Important Note: Deadline for district newsletter submissions is the 25th of each month. The newsletter will be distributed by the first full week of the month.
District Governor's Message
District Goals for 2009-2010
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Dean Dickinson |
Dear Rotarians,
It is an honor for me to have been chosen to serve Rotary District 6250 as your District Governor. I underscore you so that you understand, that I understand, that the office belongs to you… as this district, which is your district, belongs to you. My service in the office has only one purpose and that is to assist you, both individually and as clubs, to achieve your goals in club, vocational, community and world service. The authority of the District Governor comes from Rotary International but the empowerment of the District Governor will come from you when you ask me to help you, and your club, in advancing the mission of Rotary which is world understanding, goodwill and peace. I am here to serve you.
I am anticipating a great year for District 6250 during the coming Rotary year. The Assistant Governors are highly qualified, well informed, Rotarians who are motivated to assist the leadership of the clubs in achieving their goals. This year another level of support for our clubs has been created. Area Foundation Coordinators, Area Membership Coordinators and Area GSE Coordinators have been established in each of five geographic areas of our district. These folks are a support resource that will work with the clubs in their respective Areas.
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District Governor Dean Dickinson with Rotary International President John Kenny |
Our district goals parallel those of the Rotary International President, John Kenny but in other respects are unique to the needs and aspirations of our district.
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We will form one new Rotary Club in the District in 2009-2010
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We will recruit one new member (net) per Rotary Club while giving special emphasis to membership retention
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We will continue our support of the Polio-Plus Campaign so that our annual support exceeds $20 per member or $1000 per club
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Over half of the clubs in the district will achieve the Presidential Citation
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Our clubs will each provide a club foundation chair who will assist the District in achieving an EREY goal of $330,000 in Annual Programs Support
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Our clubs will provide a club program each month consistent with the Rotary theme for the month
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We will enjoy district wide participation in “Rotarians at Work” day thereby demonstrating to our respective communities that Rotarians live out the motto, “Service Above Self”
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We will have fun with the District Rotary Traveling Bell recognizing the unifying effect it will have as our clubs enjoy fellowship together.
I hope that in the striving to achieve these district goals we will come to appreciate and understand that we belong to the greatest service organization in the world and that in our Rotary experience we can say with a certainty that we are making a difference in the world.
Yours in Rotary,
Dean Dickinson
District Governor
Rotary District 6250
District News, Events and Announcements
District to Offer Club Vision Planning
District 6250 will be offering clubs in our district the opportunity to go through a club vision planning process. Rotary International has endorsed a process called Club Visioning created by Steve Wilcox, a successful businessman who wanted to bring his business planning experience to help Rotary Clubs function more effectively. Clubs in other districts where this service is being offered have found it to be extremely helpful.
The first step is to create a pool of trained vision facilitators and this training date has been set for October 24, 2009 in Wisconsin Dells. The training is limited to 30 Rotarians. Once the training is completed, any club in the district can ask to participate in a Club Vision Planning event. A team of four trained facilitators will then work with that club.
Trained facilitators that become part of District 6250's Club Vision Team will assist clubs in identifying their own vision, mission, and values as a club. The Club Vision Team walks clubs through a planning process that prepares the club for greater, more effective service as Rotarians. Training as a vision facilitator will not only help you lead clubs through the planning process, but it will also have application in your own business or other community organizations.
One can pay a lot of money for this kind of training in the business setting, but our district will cover the cost for all those selected for training. It is expected that if you are trained, that you will be willing to participate as part of a four-member vision facilitation team for interested clubs in our district. Because 30 vision facilitators will be trained and work in teams of four, this will not require more than 15 hours of any one person’s time in the course of a year. Clubs that choose to participate in a Club Vision Planning will host that event, which is only four hours long. Club Vision Planning events will not begin before January, 2010.
This is a call to those who may be interested in being trained to serve as a Club VisionFacilitator. The training will take place on Saturday, October 24 th in Wisconsin Dells and will last approximately six hours. Training will be conducted by internationally recognized and certified trainers from the International Vision Facilitation Committee of Rotary International. This program has proven effective as a method for strengthening clubs and growing membership.
The District Club Visioning Committee is chaired by DGN Chuck Hanson. Members of this committee include DGE Kristin Duckart, PDG Hal Keitel, Darla Leick, and Tom Mickelson. If you have any questions, please contact any member of the committee.
Interested Rotarians within District 6250 are encouraged to apply for this training by completing the Club Vision Facilitator Application. You can find the Application by clicking here. Completed applications should be sent by e-mail to rotarydistrict6250@morgandata.com or faxed to Morgan Data at (608) 204-9818 no later than August 31, 2009. Selection for this training will be announced by September 17, 2009.
West Africa Polio Eradication Program Trip Planned for November 2009
Dear Fellow Rotarians:
We are pleased to announce the 2009 trip to the West Africa Project Fair and to participate in
As a result, the current polio immunization strategy is to provide much more tactical immunization responses to polio outbreaks, making it almost impossible to predict when and where further immunization efforts will be held. This trip may be one of the last times you can participate in a polio eradication program before the disease is gone.
One of the legacies of the polio eradication effort in
From November 4–11, 2009, Rotarians will travel to
Attached to this correspondence is a detailed folder describing the trip to
Trip Dates: November, 4 -11, 2009
Travel to:
Program includes: Hotel accommodations, transfers, most meals, hands-on polio eradication field work, visits to local communities to experience and explore Rotarian humanitarian programs, West Africa Project Fair registration, special
In addition to polio eradication, participants will spend time with Benin Rotarians to explore their communities and see the service and experience fellowship that only
We invite you to join us for this program. Further, we encourage you to announce this program to other people in your clubs, districts or Zones, please take immediate action. Because of limited space, we expect this program will sell out in the next few weeks. Once the program is sold out, we expect it will be very hard to get additional reservations.
Let me know if you have any questions. I hope that you will join fellow Rotarians to provide service, fellowship and a wonderful highlight of your
Best regards for a successful
Foundation and Membership Seminar - November 7, 2009
Save this important date:
Foundation and Membership Seminar - November 7, 2009
Wilderness Territory – Glacier Canyon Lodge Conference Center
45 Hillman Road, Wisconsin Dells, WI
800-867-9453
Saturday, November 7, 2009
8:00am -3:00 pm
Get energized about the work of The Rotary Foundation!!
Charge up your club’s membership growth efforts! Theme “25-45-Facebook-Retention”
Draft your next grant in support of your club’s local or international projects.
Train your club’s Membership Chair and Rotary Foundation Chair.
Develop a club plan to raise funds for The Rotary Foundation.
Develop a plan to recruit/retain the 25-45 year old age group- Use Facebook if appropriate.
Send as many club members as you want-FREE of CHARGE
Your District Membership and Foundation teams are planning a dynamite seminar for your edification and enjoyment.
For more information contact:
- Tom Mickelson, District Membership Chair, 608-516-9414, mickelson@gdinet.com
- Mary Kessens, District Foundation Chair, 608-516-1306, Kessens@gdinet.com
District Speaker List Available
In the District Website you will find under District Information, left side of the website, a listing for a District Speakers List. Click on it and you will be informed that it is under construction. If you have a particular topic, Rotary or Rotary related, that you would be willing to talk about, do a presentation for a club program, why not get on the Speakers List? What better way to serve your fellow Rotarians in the district than to share your expertise and/or an interesting program with them. Be in touch with the office or with DG Dean Dickinson directly to be included on the list.
Matching Grants Need Early Approval This Rotary Year
Four matching grants using our Rotary Foundation District Designated Fund (DDF) have been approved by the District Grants Committee already in July 2009.
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Van and transportation funds for the Desert Rose Shelter for Girls in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia is a joint project of several clubs including Ottawa Sunrise, Canada, Beaver Dam, WI and ByanZurkh, Mongolia
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Water distribution system in the Sivingani Community in Bolivia sponsored by Rotary Club of Cochabamba Tunari, Bolivia and Rotary Club of Chippewa Falls.
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Purchase and support for adaptive technologies for children and adults with disabilities in seven cities in Argentina. This is a joint project of the Rotary Club of La Crosse and the Rotary Club de Los Polvorines, Argentina. This project is a result of our 2008 Group Study Exchange with Argentina.
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Water distribution system in Guatemala that is a joint project of several Madison area clubs and a club in Guatemala.
These grants have been forwarded to The Rotary Foundation for review and approval. It is important that clubs who are involved in the development of international matching grants submit their applications as soon as possilbe for consideration at the district level. World Fund monies from The Rotary Foundation are expected to be fully utilized in a few months. Delays in submitting grant applications could cause a delay in funding or acceptance by The Rotary Foundation.
Networking for Rotarians
MEMBERSHIP - FELLOWSHIP - RETENTION -
You are encouraged to take advantage of another networking opportunity related to Rotary. Many of you already have a "facebook" page and are familiar with this popular social networking site. What you may not know is that Rotary International (www.rotary.org/social networking) continues to explore the use of such networking tools as facebook, twitter, Linkin, and YouTube to help Rotarians enjoy a contemporary level of fellowship that may also be attractive to young people in the 25-45 year old age group. For those of you who have yet to try facebook, you might be surprised by how easy it is! Here is what you need to do.
First, create your own facebook account (its FREE). To do this, simply visit www.facebook.com, supply your e-mail address, and a password. Once you have created an account, you will be asked to set your preferences - more on that later.
For those of you that might be reluctant to sign up for anything like facebook that could potentially reveal personal information about yourself, you should know that when you create your account and set your preferences, you can choose how much (or how little) information about yourself you choose to share. You can also limit access to some of your information to those individuals you have identified as "friends".
With all of the buzz-words and social networking opportunities we hear about these days - facebook, LinedIn, Wikis, Blogs, Podcasts, Twitter, etc. - it is easy to discount this as just another fad (one of the reasons you need to take a measured approach to adopting this in Rotary). However, facebook appears to have some staying power, and is being used by other non-profits and organizations around the country. Furthermore, members of the Rotary Club of Madison-West Towne-Middleton recently began using it and it appears to be working well for those that choose to use it. So, GO FOR IT!! BE ON THE CUTTING EDGE. It’s time to promote facebook in District 6250 and to all Rotary Clubs in District 6250.
I encourage you to give it a try. Sign up, join a group, and see how it goes for a couple of months. If you don't like it, you can always ignore it or delete your facebook account. You might be surprised at how this allows you to connect with members of your Rotary Club, the wonderful Rotarians in the District you have met when attending District 6250 events, and new connections you can make with Rotarians serving in leadership roles and committees within your local Rotary Club, within District 6250 and those wonderful Rotarians you have met at international workshops and conventions. As always, let us know if you have questions or concerns. I would be interested in your feedback on this networking opportunity and I’d like to be “your friend.”
Submitted by
Tom Mickelson, Chair
District 6250 Membership Development and Retention Committee
Rotary Club of Madison-West Towne-Middleton
608-516-9414 or mickelson@gdinet.com
Club News, Events and Announcements
Do you have an upcoming Club Event or accomplishment that you would like to announce? Send your pre-written article to: rotarydistrict6250@morgandata.com.
Journey to Montreal in 2010 with Menomonie Club
The Rotary Club of Menomonie’s Travel Group would like to invite you to join them on their travel adventure to the Montreal for the Rotary International Convention in 2010. Plans are to travel to Montreal June 20, 2010 to attend the Convention, which runs through Wednesday evening, June 23. Spend the next two days resting from the Convention or touring Montreal. Hotel accommodations are for six nights at the Fairmont. On Saturday June 26 board the ms Maasdam , a Holland America Line ship for a 7 day cruise ending in Boston. Ports of call are:
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Quebec
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Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
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Sydney, Nova Scotia
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Bar Harbor, Maine
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Boston
If you’re interested, please contact Sandy Ott at sandyleo@wwt.net ASAP.
Rotarians at Work
Our clubs are being asked to identify a community service project that they can complete on the first Saturday in May, 2010. The purpose is fivefold.
In the first place it fulfills our responsibility to do community service. Secondly, it provides the opportunity for our members to roll up their sleeves and work together in common cause. Thirdly, it will raise awareness of Rotary in your community and around the district and in the fourth place, it could very well lend itself to your club being approached by someone interested in membership in your club. In the fifth place, over the noon hour, have a fellowship with burgers or brats or whatever your club does best…
The first 500 Rotarians to sign up will receive a “Rotarians at Work” t-shirt. Sandy Ott, immediate past assistant governor and a member of the Menomonie Rotary Club is chairing this event. You can expect to be hearing from her.
A posting of clubs that are participating can be found on the Club Projects & News page of the District Website. Prairie du Chien has already posted… let’s see how many of our clubs use this opportunity for service and fellowship and fun!!
Member Clubs Calendar
There is in our District website, at the top, a listing for “Member Clubs”. Within that listing there is a club calendar. The clubs of the district are invited to post into the calendar those events that might be of interest to other Rotarians in the district. Are you doing a fundraiser? How about a golf outing? Maybe your club is observing a chartering day event.
You can post these events by sending an e-mail to rotarydistrict6250@morgandata.com along with contact information.
Rotary Credit Card Program
Start the new Rotary year off by earning $50 for your club. Since its inception, the Rotary credit card program has generated more than US $6.5 million in royalties benefiting The Rotary Foundation. Currently, every dollar earned goes toward our US$ 200 million polio challenge grant obligation. The no annual fee Rotary credit card offers a rich rewards program that pays one WorldPoint for every dollar spent. These points are redeemable for free travel, merchandise, or up to 1% cash back. This is the only credit card that supports the Rotary Foundation every time you pay a bill, while also providing a points program equal to anything in the market.
If you have not already, shortly you will receive a mailing paid for by our card partner, Bank of America. Inside you will find seven paper applications that read " Earn $25 for your Club". Each time a member is approved for the card and, within the first 90 days makes a purchase of more than $75 , Bank of America will send the cardholder a check for $25 payable to The Rotary Club. Your club can use this money for any purpose. Bank of America will pay $50 for all applications made on their secure application site that is housed on the RI web site. You can email the application link to your club members and the club will earn $50 for each approved and activated new account.
More information on the program as well as applications can be found at these links
http://www.rotary.org/en/Pages/apply_us.aspx
https://wwwa.applyonlinenow.com/USCCapp/Ctl/entry?directMail=true&sc=UAARK9
The $25 or $50 is paid for applications on the Rotary MasterCard. I carry both the Rotary MasterCard and Rotary American Express card, using the American Express for international travel, as I believe it offers the most competitive exchange rates.
Please contact me directly with any questions or concerns about this program. I wish you all the best in your year as Club President. I remember mine fondly as one of the most rewarding of my life.
Yours in Rotary,
Robert S. Mintz
Club President Denver Cherry Creek Rotary 1996-97
The Bell Travels the District as District Governor Makes Visits
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The Rotary District Traveling Bell has made its way from Reedsburg, to DeForest to Sun Prairie.
True to his word, DG Dean Dickinson wrote checks for $100 to the Rotary Foundation in the name of both Reedsburg and De Forest as the bell was there when he made his club visit and while Sun Prairie captured the bell after the visit of the District Governor they still had fun in visiting with their fellow Rotarians at DeForest.
One significant change has occurred in the rules and that has to do with the timing in the notifying of the hosting club that your club intends to visit and capture the bell. No longer is it required that you “must notify the hosting club not less than 7 days in advance or more than 10 days in advance”. The determining factor will be whether the hosting club can arrange for food for the visitors. That decision will fall to the hosting club secretary. Please make the call during normal business hours.
Click here for more information on the Traveling Bell.
Membership Tips - Tensions in Rotary Membership Circles
Here is a quote from a famous Rotarian:
"In the end, I believe that the best way to bring in new members into Rotary is the way it has been done for generations: One member invites a "carefully" (my quotes) chosen friend, client, or colleague to a meeting and, if the match is a good one, proposes that individual for membership. This is the way that our clubs remain harmonious; it is the way that new clubs become old clubs and new members become Rotarians for life” – John Kenny - Rotary International President
Here is a quote from a not-so-famous Rotarian:
“In the end, I believe the entire families of numerous future Rotarians should be invited to "membership events" (not weekly club meeting) sponsored by the local Rotary Club. The club must provide certified child care for the events and with a focus on 1) the good works Rotary does locally, nationally and internationally; 2) social networking and business development and 3) family activities within the club.” – Guess who?
Project 25-45
In the coming months, the Membership Development and Retention Committee of the District 6250 would like you to focus on recruiting young professionals in your area ranging from 25-45 years of age. Gather together current Rotarians in this age group in your club. Plan and carry out a series of new membership activities and events (away from the weekly meetings). Young members of your club could invite numerous young families that are already their friends. Provide child care whenever possible. Enjoy the simple meal, the casual atmosphere, the fellowship and the social and business development networking opportunities these events provide.
Keep in mind that this age group of potential Rotarians naturally embrace what Rotary stands for – “Rotary saves lives, transforms lives, reclaims lives; Rotary is dedicated to helping families worldwide have meaningful lives.” Rotary is ALREADY RELEVANT TO THIS AGE GROUP. Rotary needs to be ACCESSIBLE to this age group. Get your club’s message out using new membership events, facebook and LinkedIn. As always, let us know if you have questions or concerns. We’d be interested in your feedback on this approach to new membership development. And remember, I’d like to be your “friend” on facebook!!
Submitted by:
Tom Mickelson, Chair
Rotary District 6250 Membership Development and Retention Committee
608-516-9414 or mickelson@gdinet.com
RI News
Member Access to RI Website
Do you have questions about what you can find on the Rotary International website and how you go about getting access. Check out this fact sheet with Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the RI site.
Update on Annual Giving
Paul Harris Fellowship Changes Effective July 1, 2009
At its April, 2009 meeting, the Rotary Foundation Board of Trustees made the following decisions that will impact Paul Harris Fellowship recipients. These include:
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Foundation Recognition Points (FRPs) may only be transferred for transactions of 100 points or more;
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Individual Foundation Recognition Points will expire upon death of the donor or the death of the surviving spouse of a Major Donor (US$10,000+);
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The individual donor will be the only person authorized to transfer Foundation Recognition Points. If it is a club account and then only the Club President may authorize the transfer of points; if it is a district account then the district governor may authorize the transfer of points;
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Paul Harris Fellow Medallions will be available for purchase from Rotary’s Distribution Center or International Office at a cost of US$15 each (includes shipping). PHF certificates and PHF lapel pins will still be provided gratis by The Rotary Foundation.
Since the subject of Foundation Recognition Points is oftentimes difficult to understand, a fact sheet has been created. It may be viewed here. For additional information, please contact David Warren, Annual Programs Chair at dave@davesace.com.
Update on Changes Made to Foundation Grants and Humanitarian Grants
The following update regarding Rotary Foundation Matching Grants was received in July. If you have further questions, please contact District 6250 Foundation Committee Chair, Mary Kessens at Kessens@gdinet.com or 608-516-1306.
Dear District Leaders,
Greetings from Evanston! On behalf of all the Humanitarian Grants Program staff, I would like to wish you a Happy New Rotary Year. As we embark on another busy year, I wanted to provide you with some updates related to Humanitarian Grants. Please note that these updates only pertain to grant activity in the 2009-10 Rotary year and apply to both Future Vision pilot and non-pilot districts.
Click here to view the full 3 page report.
Foundation Reports
Each club in District 6250 has established a foundation goal and the question is how are the clubs going about the achieving those goals? Have each of the clubs done an every member enrollment? Successful clubs take the time to ask each member to make a pledge commitment to the Rotary Foundation. Fulfilling that pledge might involve a quarterly billing by the club secretary/treasurer or participating in the direct deposit transfer from the Rotarians checking account to the RI Foundation account or it might mean a monthly charge to a credit card. Successful clubs establish a process that allows their members to both make and fulfill the commitment.
Click here to view the updated Club Goals Report!
Attendance Report
New Reporting Tool for District Attendance
Check out the new reporting tool for District Attendance for 2008-2009. http://www.rotary6250.org/clubs/monthlyattendance.shtml Clubs can view each month’s attendance in a visual graph. Also Club Secretary’s can request access to update their information directly online!
A big THANK YOU goes out to District 5340 for sharing this web functionality!
Click here to submit your club's attendance report
Click here to see the full Attendance Report.
