, literacy, water, youth, hunger, international education, and peace. Many grant recipients translated the materials into a local language, added voiceovers, or provided local contact information to enhance the campaign's effectiveness. POLIO ERADICATION Despite many challenges, our battle for a polio-free world continued. The Council on Legislation reaffirmed that polio eradication is a goal of the highest order for Rotary International. This enactment reinforced a statement made in January by Dr. Margaret Chan, as incoming director-general of the World Health Organization: “I am convinced that a polio-free world can be attained. I will be working with the remaining polio-infected countries, the regional directors, and our partners to ensure an unprecedented effort on polio eradication over the next 24 months.” Anyone who questions the goal of polio eradication should read about a recent study by the Harvard School of Public Health that compared the value of global polio eradication versus simply controlling the spread of the disease. Using a mathematical model to weigh financial and human costs and health outcomes of control and eradication options, researchers concluded that “eradication offers both lower cumulative costs and cases than control in the long-term.” Last month at the 2007 World Health Assembly, WHO presented its Case for Completing Polio Eradication, a report that reiterated the Harvard study findings and outlined action that must be taken to keep eradication efforts on track. Citing more effective vaccines, better response methods, and other advances, the WHO report recommends making polio a national priority and improving communication and social mobilization, along with other necessary measures, to meet the goal of a polio-free world. FOUNDATION MILESTONES This year marked the first Rotary World Peace Symposium, which occurred just before this convention. We were especially pleased that almost 200 current and former Rotary World Peace Fellows registered to attend the event. This enthusiastic response clearly illustrates how highly participants value the opportunity that Rotary has given them. And the fact that our graduates continue to play increasingly important roles in conflict resolution and diplomacy speaks to the quality of their education. The Rotary Foundation Trustees have established a fundraising goal of US$95 million for this vital program, and our graduates are showing Rotarians and other donors the true value of their investment. The Foundation celebrated two milestones this year: the millionth Paul Harris Fellow and the first 100 percent Major Donor club. The 34 individuals selected as the “millionth” Paul Harris Fellow represent all the zones of the Rotary world, as well as the commitment to the Foundation shared by all one million Paul Harris Fellows. That strong commitment was very much in evidence last month, when the Rotary Club of Kowloon East, Hong Kong, became the first club in which all members have personally contributed at least $10,000 to The Rotary Foundation. In other news, the Annual Programs Fund will break records for unrestricted contributions for the fourth year running by meeting its $100 million goal. RECOGNITION AND AWARDS Rotary’s good work did not go unrecognized this year. All Rotarians can take pride in the following prestigious awards Rotary received: • The WFP Award for Exemplary Humanitarian Leadership from the World Food Programme, the United Nations’ antihunger agency • Overall winner among U.S. associations of the 2006 Associations Make a Better World Award from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and the Center for Association Leadership in recognition of PolioPlus • The 2006 Fries Prize for Improving Health, awarded to William Sergeant upon his retirement as International PolioPlus Committee chair for his many years of directing RI’s global efforts to eradicate polio • The 2006 Outstanding Achievement Award from the AABB (formerly the American Association of Blood Banks) in recognition of the ongoing effort by Rotary clubs to increase the world’s blood supply through voluntary donations • The Sitara-e-Eisaar (Star of Sacrifice), presented by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to RI President-elect Wilfrid J. Wilkinson in recognition of the timely relief efforts of local and international Rotarians to the devastating October 2005 earthquake in Kashmir  |
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to send mailURL: www.rotacal.org/ri/gensec_report.htm Updated: 24 Jun 2007 |