Service above Self
Rotary Club of
Frequently Asked
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
WHAT IS ROTARY?
Rotary
is
an
organization
of
business
and
professional
leaders
united
worldwide
who
provide
humanitarian
service,
encourage
high
ethical
standards
in
all
vocations,
and
help
build
goodwill
and
peace
in
the
world.
In
more
than
166
countries
worldwide,
approximately
1.2
million
Rotarians
belong
to
more
than 31,000 Rotary clubs.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP IN A ROTARY CLUB?
Membership in a Rotary club offers a number of benefits, including:
• Effecting change within the community.
• Developing leadership skills.
• Gaining an understanding of - and having an impact on - community and international issues.
• Developing relationships with community and business leaders.
Through Rotary's various service programs, a Rotary club can have a significant effect on the quality of life in its community.
WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR MEMBERSHIP IN A ROTARY CLUB?
An important distinction between Rotary and other organizations is that membership in Rotary is by invitation. Prospective members must:
• hold - or be retired from - a professional, proprietary, executive, or managerial position;
• have the capacity to meet the club's weekly attendance or community project participation requirements;
• live or work within the locality of the club or the surrounding area.
WHAT IS A PRIMARY GOAL OF A ROTARY CLUB?
A
primary
goal
of
a
Rotary
club
is
to
continually
expand
the
club
with
committed
members
who
have
the
interest
and
ability
to
get
involved
in
service
to
community and humanitarian projects.
HOW ARE CLUBS GROUPED?
Clubs
are
grouped
into
530
Rotary
districts,
each
led
by
a
district
governor
who
is
an
officer
of
Rotary
International
and
represents
the
RI
Board
of
Directors in the field. Though selected by the clubs of the district, a governor is elected by all of the clubs worldwide meeting in the RI Convention.
WHAT IS THE MEMBERSHIP PROCESS?
Often
a
person
being
considered
for
membership
is
invited
by
a
member
or
sponsor
to
attend
one
or
more
club
meetings
to
learn
more
about
Rotary.
The
sponsor may then submit the name of the candidate to the club's membership committee.
WHAT IS AN "ACTIVE" MEMBER?
The Rotary Club of Silver City defines an active member as a Rotarian who:
1. Attends, or makes up, at least 60% of all meetings each quarter, and
2. Is in financial good standing with the club. This means having paid when due and payable:
A. All meeting fees and membership dues,
B. Missed meeting fees for all meetings that are neither attended nor made up, and
C. All assessed fees and obligations.
I AM INTERESTED IN MEMBERSHIP, BUT DO NOT KNOW A ROTARIAN IN TOWN. HOW CAN I BECOME A ROTARIAN?
First,
you
might
want
to
look
at
the
Member
List
under
the
Members
tab
above
to
see
if
you
may
know
a
Silver
City
Rotarian
after
all.
If
it
turns
out
that
you
don’t
know
any
current
Rotarians
you
can
contact
the
local
club
directly.
You
can
send
an
email
to
info@silvercityrotary.org
,
or
send
regular
mail
to
the Rotary Club of Silver City at P. O. Box 867, Silver City, NM, 88062.
WHAT IS THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF ROTARY?
The
main
objective
of
Rotary
is
service
-
in
the
community,
in
the
workplace,
and
throughout
the
world.
Rotarians
develop
community
service
projects
that
address
many
of
today's
most
critical
issues,
such
as
children
at
risk,
poverty
and
hunger,
the
environment,
illiteracy,
and
violence.
They
also
support
programs
for
youth,
educational
opportunities
and
international
exchanges
for
students,
teachers,
and
other
professionals,
and
vocational
and
career
development. The Rotary motto is Service Above Self.
HOW DID ROTARY GET STARTED?
The
world's
first
service
club,
Rotary
began
with
the
formation
of
the
Rotary
Club
of
Chicago,
Illinois,
on
February
23,
1905.
The
club
was
started
by
a
young
lawyer,
Paul
P.
Harris,
and
three
of
his
friends.
He
wished
to
recapture
the
friendly
spirit
he
had
felt
among
business
people
in
the
small
town
where he had grown up. Their weekly meetings "rotated" among their offices, thereby providing the new service club with its name.
WHEN AND WHERE DOES THE ROTARY CLUB OF SILVER CITY MEET?
The
Rotary
Club
of
Silver
City
conducts
a
luncheon
meeting
weekly
on
Tuesday
at
12:00PM
at
the
in
the
Student
Cafeteria
in
the
Thomas
B.
McDonald
Memorial Student Center at Western New Mexico University in Silver City, NM.
WHAT IS ROTARY'S UNITED SERVICE PROGRAM?
Although
Rotary
clubs
develop
autonomous
service
programs,
all
Rotarians
worldwide
are
united
in
a
campaign
for
the
global
eradication
of
polio.
In
the
1980s,
Rotarians
raised
$240
million
to
immunize
the
children
of
the
world;
by
2005,
Rotary's
centenary
year
and
the
target
date
for
the
certification
of
a
polio-free
world,
the
PolioPlus
program
will
have
contributed
$500
million
to
this
cause.
In
addition,
Rotary
has
provided
an
army
of
volunteers
to
promote and assist at national immunization days in polio-endemic countries around the world.
WHAT IS THE ROTARY FOUNDATION?
The
Rotary
Foundation
of
Rotary
International
is
a
not-for-profit
corporation
that
promotes
world
understanding
through
international
humanitarian
service
programs
and
educational
and
cultural
exchanges.
It
is
supported
solely
by
voluntary
contributions
from
Rotarians
and
others
who
share
its
vision
of
a
better
world.
Since
1947,
the
Foundation
has
awarded
more
than
$1.1
billion
in
humanitarian
and
educational
grants,
which
are
initiated
and
administered by local Rotary clubs and districts.
HOW IS ROTARY ORGANIZED?
Rotary
is
organized
at
club,
district,
and
international
levels
to
carry
out
its
program
of
service.
Rotarians
are
members
of
their
clubs,
and
the
clubs
are
members
of
the
global
association
known
as
Rotary
International.
Each
club
elects
its
own
officers
and
enjoys
considerable
autonomy
within
the
framework of the standard constitution and the constitution and bylaws of Rotary International.
DOES ROTARY WORK WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS?
Throughout
its
history,
Rotary
International
has
collaborated
with
many
civic
and
humanitarian
organizations
as
well
as
government
agencies
in
its
efforts
to
improve
the
human
condition.
An
excellent
example
of
what
these
partnerships
can
accomplish
can
be
found
in
Rotary's
ambitious
PolioPlus
program.
Launched
in
1985
in
concert
with
the
World
Health
Organization,
the
US
Centers
for
Disease
Control
(CDC),
and
UNICEF,
Rotary's
goal
is
to
immunize
every
child
in
the
world
against
polio.
Rotary
brought
to
the
effort
millions
of
volunteers
to
assist
in
vaccine
delivery,
social
mobilization,
and
logistical help at the local, national, regional, and international levels.
WHERE DID "THE FOUR WAY TEST" COME FROM?
From
the
earliest
days
of
the
organization,
Rotarians
were
concerned
with
promoting
high
ethical
standards
in
their
professional
lives.
One
of
the
world's
most
widely
printed
and
quoted
statements
of
business
ethics
is
The
4-Way
Test,
which
was
created
in
1932
by
Rotarian
Herbert
J.
Taylor
(who
later
served
as
RI
president)
when
he
was
asked
to
take
charge
of
a
company
that
was
facing
bankruptcy.
This
24-word
code
of
ethics
for
employees
to
follow
in
their
business
and
professional
lives
became
the
guide
for
sales,
production,
advertising,
and
all
relations
with
dealers
and
customers,
and
the
survival
of
the company is credited to this simple philosophy.
WHAT IS ROTARY'S CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM?
Rotary
uses
a
classification
system
to
establish
and
maintain
a
vibrant
cross-section
or
representation
of
the
community's
business,
vocational,
and
professional
interests
among
members
and
to
develop
a
pool
of
resources
and
expertise
to
successfully
implement
service
projects.
This
system
is
based
on the founders' paradigm of choosing cross-representation of each business, profession, and institution within a community.
A
classification
describes
either
the
principal
business
or
the
professional
service
of
the
organization
that
the
Rotarian
works
for
or
the
Rotarian's
own
activity
within
the
organization.
Some
examples
of
classifications
include:
health
care
management,
banking,
pharmaceutical-retailing,
petroleum-
distribution, and insurance agency.
I'M INTERESTED IN JOINING, WHAT CAN I DO NOW?
If
you're
interested
in
joining
the
Rotary
Club
of
Silver
City,
tell
us
a
little
about
yourself
and
one
of
our
members
will
contact
you.
E-mail
us
at
i
nfo@silvercityrotary.org,
or call Sunny Yates at 575-534-2121. Or drop us a line at P.O. Box 867, Silver City, NM 88062.