The Philosophy Of Membership Growth – Nze Anizor

Rotary is about people. Stripped of every add – on, Rotary is essentially about people.

Service and every other fruit of the existence of our organization rest on the people. These people are Rotarians. Rotary is not an organization which renders service, and thus needs people as a tool for its service delivery. Rotary is an organization of people, who form bonds of friendship, and then render selfless service as a fruit of their fellowship. The people come before the service, and anything else we do.

Without the people, the organization will collapse. Therefore, care for the people must feature at the topmost level of the priorities of the organization. Each Rotarain is a prized asset, and should never be allowed to doubt that it is so.

A Rotary Club is like a seed. Although one is at liberty to leave a fertile seed imprisoned inside a closed jar, and attempt to nurture it, nature does not work that way. To get the most of that seed, we prepare the ground, plant it, and then nurture it. It is only then that it is able to yield fruits and replicate itself in many folds. The fear that the seed may not germinate should not stop a wise farmer from planting. His responsibility is to prepare the ground well enough to increase the likelihood of a sound harvest. Then, armed with faith and courage, he plants the seed, and nurtures it. Sometimes, the seed will die not long after germination. That is the way of life. Thus it is with organizing a new Rotary Club. We should never be so paralyzed by the fear that a new Rotary Club may die that we fail to start it. Like the wise farmer, our responsibility is to prepare the ground to the best of our ability. Then, armed with faith and courage, we apply for the charter of the new club. After the charter, we nurture. That is the natural order of life. We prepare the soil, plant, then we nurture. We cannot nurture a Rotary Club that has not been formed. We cannot nurture a Rotary Club which exists only in our minds.

If a new Rotary Club does not survive despite our best efforts at nurturing it, so be it. We move on, and plant even more seeds. We learn from whatever maladies that ended the life of the lost Club, and apply it in the planting of more new Clubs.

We must never be so afraid that a Rotary Club failed that we resign from forming new Cubs.

Despite the best efforts of the best doctors in the best hospitals, people die. Once in a while, a Rotary Club will die despite our best efforts. Life will go on, and the world which depends so much on our organisation for succour must continue to receive help.

As we ramp up our level of care for our members, and organize more new Rotary Clubs, our numbers shall significantly increase. As we admit more members to our existing clubs, and form new clubs, we open more doors of opportunities for a world in search of a direction to finds it’s way home. Then our impact, reach, adaptability, and engagement shall be vastly enhanced.

Only then shall we, individually and collectively, attain the worthy goals of our organization, achieve its vision, and fulfil its mission.

Rotary Opens Opportunities!

• PDG Nze Anizor
  District 9141