By Ellissa Nolan
Digital Production and Marketing
Rotary Down Under
When searching online Rotary content, I constantly read about the
great emphasis placed on membership development and recruitment. I am aware
that this kind of public communication could be interpreted as brand desperation,
and quite off-putting to potential new members, business partners and sponsors.
Essentially, non-Rotarian online audiences may ask, “Why would I
want to join a brand that appears to be dying of members?” When in all truth, Rotary is not dying, it
just has not been growing.
From my perspective, the incredible contribution of 1.2 million
people volunteering their time and energy provides the opportunity to tell 1.2
million vibrant stories on the many significant ways Rotary is contributing to
local, national and global communities.
For a good story, it doesn’t matter if these people are young, old
or in the middle, just that they are contributing in whatever ways they can, to
make a positive impact towards the advancement and survival of humans across
the globe.
On the other hand, when I read of membership development strategies,
in public spaces, I feel disheartened to join the spirit of the Rotary cause.
It could be perceived that I would just be meeting a target in terms of
increasing club numbers, rather than being appreciated for the personal value I
would or could bring to the organisation working on specific humanitarian projects.
So, when thinking about Rotary’s online brand, I believe collectively
we could reflect on how much information is too much for the general public’s
consumption? Are we writing online for ease of information dissemination for
club members, or are we actually writing to attract potential new members,
sponsors and industry partners? If it’s the former, it would be best placed on
an intranet (with member log-in); if it’s for the latter, then the internet is
a perfect public platform.
So how do people attract people on the internet?
·
Good quality news stories sharing personal journey’s and insights
·
Profiling inspiring people working on and delivering successful
projects
·
Profiling people and sharing the story on why they joined Rotary
·
Including quotes from the people or communities who have been
helped
·
Including testimonials and good quality photographs of people who
have been helped
·
Uploading good quality interesting images of who received the
assistance supported with information on how the fundraising contributions were
allocated
·
Tweeting, tagging and sharing content for all to become visible
and viral online: For example: #aid,
#fundraising, #charity, #socialgood, #humanitarian @rotary, #[localarea]
#[communityname]
·
Follow RDU on Facebook and Twitter so we can follow you and share
your stories among our networks too.
As a content creator, I believe it is a joy to share with the
world the positive vibrancy and diversity of Rotary’s members and club
achievements through individual stories. However, I can also see more
opportunities to position the Rotary brand as the leader in the successful design
and delivery of sustainable humanitarian projects, which have significant
impact at national and international levels. The care is to not make all the
good stories get undermined by publicly fretting over membership development, in
front of the very audiences we are trying to appeal to.
Additional
The above is on page 27 of the April issue of Rotary Down Under magazine, read on-line at www.rotarydownunder.org
Click Here for information about the RDU Web Hosting Service
Click Here for information about the Regional Membership Plan and membership development resources
