Rotary: A vision that never dims

Addressing the Vision 20:20 session at the Dubai ­Institute and giving an update on the Strategic Plan, RI Director Manoj Desai recalled that at the ­Jaipur ­Institute Rotary India had voted for two core values — service and ­integrity.  The essence of the ­Strategic Plan was to support and strengthen clubs, focus on and increase service and enhance public image.

The RI leadership’s vision was that each club, district and zone must have its own strategic plan.  To support and strengthen clubs, Regional Membership Plans were developed. “In 2011, recognising that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to membership, we developed the Regional Membership Plans and in the fourth year of its implementation, we believe these plans are helping maintain our membership levels.”

Next the membership leads programme was strengthened. “It is now easier for prospective members to express their interest in joining Rotary. We’ve also simplified the process for Rotarians who wish to change clubs or make a membership referral.”

Our work on eradicating polio was Herculean; and can  you believe we have reached out to 145 million people across the world through our social media initiatives?

Next, through the Rotary Global Rewards, a Rotary member ­benefit programme, “we are providing ­Rotarians and Rotaractors with discounts and special offers on products and services around the world.”

Another priority under the Strategic Plan was the focus on increasing humanitarian services. He then went on to quote TRF Trustee Chair Kalyan Banerjee who had said: “Thanks to PolioPlus the world discovered Rotary and Rotarians discovered themselves.” Thanks to the global mobilisation of Rotarians, all working towards a common purpose,  Polio was very close to the eradication point. “To date in 2016, we’ve only seen nine cases”, he said.

Giving the assembled RI officers a pep talk on preparing for TRF ­Centennial, the RI Director said: “This is a rare, actually once in a lifetime,  opportunity. Through the sessions short videos would be played to prove how much good we have done, creating a major impact as after the Nepal and Gujarat earthquakes, the tsunami in Srilanka. A clear proof is increasing Global Grants every year.”

While their work in polio ­eradication — 30 years and billions of dollars was truly Herculean, “can you believe we have reached out to 145 million people across the world through our social media initiatives?”

RI’s new initiatives — Brand Center; Connect online; Rotary Club Central; My Rotary — were praiseworthy, Desai said. The need of the hour, was better alignment of RI and TRF for a unified vision. But, he added, in a rapidly changing world, what would not change were “our values, objective of Rotary; The Four Way Test; the Essence Statement and RI and TRF’s Mission Statements.”

RI’s Mission Statement was to provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill and peace through our fellowship of business, professional and community leaders.