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 SEPT/OCT 2008 View this Newsletter on the District 5950 website. Comments or questions? Contact the District Executive Secretary Diane Confer. |
Dear Fellow Rotarians...
I have visited 47 clubs in three months now. It has been a total joy! To see the enthusiasm and excitement of our members is my most vivid impression. Where there have been enthusiastic club leaders, there have been productive, forward-looking clubs. We have a lot of really committed Rotarians in this district. The second difference in the really productive clubs is that "business is not the same as in the productive clubs." The clubs are not doing business as usual. Instead they are reviewing who and what local and international projects that they are funding and coming up with new projects. Things get stale, and the highly effective clubs are changing to address these needs. If your club is doing things the "old way" constantly, think about doing Club Visioning. Your perspective will change. FALL TRAINING DAY REVISITED
On Friday, September 12th, we had 200 Rotarians attend our Fall Training Day at the Golden Valley Country Club, focusing on district Membership Development and Foundation Fund-raising and Grants, along with PR and other operational issues. I would like to thank PDG Tammy Laurent for chairing this fantastic meeting. Kudos to Greg Krauska, Jeff Ohe, Jennifer Bennerotte, and Dan Barnett for running different segments of this day.
MID-TERM SET FOR JANUARY IN ST. CLOUD
We will have another one of these impactful days on January 10th, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., when we stage our Mid-Term Assembly, likely at the Holiday Inn in St. Cloud. AG Jim Dwyer of St. Cloud and DGN Larry Zilliox of Alexandria are planning this event. This meeting will serve as a time to measure what we’ve accomplished to date and gear up for our stretch drive into the second half of our Rotary Year. Watch for registration information and more details, but in the meantime, mark down the date. It is intended for all Presidents, Presidents-Elect, club Board members and district leaders.
WARM HEADS, WARM HANDS, WARM HEARTS
Winter is fast approaching. Please get involved in Warm Heads, Warm Hands, Warm Hearts. When it is zero degrees outside, or below, and the wind is blowing 20 miles per hour, no one cares if their hats and gloves are designer and cost $100 each. Rather, people just want to be warm. We are Rotarians, and Rotarians care... so please get involved. Buy the hats and gloves and distribute them in your community. Thank you Ted Field (ted@tedfield.com) for your relentless efforts to help those less fortunate.
INDIA TRICYCLE PROJECT
Our India Tricycle project continues to grow. To date, I have had every club agree to contribute $100. This is fantastic response and shows the spirit of Rotary…everyone working together to help someone they will never meet. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
CONGRATULATIONS MINNEAPOLIS CLUBS ON “TASTEFUL” EVENT
Hats off to our five Minneapolis city clubs (#9, City of Lakes, South, Uptown and University) for a fabulous first-ever “Taste of Lake Street for Minneapolis Hunger Relief,” September 13, 3-7 p.m. at the Mid-Town Exchange. Nearly 1,000 tickets were sold and despite the rain, most turned out for a fantastic event that displayed local eateries, great entertainment, and raised money for local food shelves. Just goes to show what we can accomplish when we team up with more than one club to pull off a great fund-raiser.
INTERNATIONAL TRIPS COMING FAST
Our international trips will soon be starting. We are off to Ecuador on October 8th and will return on October 20th, unless you stay for a trip to the Galapagos. Contact George Koblas at gkoblas@zipcopyshop.com.
Then in November, Karin Treiber, President of Minneapolis South is leading a group going to India. Contact Karin at drkarinat@yahoo.com. The dates are November 9 to November 24th.
The Kenya trip is coming together nicely. Tim Murphy, International Service Coordinator for the district and past President of Edina will lead a group there in May 2009. Tim’s email is tim.murphy@murphyauto.net.
Haiti is on many of our minds right now. Hurricane Ike tore the island to shreds. Our district is sending “Fast for Hope” emergency aid there to match the funds raised by clubs, such as Eden Prairie. I applaud Tom Herzog’s efforts and encourage other clubs to consider helping the Haitians in this desperate time of need. We have trips planned to Haiti right after Thanksgiving and then in February. Patrick Joyce from the Minneapolis City of Lakes Rotary Club is helping raise money to build a new school in La Victoire, Haiti. Districts 5950, 5960 and 5980 are all working together to raise $200,000 to build this school that when completed will serve 400 students who before have not had schooling. I know I am going there is February. I need to sign off now. The taxi is here. Off on vacation.
--DG Chris Holm, Minneapolis #9
DISTRICT EARNS INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR ANNUAL GIVING
*Yes, we had a $1 million goal, and we “only” hit $913,000. Are we happy with that? You bet we are! That put us second in the whole United States (second only to a district who had one individual donate $1 million) and fourth in the entire world. We already have districts asking us what we're doing and how we get this done. We are once again a true leader and a model to the nation and the world of a strong district, with not only a strong culture of giving to the Foundation, but a strong culture of using all that money to create life-changing projects all over the world.
* Even Roger Bannister didn't run a four-minute mile the first time he tried. We're going to keep working on the $1million goal until we reach it. Maybe this year; maybe next year; but regardless, it's still a great goal for us to shoot for. That’s what making dreams real is all about. If we had made our goal a more reasonable target, we might have reached it….Rotary International said our goal was slightly over $700,000, according to their calculations. Sometimes when you shoot for the moon, you land on a star. That's exactly what we did. Let's keep shooting for the moon.
* ”I want to thank every person in the district for stepping up (especially Annual Giving Chair, PDG Mike Mullin of St. Cloud Rotary and his entire Annual Giving Team) and helping us reach the record $913,000 raised. Everyone was excited and committed to seeing the $1 million milestone become reality. We fell a bit short, but nonetheless, we should be very proud of ourselves. We are indeed leaders in the world in Annual Giving and in other ways; and YES, we are winners. But the true winners are those whose lives will be saved because of your generosity. I know we hear how we change lives and save lives all the time in Rotary, but think about it. We REALLY, REALLYdo! How privileged we are to be Rotarians. Let's not forget it.”
--PDG Tammy Laurent, Shakopee, 2007-2008
COUNCIL ON LEGISLATION RESOLUTIONS SOUGHT
As we are now on the eve of the second quarter of Rotary’s 2008-09 year, there is less about three months to submit proposed legislation for the 2010 Council on Legislation (COL). RI must receive proposed legislation, along with its certification form signed by the district governor, no later than 31 December 2008. PDG Rod Shilkrot, St. Louis Park, has been selected to represent our district at the COL in 2010 in Evanston. Please submit all ideas on proposed legislation to him by December 1, 2008 (RotaryRod@AAAMinneapolis.com). Additional information about and useful tools for the 2010 Council have been posted on the Council on Legislation section of the RI website (http://www.rotary.org/). If you have any questions about the Council on Legislation, please call Rod at 952-927-2673.
MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT…THINK SIMPLICITY
Spend a week in the life of Rotary from a new member’s point of view. If you were to pretend for a moment that you were a new member, what would it be like? From checking out your website, to attending a meeting to follow up correspondence, what would stand out? In a world where people are busier than ever, think simplicity. Here are five (5) ways to make joining Rotary simpler:
1. Design your Web site for new members, not just current members. When I speak with prospective members who are trying to select a club in our district, 9 out of 10 ask me for a club Web site address. So help a new member understand the essentials: what is this club about, why is it special and how do I start a conversation? Test your website’s friendliness by asking 5 kids what they think. If 5 out of 5 kids can easily figure out what you are about and how to become a new member, you have made a great start.
2. Keep your joining process simple for the new member. Can you explain your new member approval and induction process in 2 sentences or less? Can you easily answer all of the typical questions that new members ask? A simple process, with information ready at hand, makes the new member confident they are joining a well-run organization.
3. Keep your new member process simple for your current members. If you hired a team of salespeople at your company, at what point would you explain the process of signing on a new customer? Day one, most likely. What are the steps a member should take when recommending, inducting and mentoring a new member? Your current members should know. If they know the process and believe they can do it easily, they are more likely to invite new members.
4. Think about bringing in new members as a conversation, not a conquest. You don’t like to be pushed into a decision before you are ready to make a decision. Rotary is no different. Find out what makes a new member tick. Be curious to uncover their passions and interests. Explain what is relevant about your club. See if it fits. Keep the conversation simple.
5. Identify three strengths of your club – and emphasize them. When you are clear about the strengths of your particular club, versus the wide world of Rotary, you give a prospective member a simple way to connect themselves to your mission. If you overload them with information, you confuse them. When your club is at its best, what is it like? Find a simple story that brings those qualities to life.
Rotary is strongest when you are able to attract intelligent, successful and giving professionals. When you make Rotary complex, you don’t reflect your best – and you can make the prospective member confused. Concentrate instead on making it easy for people to join Rotary. Design a great experience from the new member’s point of view – and watch your membership growth and retention soar.
--By Greg Krauska, Rotary Club of Chanhassen District 5950 Membership Development Committee Chair
LINK TO INNOVATE ROTARY AND LEARN MORE FROM GREG… How many of you have heard of “Innovate Rotary”? It’s a wonderful Web site created by Greg Krauska at http://www.innovaterotary.com/. The sections include Club Vision, Communications, Ethics, Impact, Leadership, Member Retention, Non-Profit Innovation, Rotary PR, Sponsorship, Storytelling and Volunteer Engagement. His most recent posting: “Is an invocation consistent with the 4-Way Test?” Very compelling and thought-provoking “stuff” from our membership guru.
NOT TOO EARLY TO START THINKING DISTRICT CONFERENCE
DREAMS MADE REAL Join us in downtown Minneapolis on April 24th and 25th for the 2009 Rotary 5950 District Conference. RI President DK Lee challenged us to “Make Dreams Real” and next April, we will celebrate the accomplishments and “Dreams Made Real” by the 3,000+ Rotarians of District 5950. Our celebration will take place at the historic 100-year old Minneapolis Club and at Windows on Minnesota on the 50th floor of the IDS Center with its awe-inspiring panoramic view. Join us for the fellowship, celebration of youth, leadership development, fun, education, breakout session and fabulous speakers. We have booked a block of rooms at the Westin Hotel (former historic F&M Bank Building) for $139 per night and we have reduced parking rates within two blocks of our venues. We have a great committee this year and we will be getting registration materials and more information to you soon. We are looking forward to another great District Conference, so be sure to get it on your calendar now.
--Steve Solbrack 2009 Rotary District Conference Chair DISTRICTS TEAM TO OFFER TOUR TO ENGLAND CONVENTION
Districts 5950 and 5960 Governors-Elect Sandy Schley (5950, Edina) and Newell Krogman (5960, LeSueur) have teamed with AAA Minneapolis Travel to offer pre- and post-convention tours to England for the 2009 Rotary International Convention. The 2009 Rotary International Convention is set for Birmingham, England (June 21-24). The Pre-Convention Tour, titled English Countryside & The Cotswolds, is an option that features Runnymede, Ascot, Salisbury, Stonehenge, Bristol, Bath, Glastonbury, the Cotswolds – before ending at Birmingham for the Convention. The Post-Convention Tour, Stratford, Oxford & London, is an option featuring Warwick, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Bladon, Oxford and three nights in London. Choose both options and fly from the Twin Cities to London on June 17th and return from London to the Twin Cities on June 28th. Or, pick just one option and tailored travel dates. Both options have been specially priced for this special Rotary group. Neither option includes lodging in the Birmingham area. For those on these tours and those not participating in either group tour, a limited number of hotel rooms at a discounted price will be available in Birmingham during the time of the Convention. Each district will promote these special hotel arrangements separately in a different brochure. All RI Convention-related fees and Host Organizing Committee events will be additional, and must be reserved through RI and/or the official convention host Web site. Airfare is not included in this brochure; those prices will be available shortly. For more information, call BETTY FIANDACA at AAA Travel at 952-927-2557, or e-mail Betty at BFiandaca@AAAMinneapolis.com.
URBANZONE HERE OCT. 6-11 --- 2009
Several of us from the district attended the Zones 27-28 Training and Institute right after Labor Day at the Kalahari Water Park & Conference Center in Sandusky, Ohio. About 340 attended from about 25 districts (from Nebraska to New York). This same meeting will be in Minneapolis NEXT October (6-11) at the Marriott Minneapolis City Center. The conveners are RI Director Elect Tom and Jamie Thorfinnson (Eden Prairie Noon) and the Institute General Chair is PDG Ron Axel (Hopkins), with several other 5950 and 5960 Rotarians also involved in the planning. It will be called URBANZONE and should be a great opportunity for many local Rotarians to get a glimpse of what goes on in Rotary at the zone and international level. Zone realignment this next year will mean that we are now part of Zone 28 (instead of 27) and this Institute will be called for Zones 28-29. We will be thrilled to bring into our Zone the district to the north that serves all of Northern Minnesota, northern North Dakota and western Ontario. Already scheduled to attend and speak is Ray Klinginsmith, Missouri, who will be Rotary International President in 2011-2012. Interested in volunteering…contact Ron Axel at ronald9494@aol.com. ROTARY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION 2015 INITIATIVE UPDATE
As you know, we have a group of Rotary leaders from both District 5950 and District 5960 that has been meeting for quite some time and working towards submitting a proposal to bring the Rotary International Convention to our area in 2015. The proposal was submitted Aug. 15 jointly by our two HOC (Host Organizing Committee) Bid Initiative Co-Chairs: Rod Shilkrot, PDG, 5950, and Cathy Smith, PDG, 5960 – along with Scott Romane, Meet Minneapolis (CVB). We are now anxiously awaiting word on whether or not we have been selected as one of 3-4 site visit finalists. Eight cities bid for 2015, with Houston and Mexico City our toughest competition – we think. We will let you know when we find out and then, hopefully have the need to form a site visit (January or February) planning task force. The key to our bid, in addition to positioning it as a joint effort between our two districts, was selling RI on the fact we will have working capital as we approach the convention. We believe that a good way to handle raising this working capital is to have each Rotarian in our two Districts pay $20 per year for 5 years (starting July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2014). We received almost unanimous support of this concept in both districts. Remember, this would be put into effect ONLY if we were to be awarded the bid from RI to host the 2015 convention (to be decided by RI late winter/early spring 2009). It would be our intent to raise enough money with our HOC (Host Organizing Committee) events to pay these funds back to the respective clubs, along with any share of profits earned (assuming that we cover all costs and have profit) after the convention in 2015. COMMUNITY GRANTS AWARDED TO 12 CLUBS
The Community Grants Committee of Rotary International District 5950 recently approved several grants. A total of nearly $15,000 was awarded for eight different projects involving 12 different Rotary Clubs. Projects ranged from the distribution of dictionaries to third graders to the collaborative effort of five Minneapolis Rotary Clubs sponsoring the Sept. 13 “Taste of Lake Street.” Specifically, grants were awarded to: Rotary Club of Bloomington Noon, $240 for dictionaries for third-graders.
Rotary Club of Chaska, $1,000 to provide single mothers graduating from early childhood programs access to "advisor tables" to assist in continuing education.
Rotary Club of Minneapolis No. 9, $4,000 for a project to provide all Minneapolis third-graders with dictionaries.
Rotary Clubs of Minneapolis South, No. 9, Uptown, University and City of Lakes, $2,500 for Taste of Lake Street, featured entertainment, food and prizes while raising money for local hunger relief.
Rotary Club of Litchfield, $3,000 for a beach shower in Memorial Park to enhance and encourage use of Lake Ripley and reduce "swimmer's itch."
Rotary Club of Savage, $1,000 for bocce ball courts at Hollywood Park to encourage community recreational use.The installation includes a tournament board with Rotary recognition.
Rotary Club of Shakopee, $1,000 for STRIVE college visits to Normandale Community College and Hennepin Technical College and to provide healthier treats.
Rotary Clubs of Willmar and Willmar Lakes, $2,000 to expand a reading program to include the Child Guide Program for children at risk.
“I was very pleased and excited to see the collaboration of Rotary Clubs on two different projects,” said Don Stiles, Community Grants Chairman.“Working with other local clubs not only stretches the matching grant dollars, but also creates new friendships and new possibilities, as the clubs of Minneapolis and Willmar are discovering.” There are two community grants available to Rotary clubs in the District: Community Assistance Program (CAP) and the Neighborhood Community Service (NCS) grants. CAP grants are funded directly by Rotary International while the NCS grants are matching grants funded by the District’s annual “Fast for Hope” campaign. Both grants are aimed at helping Rotary Clubs start new humanitarian projects that involve significant Rotarian hands-on sweat equity while providing community recognition of Rotary. The maximum grant limits are $3,000 per project for CAP Grants and $1,000 matching per Club ($3,000 limit per project with multiple clubs participating) for NCS Grants. During 2008-09, the goal of the District is to involve more clubs in the community grant process. With this goal in mind, and with about $28,000 remaining following the first round of grants, there are still available about four or five $3,000 CAPs, four $1,000 CAPs, and nine $1,000 NCS matching grants. Clubs considering new projects are encouraged to submit applications as soon as possible. The next application deadline is Nov. 1. For more information or assistance on District grants, contact Stiles at 952-212-0228 or email Stiles.Don@gmail.com. For more information about District 5950, visit www.rotary5950.org.
SAVE THE DATE REMINDERS FROM DGE SANDY SCHLEY
Please alert your club’s Presidents-Elect and incoming Board members of the following important training events in the district, that will take place during the winter months of 2008-09 and during DGE Sandy’s year, which commences July 1, 2009. Sandy’s District Trainer is Susan Spiers of Minneapolis City of Lakes, who has gathered an excellent training team to manage all events.
February 7, 2009 – AGs/District Leadership Team Meeting at AAA Minneapolis; St. Louis Park. February 27 & 28, 2009 – PETS at Oak Ridge Conference Center; Chaska, (Includes AGs/District Leadership, Presidents Elect, and Presidents Elect-Nominee)
May 16, 2009 – District Assembly at Normandale Community College; Bloomington (Includes AGs/District Leadership, Club Presidents, Club Leaders, and all District 5950 Rotarians)
September 25, 2009 – Fall Training Day 2009 at Golden Valley Country Club; Golden Valley (Includes AGs/District Leadership, Club Presidents, Club Leaders, and all District 5950 Rotarians)
January 23, 2010 – Mid-Term Assembly in St. Cloud (Includes AGs/District Leadership, Club Presidents, Club Leaders, and all District 5950 Rotarians)
May 13-15, 2010 – District Conference at the Westin Hotel; Edina (Includes AGs/District Leadership, Club Presidents, Club Leaders, and all District 5950 Rotarians)
ROTARY YOUTH EXCHANGE For some of us it’s unimaginable that a teenager would detach from his or her family, friends, school, social life and comfort zone to live in a foreign country with strangers . . . then, after several months, be uprooted to live with another family; then another. Then, one year later, it’s hard to imagine that these amazing ambassadors are going to leave: Their 3 “families of strangers” now “families forever” The best Rotary club in the world!
A few dozen BFF (best friends forever) from a couple dozen countries (Imagine the network of friendships woven across the globe!)
Valleyfair, the Renaissance festival, state and county fairs Apple orchards and hot cider, Packers/Vikings games, knee-high snowfall, “frigid” 40º days in November and “positively balmy” 40º days in March Envisage the role you and your Rotary club can have in contributing to world peace and understanding! The Districts 5950/5960 Youth Exchange Program is a small step toward creating desirable change in our world. As shared by inbound student Fiorella Albasini from Chile (2007-08): “This trip has changed our lives forever. It has been full of change promoting the values of friendship, solidarity, diversity, tolerance and perseverance. We have matured, grown up, and now we see the world from a different perspective. It’s incredible how our family tree has grown during this year! We have new mothers, fathers, and siblings. We are happy and thankful that we got to meet you, and that we got to share with you so many pleasant moments, which we will carry everyday, recorded in our minds and hearts. Indelible images of our own experiences with you. Today, we are united forever. Neither time nor distance could ever break this affective tie we have. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to our (host) families for their patience, attention, concern, for being there to listen, to guide and teach us, for the warmth, for every tender gesture, for the smile and the hug we needed some days, for those days under the rain or the snow, for each and every effort you made to make us feel like home, all of the moments we experienced together, that have strengthened our personal development. Thank you.”
To join the effort by sponsoring and/or hosting an exchange student, please visit the Youth Exchange Web site: http://www.rotaryexchangemn.com/ or contact me. Diane Confer, District 5950 Exec. Secretary
diane.confer@comcast.net REMINDER….GOVERNOR’S GOALS FOR 2008-2009 1) Have Fun! You will be successful if you make sure everyone enjoys the process and not just the end product.
2) Send at least one person in your club on an International Service project trip. We have set up trips to four countries this year where district projects are ongoing. 3) Start a new Community Service Project and use a District Simplified Grant. 4) Sustain and Grow Membership by at least One net person per club. 5) Support The Rotary Foundation. We ask that Every Rotarian every year Commit to give a minimum of $200 to The Rotary Foundation. 6) Have a least one Rotarian in your Club participate on a District Leadership team. REMINDER…DISTRICT GOALS 2008-2009
1) GET OUR DISTRICT COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM TO WORK WELL. 2) DEVELOP LEADERS FOR OUR CLUBS AND DISTRICT. 3) HOLD PRODUCTIVE AND FUN DISTRICT MEETINGS. 4) HAVE DISTRICT 5950 BE A PART OF THE PILOT PROJECT, “FUTURE VISION PLAN” FOR THE ROTARY FOUNDATION.
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