Programme Week Commencing 8th March
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yhcsPnVeuw&w=420&h=315]This is our first eClub Open Meeting, bringing forward for discussion items that all members may have views on or want to help with. Please join in by commenting below.
AGENDA
1. Charter Event
2. eClub Membership
3. eClub Public Relations
4. Service Projects – Festival of Rotary
5. eClub Administration – Bank Account/Website
6. General Update
7. Other Matters
Item 1 – Charter Event
We would like this to take part in early May, it is a celebration of our eClub formally joining the family of Rotary International (our actual Charter Date will be the 8th February 2012). At the Event the District Governor will present us with our certificate of Charter and say a few words and other formal things will happen. The general feeling from the District is we ought to have a very formal dinner, however on chatting to members in the eClub there is a view that a more informal lunchtime affair should be organised that the whole family might attend.
What are your views? Would a weekday evening event be your preference or a Saturday/Sunday Lunchtime with the family?
Ideas of location would be good, for example Painswick Rococo Garden or the Cotswold Wildlife Park or Park Hotel, Falfield, so have you any ideas that might fit the bill? Wherever we hold it, whether formally or informally, we will need a private room to have a sit down meal or buffet, so places like MacDaonalds are out.
Who would like to help organise this important event?
Item 2 – eClub Membership
Even though we reached our target number of 25 members to hold our Inaugural Meeting, actually we went ahead with 27 members, but it’s important we continue to promote the eClub and try to get further members to join. As you are aware we are currently running a promotion whereby people join as a provisional member on a two month free trial basis, so they can see how the eClub operates and get to know us and we can get to know them. Since the Inaugural Meeting we have welcomed as provisional members Karen and Barbara, this week we welcome Sue Webb and there are two other partners of members in the pipeline.
So can we encourage all of you to help us continue to recruit new members. How did you get on with our challenge on Rotary’s Birthday, when we asked everyone to speak to someone for 5 minutes about Rotary. Who did it? What was the reaction?
We’ve now produced a new application for membership form, which can also be incorporated it into our leaflets, would any of you like some membership leaflets? We also thought about producing some postcard recruitment flyers that could be left around in shops or surgeries, what do people think?
Finally how is the mentoring going? Are you asking your mentors questions about Rotary so you can learn more about how Rotary operates locally, maybe you could write your questions in the activity part of the website so that all members could see the reply from any of the mentors.
Has anyone else a general question or comment about membership?
Item 3 – eClub Public Relations
Last week Katharine went on Stroud FM to tell people about the eClub, we do need to do this more across the District. Are you willing to help if we can get openings in your area, either with the paper or radio?
Heather has offered to be the Social Network Coordinator for the eClub, she has already taken over the Twitter account and Linked In, can any of you help? If so please let Heather know. You could help by thinking up messages we ought to put out on these networks.
Let’s have a harvest of ideas of how we can increase our Public Relations: Do we need posters? Would people like sweatshirts? Ideas please.
What messages do we want to give out and how are we going to promote ourselves at the District Conference and the Festival of Rotary or even at other events?
Item 4 – Service Projects
Yzanne is still looking for support with the Festival of Rotary in Bristol on Sunday 22nd April: can you help with the face painting?, how are plans going with organising the Virtual Pet Show (the Secretary wants to offer some suggestions about entry)? etc. Let Yzanne know if you can help with the Festival just for a few hours on the 22nd April. Apart from what we are doing at the Festival to promote our eClub, it will be a great event for you to attend with all the family to see Rotary at its best and learn more about what happens in District 1100.
Can you help sell Ducks for the Rotary Club of Swindon Old Town, for their Duck Race? For every £1 Duck we sell, our eClub gets 50p a Quacking Opportunity. Let Debbie know how many Ducks you will try to sell.
Don’t forget our collection of Mobile Phones, contact Dave if you can help.
Becca is organising collecting old tools for the Tools for Self Reliance Charity, these are refurbished and sent to third world countries, contact Becca for more information.
Please get back to Yzanne if you have ideas or questions about Service Projects.
Item 5 – eClub Administration
Hoorah the Bank Account is now open at the HSBC Bank, we will shortly have set up the Pay Pal on the website. You will also be aware from previous notices that Heather and her husband Kevin (who is going to join) have become our Webmasters. Currently they are working on revamping the website, but this weekend will have our email system up and running. If eClub Officers need an email address or you’d like a specific email for a project, please let the Secretary know.
We will also be shortly sending you information about the compilation of our eClub Directory and what we will ask to be included in the District 1100 Directory, please reply to these emails promptly to enable this work to be completed quickly.
We are also looking for a couple of volunteers to be the weekly programme coordinators, the emphasis is on coordination, as each Forum with be asked to provide speakers/ideas for programmes, please contact the Secretary if you are willing to help.
Item 6 – General Update
Don’t forget there is another District 1100 Mini Convention on Wednesday 21st March at the Thistle Hotel, Cheltenham – Golden Valley roundabout on A40, The President will be attending and he would welcome others to attend with him. (Dave Brown our Health & Safety Officer is attending a pre meeting as well).
On Tuesday 3rd April, President Tim is speaking at Cheltenham Sunrise Breakfast Club about the eClub, again if anyone would like to go with him, please let him know.
District 1100 Assembly – This will be on 28th April, at The Chase Hotel, Brockworth, GL3 4PB, commencing 8.45 for 9.15 am and finishing at 1.00 pm. it would be good if as many Officers of the eClub and members can attend this, as it gives a good opportunity to learn about next year’s Rotary theme and how the District Team can support Clubs in their Rotary. Please let the Secretary know if you can go.
Item 7 – Other Matters
If you have other things you’d like discussed please add them in the comment boxes below, so we can ensure members get to see them and can discuss.
As you can see our District 1100 eClub is moving forward and with your comments, ideas and offers of help, this will continue to help us build our foundations.
I’m very happy to distribute leaflets etc as I go about daily life – I have quite a few opportunities including the Hereford & Worcester Chamber Expo next week.
As usual, the demands on our time and the distance travelling from North Herefordshire preclude our attending the events listed.
Lots of things to read and respond on, so here goes!
1) Charter – Sunday lunch seems a nice idea, the Rococo Gardens look nice.
2) Membership – yes please to any flyers, postcards etc, more than happy to publicise. An electronic copy would be good too. It would be great to start to see more of what club members are doing, esp on the service front as their contribution to Rotary.
3) PR – yes more than happy to help with anything here.
4) Service – more than happy to help at the Festival. We are providing another club’s gazebo so will be there from early, so an earlier slot would be better for me. Can’t facepaint to save my life, but more than happy to have a go…! Would be good to know who else is going to conference and the dinner/ party in the evening. I am going and then to the after-party so would be good to catch up with some other members.
5) Sorry can’t help on the admin side of things, I’m struggling to organise my own life at the mo(!) so really shouldn’t take on anymore.
6) Will try and make the District assembly, maybe not the mini convention.
One final thing from me, is there any chance of getting a calendar of events on the website. There were lots of dates in the meeting info and having them all in one place might mean we are less likely to miss something.
Thanks,
Rachel
Hover on the new eClub Information button and you will see a Recruitment/Promotion Leaflet Button, where you can download electronic leaflets for sending by email or printing.
Updating the Calendar of Events and moving it where people can see it is on my list of things to do – will make it a priority, as I agree, this is something that will really help communicate all the different things going on and help members to plan ahead.
In reading the programme above it really shows how much there is going on in such a short space of time. I know I read it earlier in the week and thought “I don’t know where to start commenting as there is so much”. However, I think Tim has laid some questions out very clearly under the different eClub areas of activity – known as the Forums or Groups. Are you all aware of which Group/Forum you are in? Every member is in one of the eClub Groups/Forums and it is important that you know which one you are in (I realise this information was given out when you first all joined when we were giving you loads of information, so now we’ve been getting going a bit if you don’t remember which Group you are in please let me know). Look at the Programme with your Group in mind and consider how you can help make things happen, build relationships with your fellow Group members and start working together to focus on what needs planning.
I am the lead of the Administration Forum/Group and I am planning for us to ‘hold a meeting’ next week to look at all the areas we cover and what we need to do. I will notify the Admin Forum members when I put the agenda up in our Group space on the website, then the idea is that we all contribute to the meeting when we can over the week. Under Club Admin in the programme above there are a few things mentioned, but there a few more and we need to plan how we work together to ensure the eClub Administration runs smoothly.
From Katharine Hope (posted originally on front page)
Charter meeting. Lovely idea and I would prefer a weekend lunchtime BUT I think we will struggle to find a venue at the weekend at fairly short notice because most nice places will be already booked up for weddings.
I will have a look round the M4/M5 corridor and see if I can find somewhere with a meeting room and some sort of outdoor space where the kids can run about outside. Cotswold Widlife Park would be a possibility if it is available….
From Barbara Sheppard (posted originally on front page)
Cotswold Wildlife sounds like a good idea.
Slightly later than planned – here are my thoughts:
1. I’ve expressed my views on this before but to recap, I’d like a weekend and family friendly – Cotswold Wildlife Park where perhaps partners could take children off, while members did the “business” would be great. Other options on this might be Bristol Zoo, Slimbridge or perhaps the Cotswold Water Park.
2. Yes please send me some leaflets when they’re done – I like the idea of an electronic copy too
3. Polo shirts would be good for PR, personally I’m not a sweatshirt girl! I think we have to be careful on posters in some places as we don’t want to step on “actual” rather than “e” club toes. We should be looking for publicity in local papers though – ones that cover large areas like the Gazette and Herald, so people know we exist. Perhaps we could get something published on the pros and cons of e clubs and actual clubs?
4. I’m working on this!
5. Let me settle in my job and get over the next couple of months and I’ll try and help on this. Having said that it would be nice to see non team leaders taking on some roles to help spread the work.
6. Sorry I won’t be at any events in April due to post op recovery. Debbie won’t be able to make it either due to her daughters wedding. Dave – might you be able to attend the District Assembly on behalf of the Service Projects Team?
Over and out!
Y