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Rotary
International
Rotary International President 2011/2012
Kalyan Banerjee
Monthly messages
August 2011
My dear brothers and sisters in Rotary,
There is an old saying in India: “When you help your neighbor’s boat across
the water, you find that your own has reached the shore.” By helping others,
we often find that we have helped ourselves as well.
Each of us came to Rotary to serve – and found the joys
and satisfactions of friendship and fellowship. In August, the month we dedicate
to membership and development, we focus on spreading the message of Rotary. By
serving well, without hiding our Rotary light under the proverbial bushel, we
find ourselves closer to our own goal: a stronger, more vibrant Rotary for
generations to come.
Public image and membership go hand in hand. Too many
people – intelligent, educated, involved people – simply have no idea what
Rotary is. This is something we need to confront. We have heard again and again
about communities where, despite all the good work that Rotary clubs do, many
people are unaware that those clubs even exist. This is not the way forward for
our organization.
Serving well is the essential first step – but it is
only the beginning. We have to raise our profile with all the tools that are
available to us, and there are more tools today than there ever were. We have to
use social media such as Twitter and Facebook, and we have to be sure our clubs
have an online presence. Having a website is not enough; it must be up to date,
it must be appealing, it must reflect the work we are doing. And it must offer a
way for prospective members, once they see what we do and become interested, to
take the next step.
Rotary has so much to offer. It is up to us to let others know what a
fantastic organization we have, and to show people how they can integrate Rotary
into their lives. Service does require time, and time is something nobody has
enough of these days. So we need to ensure that all the time we spend with
Rotary is worthwhile – that it is rewarding and never wasted. When we reach
within ourselves and our clubs, when we learn what we are capable of and harness
that power, we will elevate our communities as never before – and elevate
Rotary as well.
Kalyan Banerjee
President, Rotary International
July 2011
My dear brothers and sisters in Rotary!
All of us in Rotary are looking to change the world – why else would we be
Rotarians? We believe that our world can be happier, healthier, and more
peaceful, and that we can create that better world through our service.
In 2011-12, I will ask Rotarians to Reach Within to Embrace Humanity .
I will ask you to search first within yourselves, to understand that all of us,
everywhere, have the same dreams, the same hopes, the same aspirations, and
similar dilemmas. When we understand, and truly feel, that others’ needs are
the same as our own, we begin to understand how important our work is. In the
year ahead, we will have three emphases in our Rotary service.
Our first emphasis in this Rotary year will be the family. The family and the
home are at the core of all our work – all our service begins here. And
through the family, we approach all of our community and indeed, all of
humanity, as an extended family, in which all members care for each other. In
times of joy and in times of need, no one is ever alone.
Our second emphasis will be continuity – finding the things we do well and
taking them to the next level. We must build on our successes, expand on them,
and strive to do even more. Of course, our greatest obligation is to PolioPlus,
where success is now so close.
And our third emphasis will be change. We must understand that true change
can only begin with each of us, and start within us. We cannot share peace with
others if we do not have it to give. We cannot look after the whole world
without first looking after those closest to us: our families, our clubs, and
our communities.
Mohandas K. Gandhi said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the
world.” In Rotary, we endeavor to live ethically and honestly, to share
friendship and fellowship, to see equal worth in every human being. We are not
interested in the lowest common denominator, for Rotary is anything but common.
Instead, we work to elevate ourselves, elevate others, and thereby embrace the
world.
Together, we will Reach Within to Embrace Humanity . And in peace,
harmony, and friendship, we will bring change – and a more joyful world.
Kalyan Banerjee
President, Rotary International
Governance
Rotary is a grassroots
organization, and most of its humanitarian efforts are carried out at the club
level. The district and international structure is designed to support the clubs
and help them increase service efforts in their communities and abroad.
The Rotary year begins 1 July. At this time, the new Rl president and a new
Rotary Foundation trustee chair begin their one-year terms.
The RI president’s monthly
message
April 2011
Something old, something new
Most Rotarians know that for several decades, Rotary has operated with four
Avenues of Service: namely Club Service, Vocational Service, Community Service,
and International Service. But an unusual thing happened at the 2010 Council on
Legislation! The proposed enactment to add a fifth Avenue of Service was
approved by the Council after being rejected at previous Councils.
The new avenue is called New Generations Service, and there is some confusion
and concern about the impact of the change. The proposer of the enactment did
not file a statement of support, and therefore, we do not have a written
statement of the proposer’s rationale. However, it seems to me that the
purpose and effect is to focus more attention on the Rotary programs for youth
and young adults.
Rotary’s programs of Interact, RYLA, Rotaract, and Rotary Youth Exchange
are some of the best in the world for young people. However, they have been
divided between Community Service and International Service at the club level
and district level, which has made it more difficult for them to be coordinated.
The change to five Avenues of Service will provide a single director or
coordinator for each club and each district to supervise and promote the Rotary
programs for young people.
Our work with youth and young adults has two salutary benefits. First, the
favorable influence on the participants by their exposure to the core values of
Rotary, which are fellowship, service, integrity, diversity, and leadership.
Second, the positive memory of Rotary that often causes the participants to join
Rotary clubs later in their lives. We need to do a better job of recruiting the
participants into Rotary membership, and we are working on plans to record the
names and e-mail addresses of the participants to stay in touch with them as
they leave the youth and young adult programs.
So in reality, the 2010 Council on Legislation did not create any new
programs. But adding the fifth Avenue of Service will facilitate our quest to
make the youth and young adult programs even Bigger, Better, and Bolder in the
future – and to recruit even more of the participants into Rotary membership.
The perfect example of a win-win situation!
Ray Klinginsmith
President, Rotary International
March 2011
Keep it simple
When I first joined Rotary in 1961, I often heard Rotary leaders say “Keep
Rotary Simple.” In fact, that phrase was part of the RI theme in 1956-57!
However, as Rotary has grown in both the number of members and the number of
programs during the last 50 years, simplicity has become more difficult.
The revised RI Strategic Plan for 2010-13 is a refreshingly simple approach
to keeping Rotary strong and vibrant in the future. The three priorities of the
plan are clear and brief statements calling us to (1) support and strengthen our
clubs, (2) focus and increase our humanitarian service, and (3) enhance our
public image and awareness.
It is a true strategic plan because each of the three priorities has a list
of measurable goals, and in turn, there is a scorecard to track progress of all
the goals. We are realigning the RI budget to reflect the new priorities, and we
are trying to balance the priorities in all RI activities. Even the breakout
sessions at the 2011 convention in New Orleans will be balanced between the
three priorities. The new plan with the simply stated priorities will not be
left to merely gather dust on an office shelf!
Please note the interdependence of the three priorities. We have recognized
for many years that Rotary cannot provide exemplary service projects without
strong clubs and that clubs cannot recruit and retain high-quality members
without significant service projects. The third priority now recognizes that in
the modern world, Rotary needs the support of our communities, of partner
organizations, and sometimes of governments, to conduct larger service projects,
which in turn build stronger clubs.
Rotary is now on the world stage due to PolioPlus. But we are still a
grassroots organization, and our strength is dependent on the health of our
clubs. The three priorities of the strategic plan remind us that the success of
Rotary is based on a simple formula of strong clubs, significant service
projects, and a favorable public image. Thanks to Paul Harris and other Rotary
pioneers, it is a simple formula that produces extraordinary results – and a
better world!
RI President
Ray Klinginsmith
February 2011
Rotary DNA
This Rotary year features a culture of
innovation in which we are looking at all aspects of our policies, practices,
and procedures to see if they can be modernized and improved. Not surprisingly
for an old and large organization like ours, we are identifying many areas that
could, and should, be brought up to date.
But at the same time, I fully recognize that some things
are so significant in Rotary’s success that they are sacrosanct. They are
referred to in the RI Strategic Plan as our core values, but I prefer to call
them our DNA. They are the characteristics that distinguish Rotary from all
other organizations. They are the essence of who Rotarians are and what
Rotarians have in common around the world.
The five core values named in the RI Strategic Plan are
fellowship, service, integrity, diversity, and leadership. Young people prefer
the word networking to our traditional word of fellowship, but to
me they are equivalent. Both words lead to lasting friendships in our clubs,
which keep us together between projects and which make Rotary membership truly
priceless. Friendship is clearly the most essential element of Rotary’s DNA!
Rotarians should not worry that the current emphasis on
modernization will damage our core values. That would be alien to Cowboy Logic,
which includes the admonitions “Remember that some things are not for sale”
and “Know where to draw the line.” I want to assure Rotarians that we will
not alter the values and attitudes that have made Rotary a premier organization
– one that is now on the world stage through PolioPlus!
We have so much to be proud of as Rotarians. This is our finest hour, and our
best days are still ahead as we help our clubs to be Bigger, Better, and Bolder.
Along with our five core values, persistent progress is another prestigious part
of Rotary’s DNA!
Ray Klinginsmith
President, Rotary International
January 2011
Test time!
We are at the halfway point in this Rotary year,
and now is the time to test the strengths and weaknesses of our clubs. Perhaps a
strange idea for some Rotarians, but how else will we learn how the activities
and programs of our respective clubs match up to those of other clubs in our
districts – and around the world? Therefore, I encourage all Rotarians – not
only the club officers – to become involved in evaluating their clubs during
the month of January.
The Presidential
Citation program for 2010-11 has been designed as a score sheet for all the
Avenues of Service. It also is a checklist for many of the activities and
programs conducted by most clubs. Club presidents are required to complete the
score sheets and submit them to their district governors by 31 March 2011 for
their clubs to be eligible for the Presidential Citation awards. The scores
should be shared with all club members either as written reports or as
presentations at club meetings.
Starting work on the Presidential Citation test in
January will provide an opportunity to correct any discovered deficiencies in
club activities before the submission deadline of 31 March. It also will cause
the club leaders to notice that a new Presidential Citation with Distinction
award is available this year for clubs with a good balance of activities in all
Avenues of Service.
This year I am recommending that all clubs review their practices and
procedures to see if they are truly best practices or merely traditional
practices. Annual evaluations of our clubs are certainly best practices, and
more Rotarians than usual need to be involved in the evaluations for their
clubs. The Presidential Citation score sheets are a good place to start the
process. How else will we know if our clubs really are becoming Bigger, Better,
and Bolder?
RI President
Ray Klinginsmith
December 2010
Cowboy logic
I have adopted “Cowboy Logic” as my theme song for two reasons. The first is
its happy music that reflects the warm and positive atmosphere of Rotary club
meetings around the world. The second is the common sense and simple approach
expressed in its lyrics.
Fifty years ago, I often heard the expression “Keep Rotary simple.” That
admonition has been lost in the intervening years, and I want to remind
Rotarians that the basic concept of Rotary service is simple. Club members, who
are community leaders, learn to know and respect one another through their
weekly meetings, which create friendship, fellowship, and networking. When a
community need is identified, the club members find they have an amazing ability
to fill the need because they have the leading business and professional leaders
in the community as their members, and they know how to get things done!
The same simple approach works for club service, vocational service, and New
Generations service projects. Rotary clubs have the talent to assess and
prioritize the needs of their communities. They also have the expertise and
resources to address the needs, if the clubs keep their members informed and
motivated. The communications within the club must be simple – and frequent!
Perhaps it is in international service that the simplicity of Rotary is most
evident. Rotarians learn that their fellow club members are trustworthy, and as
they meet Rotarians from other countries, they realize they are similarly
trustworthy. As a result, Rotary friends from faraway places are easily made and
kept, and the resulting cooperation between clubs for international service
projects is truly astounding!
The “Cowboy Logic” song says that cowboys have a simple solution for just
about everything. So do Rotarians! It is called the spirit of Rotary, and its
hallmarks are fellowship and service. Together, we can make the world a better
place by making our clubs Bigger, Better, and Bolder. So let’s do it! That’s
cowboy logic!
RI President
Ray Klinginsmith
Visit www.rotary.org
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