Be More Visible

Rotary clubs are so much more than just another organization doing charity work. With the power of districts and Rotary International behind them, even the smallest club can do great work. Here are a few tips for helping your club build more visibility in your community:

• Keep your eyes and ears open for good stories.
  Potential Rotarians, community leaders and the media love a good story. That you raised $10,000 at your annual fundraiser is nice, but how is that money helping people? Who is being affected by those dollars on a day-to-day basis?In our club, we raise close to $30,000 a year that goes directly to high school scholarships for schools in our district. We award close to 20 scholarships a year. Pretty remarkable for a club of fewer than 50 people. But how do these scholarship dollars really make a difference in the lives of these kids? Find the stories and share them with your Public Relations Director. Come up with a way to tell the story to interested audiences.
• Be an ambassador.
  Wear your Rotary pin. As PDG Judi Beard-Strubing said at last week’s meeting, she’s referred at least a half-dozen people to Rotary clubs all over the country just because she wears her Rotary pin all the time.Get a bumper sticker. You never know who’s attention you might attract and you can talk about one the most successful public health campaigns in history.

• Start a blog!
  Blogs are a great way to get accurate, interesting info out about what your club is doing on a regular basis. Share it with people, leave comments and even offer to write an article or two. Our club uses Wordpress, but there are plenty of other free platforms and lots of clubs are blogging (just check out our list on the right).
• Take advantage of national and international observances.
  Give local media a local angle and increase your likelihood of getting some good coverage about your club’s activities. Some upcoming national and international observances:
  • September 8: International Literacy Day
  • October 2: International Day of Non-Violence
  • November15: Great American Smoke-Out
  • November 18 – 24: National Family Week
  • December 1: World AIDS Day
  • More International Days
  • More National Days (great resource if your club does something around a health issue)
• Other ideas? What has your club done that’s successful?