Startling fall in numbers a huge concern
Did you know that the US, the country where Rotary was born, has lost over 100,000 members in the last 20 years? Probably not.
Expressing grave concern at the declining membership of Rotary, particularly in some parts of the world, with only a few regions, prominently India, being an exception at the Vision 2030 Conclave in Madurai, incoming RI President Mario de Camargo said he distinctly saw three scenarios in Rotary.
The first was the scenario that gave hope; the scenario of growth where the numbers said Taiwan had grown at 127 per cent, India at 103 per cent, Philippines at 52 and Korea at 35 per cent. “All of them are in Asia. In the last 20 years, India has grown from 85,000 to 172,000. You might ask why 20 years? That is because I do not believe in those spikes in membership that are created artificially… fake clubs with fake Rotarians. We have to grow sustainably and healthy, and long term.”
But while commending India for its growth, Camargo also laid down a strict warning for Indian Rotarians. “India is doing very well. But don’t tarnish your good numbers with bad behaviour; it’s not worth it. You are doing fine. You are not desperate to create artificial numbers. You have good solid robust numbers.”
Moving to the second scenario, where the decline in numbers was marginal, with Brazil declining by two per cent, Mexico six per cent and Italy four per cent, he said, “Some people like to use the word stable, but I don’t call it stability. For me, it is stagnation. My country, Brazil, is stagnating in Rotary membership; we’ve been 50,000 for 20 years. So when I was invited to address a club in France where I had to speak in French because I had to ensure that they understood what I was saying and also because sometimes the French don’t like to listen to English. I said you’ve lost 8,000 members in France in the last 20 years, your neighbours, the Germans have gained 16,000!”
Coming to the third and “the distressing areas or the danger zones where Rotary is in decline”, he said in US the membership had fallen by 29 per cent, Australia by 36 per cent, Canada by 34 per cent and Great Britain and Ireland by 33 per cent. “The US has lost over 100,000 Rotarians since 2004.”
India is doing very well. But don’t tarnish your good numbers with bad behaviour; it’s not worth it.
De Camargo disclosed that the previous fortnight he had addressed two institutes in the US “and I had to tell them they were losing members. Many of them were surprised to learn this, but this is the reality. I asked them what are you going to do about it. If you don’t act, in 10 to 15 years the headquarters of Rotary are going to move from Chicago to Delhi.”
Showing another chart on the formation of new clubs, the RI President-elect revealed some more interesting numbers. Between 2021–23, Central and South East Asia had created 296 new Rotary clubs, while India alone had created 658 clubs. “That shows how and why India is growing; there is a clear co-relation between the number of new clubs and the growth. Japan, which is also declining, created only 9, Latin America 218, Great Britain and Ireland (GB&I) created 26 clubs, “and that reduced the average age of Rotarians in GB&I from 79 to 73 years old. I’d like to know who would want to join a club where the average age is 73? You want a succession and you want to leave a legacy. What legacy are you going to leave in a club where the average age is 73,” he asked.
In the same two years US and Canada had added only 109 clubs. “They have 9,000 clubs in US and Canada, and they added only 109 clubs! That is like having no kids…if you don’t have any kids, you don’t have any heir to leave your company, profession or business to. That is what is happening in some countries because people resist change; they don’t want to change and face the reality. I tell them if you don’t change, you are going to die. It’s simple.”
