Membership Information
The Rotary Club Of Evergreen, Colorado
Prospective Member Information
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This document was prepared to introduce prospective members to Rotary, in particular, to the Rotary Club of Evergreen, Co, USA. This is NOT an official Rotary document and has been patterned after similar ones shared by the Rotary Club of Northglenn, CO, USA and the Rotary Club of Egan, MN, USA.
The purpose of this Rotary information meeting is:
- Help give you, a proposed member, a bird’s eye view of Rotary.
- To let you know what you may expect of your membership.
- To let you know what our club will expect of you as a member.
- To answer any questions that you might have about Rotary in general and our club.
This packet contains some particular information on Rotary that you might find helpful:
- An International Organization
- Our Rotary Club
- How YOU were chosen
- Privileges of Membership
- Obligations of Membership
- Attendance Rules
- Rotary Club Objective
- Types of Membership
- Four-way Check
- Financial Commitment of Rotary Membership
- Rotary International Foundation
Rotary is an International Organization
Paul P. Harris, our founder, organized the first Rotary Club in Chicago in 1905. This club met in rotation at the offices of the members, thus the name Rotary. There are now more than 29,000 Rotary Clubs internationally with a total membership of over 1.2 million men and women.
Worldwide there are 527 districts in 159 countries. The free world is divided into territories known as Rotary Districts from which the clubs are associated. The Evergreen club is in district 5450, which is comprised of 51 clubs, spanning from N. Colorado to Parker, CO.
Total membership is over 3,000 Rotarians. A President governs Rotary International Organization with a Board of Directors elected from all over the world. Annually, each District elects a District Governor and each club elects its officers and directors.
Our Rotary Club
The Evergreen Rotary Foundation is a non-profit, charitable foundation incorporated for the purpose of collecting and administering donations and funds raised by and through the Club exclusively for charitable, religious, educational and scientific purposes. All donations made to the Foundation are tax deductible as provided by law.
How You Were Chosen
- A member of this Rotary Club sponsored your membership
- Our classification Committee verified your occupation and agreed:
- that you hold an important position in your firm
- that you are an outstanding leader in your vocation, and
- that the classification being loaned to you was open.
Privileges of Rotary Membership
Provides the privilege of friendship with leaders
- In your community, in neighboring cities, across the U.S.A., around the world
- The privilege of giving service to your community
- The privilege of developing international goodwill and understanding
- The privilege of helping build higher ethical standards within your vocation
Obligations of Rotary Membership
- Participation
To be a Rotarian you must give your time and talents to the following: - In community work
- In social functions
- In Club and District activities
- Attendance
100% attendance is urged and honored in Rotary. To achieve this goal: - attend each weekly meeting of our Club
- make up meetings you miss at another Rotary Club within 14 days before or after a missed meeting of our Club
- attend a District Institute, Assembly or Conference or a Rotary International Convention
Strive to attend 100% of our meetings AND stay for 100% of each meeting!
Each year we elect our officers and a five-member board of directors. These officers and directors conduct the general business of our Club. Our President, with the approval of the Board of Directors, make committee appointments based upon the four avenues of service; Club service, Community service, Vocational service and International service.
Each Rotarian is expected to participate in one of the avenues of service. These areas are further defined in the next section.
Attendance Rules
- Must be in attendance at least 60%of the time to receive credit.
- Must attend or make up at least 60% of the regular meetings of the club.
- Must attend at least 30% of the regular meetings of the club.
- Failure to attend or make up four consecutive meetings automatically terminates membership.
- Attendance percentages are calculated on a six month period ending December 31 and June 30.
Make up Meetings
The time for making up a missed meeting is any time two weeks prior or two weeks after the missed meeting. Doing any of the following can make them up:
- Attending at least 60% of the regular meetings of another club or provisional club.
- Attending, at the direction of the club, a regular meeting of a Rotaract or Interact club or provisional Rotoract or Interact club.
- Attending a Convention or Rotary International, or select International, Regional or District conference or assembly.
Rotary Club Objective
Our objective is based on the ideal that service is a worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage, foster and implement this within the four avenues of service listed below:
- Club Service: The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service.
- Community Service: The use of high ethical standards in business and professions, the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying, by each Rotarian, of their occupation as an opportunity to serve society.
- Vocational Service: The application of the ideal of service by every Rotarian to their occupation as an opportunity to serve society.
- International Service: The advancement of international understanding, goodwill and peace through a world of fellowship of business and professional people united in the ideal of service.
Club Service
The following areas of Club operation are directed toward the internal functioning of the Club to maintain its health and vigor.
- Attendance - Membership retention
- Classification - Program
- Club bulletin - Public Relations
- Fellowship activities - Treasurer
- Membership - Rotary information
- Membership development - Sergeant-at-Arms
Community Service
Promote a club effort to improve the quality of life within the community.
- Community development - Community projects
- Community grants - Environmental protection
Vocational Service
Adhere to and promote the highest ethical standards in all occupations. Recognize the worthiness to society in all reputable occupations. Contribution of one’s own talents to the problems and needs of society today.
- Career development - Vocational awareness
- Vocations in the workplace - Vocation awards
International Service
Promote efforts to advance understanding, goodwill and the quality of life throughout the world.
- International Youth Projects - The Rotary Foundation
- World Fellowship Activities - World Community Service
Types of Membership
There are four types of membership in a Rotary Club. They are outlined below:
- Active and Additional Active: Members selected for their leadership in the business or profession of which they are classified.
- Senior Active: Former active member who automatically becomes Senior Active in one of the following ways:
- Active in one or more Rotary Clubs for at least 15 years
- At least 60 years of age with at least 10 years active membership
- At least 65 years of age with 5 or more years of active membership
- Holding a present or past officer position of Rotary International
- Past Service: Members who have retired and have held active membership for at least three years but are not eligible for senior active status.
- Honorary: Non-voting members elected because of distinguished service in furthering Rotary as an organization. They must be re-elected annually for membership. Honorary membership follows the current board term and must be reinstated by the successor Board of Directors.
The Four-Way test of things we Think, Say, or Do
- Is it the TRUTH?
- Is it FAIR to all concerned?
- Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
- Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
Your Financial Commitment Of Rotary Membership (Invoiced quarterly)
- Initiation Fee - $100.00
- Quarterly Dues - $ 75.00
- Quarterly Breakfast Fees - $113.50
(approximately 13 @ $8.50 = $113.50) - Fines and Raffles (per week) - $1 - $5.00
- Social Events (estimated per year) - * $ 100.00
- Special Events - * $100 - $200
(Fund raising per year) - Rotary Foundation Annual Giving * $100.00
- Wines in the Woods – 2 tickets @ $45.00 ea * $ 90.00
(*) Indicates optional verses non-optional
You are provided a financial credit for make-up meetings. The Rotary fiscal year runs from July 1st through June 30th.
The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International
The goal of this foundation is to foster understanding and friendly relations among the world’s people by funding educational and humanitarian programs. Some of these are listed below:
- Ambassadorial scholarships
- Matching grants
- Group Study Exchange
- Health, hunger and humanitarian (3-H’s) grants
- Rotary grants for University teachers to serve in developing countries
- Grants for Rotary volunteers
- Polio Plus program
- Rotary Peace programs
(Several of these programs send scholars and volunteer workers abroad to study, learn about other cultures, offer assistance and promote goodwill within a host country.)
The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International is supported by the financial contributions of Rotarians throughout the world. Each member of the Rotary Club of Evergreen is encouraged to become and maintain a sustaining membership in the Rotary Foundation through an annual contribution of $100.
Once a Rotarian has contributed a $1,000 to the foundation they are made a Paul Harris Fellow in honor of the Rotary’s founder.
