| July 2007
To: 2007-08 District Rotary
Fellowships Chairs
Dear Rotarians:
Greetings from Evanston!
Congratulations on your appointment for 2007-08. We anticipate a
productive year for Rotary Fellowships and Rotarian Action
Groups and are depending on your leadership to promote and
strengthen these programs in your district. To support your
efforts, I am providing basic program information and materials
on Rotary Fellowships and Rotarian Action Groups, as well as the
expectations of your appointment.
Rotary Fellowships offer
Rotarians the opportunity to make friends with others in Rotary
who share a common vocation, hobby or recreational interest.
Rotarian Action Groups conduct international projects in a
particular area of service that enhance the Object of Rotary.
Collectively, they are known as Global Networking Groups. As of
1 July 2007, there are 98 active Global Networking Groups,
consisting of 84 Rotary Fellowships and 14 Rotarian Action
Groups. A complete listing of Global Networking Groups is
available on the RI Web site (www.rotary.org)
under RI Programs\Global Networking Groups. Copies of Rotary’s
policies for Rotary Fellowships and Rotarian Action Groups are
attached for your reference.
Global Networking Groups offer
unique opportunities for Rotarians to develop friendship and
international understanding, and to support the Object of
Rotary. As you facilitate communication between individual
fellowships or action groups and Rotary clubs, Rotarians will be
able to explore new opportunities for fellowship and service.
Rotarians who are involved in Global Networking Groups become
more active with Rotary beyond the club level, which has a
positive impact on membership retention. Simultaneously
enhancing Rotarians’ experience in Rotary and improving Rotary’s
capacity to serve the world, Global Networking Groups are truly
beneficial to everyone.
Attached you will find the
2007-08 District Rotary Fellowships Chair Directory, which will
be a valuable tool for developing contacts with your
counterparts around the world. Following are some suggested
ways of promoting Global Networking Groups at the district
level.
- Schedule club visits to
present information on Rotary Fellowships and Rotarian
Action Groups.
- Invite current
fellowship and action group members within the district
to attend your presentations.
- Communicate with
individual group chairs listed in the Official
Directory and the
Global Networking Groups Directory
to gather information on upcoming events and publicize
these in your district governor’s newsletter.
- Arrange for a
presentation during the district conference highlighting
Global Networking Group activities within the district
and obtain booth space to exhibit at the district
conference.
- Distribute the
Global Networking Groups Membership Inquiry Form
to Rotarians in your district and submit completed forms
to RI.
To assist you in your efforts,
please visit the
Global Networking Groups Download Center
on the RI Web site, where you will find the following useful
resources:
- The
Global Networking Groups Directory,
updated biannually, lists all of the current Rotary
Fellowships and Rotarian Action Groups and includes
brief descriptions of their purpose, as well as officer
contact information.
- The
Rotary Fellowships Handbook
(publication # 729) is a comprehensive guide that
provides information on the Rotary Fellowships program,
and detailed instructions on how to organize and operate
a Rotary Fellowship.
- The
Global Networking Groups Membership Inquiry Form
may be distributed to Rotarians interested in becoming
members in one or more Global Networking Groups.
Individuals may fill out the form and submit it to my
attention at RI World Headquarters, and I will
redistribute the forms to the groups’ respective
membership officers.
In addition to these resources,
I am attaching a PowerPoint presentation on Rotary Fellowships.
As other resources become available, they will be posted to the
RI Web site.
During the year, I encourage you
to contact the Rotary Fellowships Committee or the Rotarian
Action Groups Committee if you are in need of guidance. These
committees advise the Board on all aspects of Rotary Fellowships
and Rotarian Action Groups, respectively, and are particularly
instrumental in assisting groups with the process for applying
for official recognition. Contact lists for each committee are
attached for your convenience.
I will be serving as your staff
liaison in my capacity as Senior Coordinator in the Service
Support and Awards Department. If you have any questions please
feel free to contact me. On behalf of all the Global Networking
Groups, please accept my sincere thanks for helping demonstrate
how Rotary Shares
through friendship and service.
Sincerely,
Jesse Allerton
Senior Coordinator, Service Support
and Awards Department |
