From "DR DG Erna"
Rotary Club Alert! You may have NACS*!
*(Need-Another-Club Syndrome)
Getting crowded? See more service to be done in your community?
Think about Exxxtttteeeeennnnnssssiiiooonnnn!
. . . because August isn't just Membership Month, it's Membership AND Extension month. In Rotary, "extension" means "extending" Rotary into a place where community service and Rotary fellowship can be expanded. In other words, starting another club in your community or nearby. As many a sponsoring Rotary Club can tell you, it is one of the most rewarding and long-lasting things we can do.
Take this quick quiz to see if you have symptoms of NACS!
Each "Yes" answer earns a point.
- Are you almost reluctant to grow, because you are tight on meeting space?
- Is yours a long-established lunch club; and could a breakfast club in your community expand Rotary service, attract younger members, and provide a partner for community projects?
- Could you do more service if you had more members, but prospective members are joining other local clubs instead of Rotary?
- Do some of your current members live or work in a community nearby; and does that community have schools, neighborhoods, youth organizations and people who could benefit from Rotary service projects?
- Is your club meeting time and place not workable for many prospective members?
- If you are a lunch club, do many qualified prospective members live in your community but work elsewhere, thus making a morning or evening meeting more attractive?
- Have you contemplated a new club in the past, but didn't feel the time was right?
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Score
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Diagnosis
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Prescription
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0
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Whew! No NACS.
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Continue growing. For further progress, call two good prospective members right now, and invite them to a Rotary meeting.
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1 - 3
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You have NACS.
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Follow the prescription above, and the one below.
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4 +
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Acute NACS!
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This is urgent. Hurry! Contact District Extension Chairperson Mike Merrill, mpmerr@majlaw.com, 838-4549, to learn more about exxxtttttennnnddding Rotary service in your community.
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Small cities often have more than one Rotary Club, and that's been good for those communities. Sebastopol, Fortuna, Crescent City and Arcata are good examples. Petaluma and Eureka have 3 each, even though they are not high population centers.
What's the downside?
You might think that starting a second club could detract from a Rotary Club's success, but the opposite has proven true. Petaluma Valley, for example, sponsored Petaluma Sunrise in 2001; PV saw a dip in membership that year but quickly recovered and is now larger than before 2001! In so many cases, the net result is that Rotary is stronger within a community because of that extra presence.
The downside of not having a second club is that other worthy community groups spring forward to provide venues for those who wish to serve. Why not give the leaders in your community, whether they work or live there, the option of a second or third Rotary Club?
In a way, we can hope that if we don't have NACS now, we might do well to eventually catch it!
Have a great August!
Dr. DG Erna
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