So, my Rotary club (totally not my idea, it belongs squarely to the current President and Membership chair) decided to take a page from the early days of Rotary. We hosted a community needs assessment. This was emphatically *not* a recruiting event, any gains from it in that regard is simply gravy. We did not want the participants to feel any pressure along those lines. We sent out along the order of 80 invites and got, in the end, 45 or so folks who showed up.` The invitations went out to a cross-section of the community - other service organizations, charities, government, academia, businesses large and small, and the schools. The intent was to have a guided discussion about the state of the community from many different perspectives, and where they thought we were headed, and what were seen as some unfilled gaps and opportunities. We had Rotarians as table captains to guide the discussion, and they were a cross section from the club - though I admit we focused on putting our younger members to the fore. It was a productive meeting, and there was a hunger for the discussion - especially one that didnt have a clear agenda it was aiming to reinforce - truly a discussion among interested citizens and entities, with Rotary as an honest broker. Yes, we intend to mine the data to gather ideas for our own projects, and to forge new partnerships, and to get a better awareness of Rotary and perhaps garner some members, too. But were doing it for everybody - we invited the Lions, Kiwanis, Knights of Columbus, American Legion, VFW, etc - all of whom can benefit from exposure - both to the community and to new ideas and perspectives. Clearly President Bryan and his committee have touched a nerve, and have generated some buzz and activity. Now to nurture it and build out from it! For all my fellow Rotarians in my friends list - Ill keep you apprised of how things progress, because if its a good idea for us - well, it may well be a good idea for you folks, too! Emily Randel Shawn Roberts
Posted on: Thu, 02 Oct 2014 18:00:48 +0000
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