Managing the journey to membership

Rotary’s new Prospective Member Management system helps clubs respond promptly to enquiries, coordinate follow-ups and ensure every prospective member receives a warm and timely introduction to Rotary.

Words Barbara Mifsud.
Membership Growth Officer.

When asked, ‘What is your biggest challenge?’ many clubs across our region give the same answer: attracting new members.

Membership growth is critical to the long-term success of any Rotary club. New members bring fresh ideas, valuable skills, diverse perspectives and renewed energy. They help clubs remain vibrant, relevant and effective in serving their communities.

That’s why connecting interested people with Rotary clubs is so important.

To support clubs in this effort, Rotary International launched the Prospective Member Management (PMM) system in March this year.

The system is designed to help clubs connect with prospective members quickly, efficiently and effectively.

People express interest in Rotary in many ways. Through this system, prospective members complete an interest form on rotary.org and select the club they would like to connect with. They are presented with several nearby clubs and can explore details such as location, website and social media channels before choosing the club that best aligns with their interests and expectations.

When someone chooses your club, designated club leaders receive an automatic notification to review the enquiry within the system. From there, club leaders can contact the prospective member, track interactions, set and record follow-up activities and monitor progress through the membership journey.

If a prospective member is not the right fit for the club, the enquiry can be reassigned to designated district leaders, ensuring the individual remains connected to Rotary and can be referred to another suitable club.

District leaders are automatically notified when enquiries are reassigned or when no action has been taken by a club. They can decide whether to assign the enquiry to another club, close it or refer it to Rotary International staff for further assistance.

Rotary International staff are notified when no action is taken and are there to help club and district leaders connect with the prospective member and navigate the new system.

At the same time, the prospective member receives a series of six emails about Rotary International, so that their interest is kept ‘warm’ while they get connected with a club.

Another advantage is that club and district leaders can use PMM to record and track the progress of any interested prospective members they interact with, regardless of whether they came through rotary.org/join.

The Prospective Member Management System helps ensure that no prospective member is overlooked and that every interested individual receives a timely and welcoming introduction to Rotary.

What can you do?

If you are a club officer, sign in to My Rotary and select Manage Prospective Members to confirm that you can get into the system.

Determine or review your club’s process for managing prospective members, including which club leader is responsible for contacting candidates and recording this activity in the system.

Make sure your club details are up to date in My Rotary, including your club website and social media pages, so that prospective members can find your club and learn about it.

Want to learn more?

Explore these materials on My Rotary to help you use the system and grow your club:

• How to Manage Your Club’s Membership Enquiries bit.ly/rsp-clubmembership
• Connecting With Prospective Members bit.ly/rsp-prospectivemembers
• Managing Prospective Member Enquiries bit.ly/rsp-memberinquiries
• Prospective Member Outreach Template bit.ly/rsp-outreachtemplates
• Club webinar bit.ly/rsp-clubwebinar

If you have any questions, please reach out to membershipdevelopment@rotary.org or risppo@rotary.org