Alistair Robb, District Governor

Club members welcomed District Governor Alistair Robb who talked about the organisation’s declining membership nationally and what steps clubs could take to reverse the trend.

Alistair said clubs should think about operating innovately, improving their public image and communicate better.

In District 1010 covering Fife northwards, there were 88 clubs and a total of 2468 Rotarians at the start of this year, a drop of nearly 340 members since 2015.

However, Alistair praised the Kilrymont club for increasing its membership by over 18% to 38 in the same period.

Boosting membership in existing traditional clubs, which often meet weekly with a meal and guest speaker, could be achieved by introducing some flexibility on meeting times and format. Clubs could have a mixture of face-to-face and Zoom meetings.

Another solution could be the formation of e-clubs that meet online.

Alistair highlighted that clubs being seen active in the community was a great way of attracting new members. Working on environmental projects could involve Rotarians, family members and interested groups.

Alistair also said there was an issue of retention of newer members and clubs should place a greater emphasis on mentoring new Rotarians.

President Jim Allison proposed a vote of thanks saying Alistair had given the club much food for thought on how the club could grow its membership.

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