Prior to this meeting, all members received a copy of the Strategic Objectives, which were developed by the board and other interested Rotarians over a period of about three months. At the same time, members received a diagrammatic representation of the way our club functions. This was developed by Heather Kembel in conjunction with the discussions.
There was a need seen to review our formal structure, and all of the operating committees contributed. The resulting documents don’t go into why we do what we do.
Four main objectives were examined:
1. Increase visibility and Impact in Kingston and our District
2. Enhance our reach
3. Enhance participant engagement
4. Increase our ability to adapt
We looked at what we want to do better. With the document now complete it needs to be embraced by the operating committees.
We tend to look at what we are doing at the present rather than looking at where we want to be at some time in the future. A three-year rolling plan appears to be of value.
The functions of the former Director of Service Projects have been handed to the President Elect, and this will be of value as the PE prepares for becoming President of the club.
It should be noted that the Strategic Objectives are not fixed in stone, and we need to think of them as being under constant review, and emphases may change over time.
Heather presented her diagrammatic representation of our club, pointing out that everything needs to be examined through the lens of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Breakout Sessions followed, coming back with some discussion points. People who join Rotary already have certain interests that they bring with them. Fellowship is a very important aspect of what happens. We need to have measurable goals. Some suggested the possibility of small additional fundraisers. In the past six months we have begun to parse things into smaller pieces in order to make it easy to participate. No job then seems overwhelming. New members especially can look at the two documents as an aid to figuring out where they would like to fit in.