Rotary is facing a membership crisis and is at a crossroads in many parts of the world, especially in North America, John Hewko, the General Secretary of Rotary International, warne
d Rotary leaders in the western United States at a meeting this week in Spokane, WA.
d Rotary leaders in the western United States at a meeting this week in Spokane, WA.The greatest challenge Rotary faces, Hewko said, is in membership. Globally, Rotary membership has remained flat at 1.2 million for the last 20-25 years, “and the only reason we haven’t lost membership is because our numbers have been growing in Asia, Africa and parts of eastern Europe. In North America, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and parts of Latin America, we have a membership crisis.”
For the first time in Rotary’s history, membership in North America has fallen below 30% of worldwide membership, and if present trends continue, North America’s membership will be around 15% of the worldwide membership and Asia will have about 50%, he said. “Particularly here in North America, we are facing a crisis.” Over the last few years, Hewko said, about 150,000 new members join Rotary each year, but about the same number leave.
Rotary is facing a membership crisis and is at a crossroads in many parts of the world, especially in North America, John Hewko, the General Secretary of Rotary International, warned Rotary leaders in the western United States at a meeting this week in Spokane, WA.
The greatest challenge Rotary faces, Hewko said, is in membership. Globally, Rotary membership has remained flat at 1.2 million for the last 20-25 years, “and the only reason we haven’t lost membership is because our numbers have been growing in Asia, Africa and parts of eastern Europe. In North America, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and parts of Latin America, we have a membership crisis.”
For the first time in Rotary’s history, membership in North America has fallen below 30% of worldwide membership, and if present trends continue, North America’s membership will be around 15% of the worldwide membership and Asia will have about 50%, he said. “Particularly here in North America, we are facing a crisis.” Over the last few years, Hewko said, about 150,000 new members join Rotary each year, but about the same number leave.
Hewko spoke to about 400 Rotarians attending the annual Zones 26 & 27 Institute, which encompasses 30 Rotary districts in the western U.S. and Canada.
Quoting Rotary’s founder, Paul Harris, Hewko said that “Rotary needs to be evolutionary at all times, and revolutionary at times.” Clubs are the foundation of Rotary, he said, and every club needs to take a hard look at what it is offering and change if it isn’t working. “We need to change, or we will wither and die,” he said.
Hewko, who has been Rotary’s General Secretary for 13 years, suggested several ways clubs could be innovative, such as the creation of new, innovative clubs (e.g., e-clubs and cause-based clubs); making service projects more impactful and more visible; partnering with other organizations, as we have done in the polio eradication campaign; and in the developing uses of artificial intelligence (AI).
“Think about what we’ve done with 1.2 million members...for instance, we’re on the verge of eradicating polio... Imagine what we could do with 2 million, 3 million, 4 million...that would be fantastic...How we address these problems at this crossroads will determine our future.”